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As recently reported in the Wild Hunt, it appears that a Ukrainian news agency reported that Ukrainian witches are planning a ritual against Putin. The Wild Hunt indicates this article may be propaganda by Russia, since it was picked up by Russian state controlled media after the Ukrainian article ran.

link to Wild Hunt article: https://wildhunt.org/2022/03/pagan-community-notes-week-of-march-28-2022.html

link to Ukrainian article: https://www.unian.net/society/ukrainskie-vedmy-provedut-31-marta-ritual-na-otstranenie-ot-vlasti-putina-novosti-ukrainy-11756578.html

I make no claims for whether this really originated from Ukrainian witches. I don't have the kind of intelligence assets that would allow me to make that determination. The article itself indicates the ritual is being done by both Ukrainian witches and foreign allies, but only includes ritual instructions for second part of the ritual, the part that is not a curse but is instead meant to be supportive of the fighting forces in Ukraine. Curiously, the gods called upon in the instructions include Heathen (Norse / Asatru) gods in addition to a Slavic god. War is inherently violent, so even though the second part of the ritual is not a curse but appears to be positive magic, it is still in support of violence, so don't participate if you are not comfortable with that.

This article calls for a 3 part ritual, with each part to be performed at a different time. The first part was in March and has been done. April's ritual is in support of Ukraine's armed forces.

This ritual calls for these words: "На победу нашего великого народа, на удачу, успех и открытие дорог! И пусть все боги войны - Один, Тор, Перун - сопутствуют нам!" Roughly translated, this means "For the victory of our great people, for good luck and to open the way! I call on the gods of war, Odin, Thor, and Perun, to help us!"

To judge from my own experience and what I've heard from others, the state of pagan ritual is not particularly strong right now.

That's hardly to be wondered at. Ritual is an art, and—as with any art-form—to gain mastery takes time, especially when you mostly have to start from the ground up and teach yourself as you go.

The quality of pagan ritual is decidedly not improved by the custom—I'm almost tempted to call it a recreational sport—of ritual-shredding. How many times have I sat around a campfire after the evening ritual listening to a vicious vivisection of every single thing that went wrong in circle that night?

Enjoyable as it may be at the time, ritual-shredding is a self-indulgence which we cannot permit ourselves. It's pointless to tear down what someone else has built if we ourselves have nothing to put in its place.

For this reason, here in Paganistan the thew (custom) has arisen that No ritual may be criticized until the next day.

Hundreds of us, jammed into the hallway outside the hotel ballroom, waiting for the doors to open and the ritual to begin.

The power in the air was palpable.

Like atoms which, when compressed, generate heat, so too with bodies. You could taste the energy mounting, mounting, as more and more people pressed in.

Finally, the double doors swung open. With a cheer, we stampeded into the room.

Then the ritualist killed it.

It's every ritualist's worst nightmare, and—if you stay in the field long enough—it will happen to you.

Your ritual bombed.

What do you do now, dear?

Well, the worst thing that you can do is to slink away shamefacedly with your tail between your legs.

The reason why this is the worst thing that you can do is that it breaks trust.

No. Instead you need to buck up, gird up your loins, and publicly confess.

“Well, that ritual bombed,” you need to say. “What I want to hear from you is what didn't work, why it didn't work, and how we can do it better next time.”

Good ritual...

...we do together.

Bad ritual...

...is done to you.

Good ritual...

...lets you experience.

Bad ritual...

...tells you what you feel.

Good ritual...

...connects.

It's one of the older conundrums in the ritualist's book.

You're pouring at a public ritual. You've brought the libation. You paid for it, so the other attendees have no investment, no personal stake in it.

How, then, do you get them to feel the pour?

Here's my recommendation: beautiful as it is, leave grandma's silver libation ewer at home.

Pour straight from the bottle.

And pour out the whole thing.

Every last drop.

Reposted from Between the Shadows, November 12, 2014:

Remembrance Day is how Canadians acknowledge November 11th.  In the US it is Veterans Day.  These observances evolved out of Armistice Day, which continues to be observed in some countries (or simultaneously.)  There are commonalities but the focus is different.  Our identity of ourselves as a nation came from fighting together in World War I.  At that time, Canada was still a British colony, and most of us thought of ourselves as British (or French, under British occupation).  We became Canadians together at Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele.