The Nature on the Inside by Cecily Joy Willowe

by Cecily Joy Willowe

If you are a Wiccan or a Ecospirituality type there is this expectation that the majority of your rituals will be outside. There is this idea that rituals indoors are somehow off and unfitting of Wiccan-like folks. However, I will admit, without apology, that I do the vast majority of my rituals at home in my spare bedroom.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not the type of Wiccan who never leaves home and uses mostly plastic or artificial tools. I have a plant on my altar sometimes I swear!  Now, there is nothing wrong with this type of Wiccan because let’s face it, not everyone is living in beautifully landscaped areas with backyards or near fields of gold. Some Wiccans and Eco- Pagans are living in tight loud urban areas where outdoor rituals are the not the best options. Then, of course some can not do outside rituals because mental and physical reasons. I am fortunate have the  ability to go mountains, parks and creeks to venture if I choose.

On major sabbats, I might do activities in nature to celebrate the turning of the seasons. But since I’m either practicing as a solitary or  just with my partner my rituals are small. When, my partner and I do sabbat celebrations either we do a small ritual inside together and then do an nature activity or we do a spontaneous simple outside ritual. For big group rituals, I definitely prefer to be outside, dancing, singing loudly and wildly communing with nature. But for intimate rituals, I want to keep in simple. I want to enjoy just being present in natural spaces without worrying about tools or what to say or if I am doing it “right”. I just want to sit against a tree and feel its strength, lay on the beach and fall asleep to the lullaby of the waves or sit on a rock and stare out at the mountains.

For me being outside in nature is always a sacred act.  I do not have to invoke the Goddess because she is already there, all around, on the trail and  in the breeze. I take her with me every foot of my  hike, and through every splash I make in the waters of a nearby beach.

But, the immanent Goddess is not only in the great outdoors. You  can even bring the Goddess home with you. Honestly, she was always there to begin with. One of the many reasons, why I like doing my daily rituals at home is because it reminds that nature is home. The Goddess is in my house with me every morning, day and night.

I want my home to feel spiritually infused. I want to walk into my sacred rooms and areas and be instantly taken away from the doom and gloom of the day by the smell of rose water and  vanilla candles. I want my home to be a sanctuary therefore indoor rituals are just as important to me as outdoor ones. There is no need to place greater value on one place or type of ritual, it is about what works best for my practice and well being that day. It is about doing practices that remind me that Goddess is with me, and that helps to experience the awe of nature, and the divine that both surrounds me  and lives within.