Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law.
Many years ago, before I even started this blog, I wrote a series of rituals to commemorate the Thelemic Holidays known as the Rituals of the Elements and Feasts of the Times to meet the needs of my local O.T.O. body, and serve as a personal exercise in ritual construction.
I envisioned short rituals, as the Vernal Equinox sometimes arrives on the same day as the Supreme Ritual, and to have them follow an annual cycle similar to the diurnal cycle of Liber Resh vel Helios. Each should also be festive, flexible, support joy and beauty, then end with a feast to commemorate the time of the year as well. Being short, I found poetry an apt format to assist with deepening the rituals further. Additional nuances were added, such as seasonal standing and sitting, cyclical lighting of candles, magical correspondences, and more to include intentional symbolism in a relatively short space. More details may be found in the document linked below.
The Brumal Solstice was first to be performed and then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived to shut down further performances until the pandemic waned and social events could resume. Eventually all of these rituals were performed and further edits were made to assist with their performance. They have remained a semi-seasonal tradition at Crux Ansata Oasis in the valley of Denver, Colorado.
Recently, my Brumal (Winter) Solstice ritual was published in Maevius Lynn’s book The Holy Year of Thelema. During her book club covering this publication, I was able to speak with others about this ritual and was requested to publish all of them for personal or private use.
After a few more light edits to take out some notes and remove a bit of clutter, I am publishing them today. You may download the PDF here.
“Let the rituals be rightly performed with joy & beauty!” – Liber AL vel Legis II.35
Love is the law, love under will.
Ophiphos 