Taking my oldest two children to their GCSE exams this week, we drove past a field with a solitary hare sitting in the middle of it. The children couldn’t understand why I was so excited, but seeing that hare brought back a lot of memories for me.

When I used to work in an office, I practiced what I called ‘bunnymancy.’ The train which took me to work sped through fields on its way to London and there was one particular field which attracted lots of rabbits. I hated my job, so if I saw rabbits on my way to work, I took it as a good omen for the day.

There was one journey I’ll never forget. The field was empty on that particular occasion, save for a single fox, leisurely strolling through. I’m sure you can imagine how good a day I had at work after that ominous sign.

Ritual is so much more than simply repeating actions or reciting the same words. What elevates routine into ritual is the act of transformation, connecting with Spirit, Divine Source, a Deity, something Other than ourselves for a desired result. That may be a simple act of worship or gratitude; it might be to cast a spell for a specific purpose; perhaps it is to deepen your spiritual understandings. In this case, staring out of the window on my commute was routine; practicing divination at the same time made that routine a ritual to prepare myself for whatever work had to offer that day.

So seeing a hare on the way to an exam was, for me, one of the most positive omens out there. Time will tell whether that’s reflected in the results.

Ritual doesn’t have to be grandiose to be effective. It can be a simple moment of connection, a brief pause in a hectic schedule to recharge and fuel your soul.

A Simple Ritual to Connect With a Deity

If you are new to working with the Gods but feel someone calling you, this little ritual will help you build on that connection and decide whether a specific deity is one you would like to get to know better.

Create an altar for your deity. If you have an image or statue of them, let this be the centrepiece, but if you don’t, this is not essential. Include symbols associated with the god instead, such a seashell or bowl of water for Neptune or a statue of an owl for Minerva. Make it as beautiful as possible and have fresh flowers as an offering. 

If you do not have much space, don’t worry. Your altar does not have to be elaborate or even obvious to anyone other than you. A corner of a bookshelf would work. The point is simply to have something as a permanent honorific for your god during this little cycle of ritual.

On the morning of the new moon, light a candle in the name of your chosen deity. As you do this, say:

I light this candle in honour of [deity name] that I may know you better. May you walk with me this day.

Leave the candle to burn out.

Pay careful attention during your day. Has the god sent any signs they have heard you? Do you see an animal associated with them? Any unusual occurrences? What about your dreams? Are they significant? Write all your observations in your magickal diary.

Do the same the next morning, and the next, lighting a candle to your deity for the whole of a moon cycle until it is new moon again. At the end of the month, you should have a stronger understanding of whether this is a god you would like to build a closer relationship with and, if so, you have built a strong foundation to start.

If you’d like help designing a more in-depth ritual to build on this process, come along to our Weekend of Transformative Ritual. We’ll take you through the essentials of ritual technique and provide you with individual feedback to help you craft effective rituals which achieve results.