What is the Purpose of Ritual?

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So I've been thinking about the age old rift between Traditional Wiccans and Eclectic Wiccans. Traditional Wiccans accuse Eclectics of "making things up" or being too relaxed during ritual. Then of course Eclectics are made to feel like we're the black sheep of the family.

So lets ask ourselves, what is the purpose of ritual? Is it to follow to the letter what Gerald Gardner and other mentors taught? Should we require our rituals to never evolve?

The purpose of ritual is to connect with Deity or Universal Energy. We connect to Deity by a series of actions that are symbols of our faith and bring out our emotional bond with this energy.

If you need a drawn out ceremony to do that, then great. If you prefer a shortened ritual, that's great too. Often it is the purpose of my ritual that makes me decide on whether I want a short simple ritual or a long drawn out intricate ritual. Again, it depends on my feelings at the time. Intuition guides me when planning my ritual and altar.

When I began my Pagan journey I had many people offering advice. Most of them would hand me books to read on traditional witchcraft. Things must be so so for it to work, etc... I felt I was lost in this path because I just didn't feel the connection I was told I was suppose to have. Then a friend of mine and mentor said, hey if its not working, change what you're doing. Do what your intuition is telling you to do and you'll never go wrong.

Since that day I've followed their advice and its never led me wrong. If traditional rituals are just motions and does not bring out emotion in you, try something that does speak to you. 

Have you ever felt like you're the "black sheep" of the Pagan family?