1. Describe
internalizing text and concepts. Explain the difference between internalized
and memorized text. What advantages or disadvantages does internalizing text
have when compared to reading from a script? (100 words minimum)
Internalization is defined as “to
incorporate within the self as conscious or subconscious guiding principles” (Merriam-Webster) . Internalizing texts means that not only do
you know the words, you understand the meaning and message behind them
completely. Memorized text allows you to
speak the words verbatim, expressing the same idea over and over with no
variation. Internalization allows you to
not only have the words memorized, but to be so comfortable with them, that you
can speak the words from your heart, not necessarily word for word, and still
express the same idea. You understand
what is being said and you don’t have to remember how to say it. When you have something internalized, it
becomes much easier to improvise as well, which makes rituals have the ability
to be more spontaneous and less rehearsed and pre-planned (Thomas) .
2. Describe
the importance of support and resonance in vocal projection. What role does
diction play in communicating ideas? (300 words minimum)
Breath support is an important part
of vocal projection. It allows for
“strong and directed” speech (Thomas) . Our words are carried by our breath, and if
you don’t have a strong breath, the your voice, and the words, can falter
mid-sentence. This loses the power
behind it, and can make it difficult to hear, especially in a large group
setting, or in an environment not conducive to communication, such as a large
public park, or a wedding with 200 attendees.
Resonance is defined as “the quality
in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating” (Merriam-Webster) .
By paying attention to the way your speech resonates in your body, you
can use your pronunciation and your chest to increase the amount and quality of
sound that is produced by our voice (Thomas)
. A fuller voice with strong
reverberation can be heard more easily in a group setting. This can be vital in a public ritual setting,
or at a big event when you’re trying to speak to a large number of people at
once.
Diction is a part of speech that I
find incredibly important in communicating thoughts and ideas, especially in
rituals. We use our words to
communicate, both with each other and with the Kindred that we are inviting to
our rituals. If we do not enunciate our
words, the meaning of our message may be lost upon our audience, or even upon
the Kindred. If you’re in a large space
and are expecting the words to carry a great distance, it is necessary to focus
on your diction in order for the message to be relayed as clearly as
possible. The distortion of sound
increases with distance, so when you can’t rely on someone standing nearby to
hear your speech, using breath support, resonance, and diction can help
guarantee that not only can they hear you, but they can understand the message
you are trying to convey.
3. Write
a simple ritual and internalize the text. Perform it three times (not more
frequently than once per week) and take notes regarding the performance each
time. Describe the changes you made during the process and why those changes were
made. (300 words minimum)
I wrote a
simple ritual to honor Athena and the many gifts that she has brought to my
life. It’s a short COoR rite that I
intend to perform each Monday when I get to my office at work.
Week
1
Athena is someone I have been
devoted to longer than I can even remember, and as someone who loves learning
and works in the education field, it felt appropriate to honor her to start
each week. Yet for some reason, the
first week I felt a little awkward. I
knew the point of my rite and the words that I wanted to say, but saying them out loud I felt odd and I
stumbled a bit. I had prepared specific
offerings for the different beings that I honored in the ritual, but ultimately
that felt a bit restricting since part of the rite was then dictated instead of
being able to just improvise completely.
Also, the opening, closing, and statement of purpose were a little rough
since it was a new ritual space and I wasn’t sure how I wanted to start. I’ll definitely put more thought into that
next week.
Omen: Theta, Chi, Pi
Week
2
I performed my ritual for Athena
again today, and definitely felt a bit more relaxed. The words to Athena flow easily since I’ve
worked with her for so long. Opening and
closing the rite felt a bit more natural, because I spent a lot of time this
week thinking about why I wanted to do this ritual. Ultimately that work paid
off in the smoothness of my Statement of Purpose. I also changed my offerings, giving each
being part of my morning tea and that felt much more natural and less
cumbersome in the office space. I do
think working with a deity I’m so familiar with definitely helps the
internalization feel more natural. I
think this would be harder with a hearth or being that I am less familiar with.
Omen:
Eta, Delta, Chi
Week
3
This week, I came across a
realization that helps me understand why my rituals feel so structured and
strict. I have spent so much of my time
doing public rituals where I have to explain each step of the ritual before I
do it, that being able to just do a ritual without those explanations feels unnatural.
I realized after last week’s rite that I was still explaining my actions, even
though I was standing alone, I don’t
think I need to in this rite, so this week I didn’t. It still feels a little awkward, like I’m
leaving something out, but I know over time it will get better. This has been an interesting new experimentation
for me, but I hope to continue doing these rites each Monday morning because
it’s a wonderful way to start my work week.
Omen: Epsilon, Eta, Lambda
4. Submit
a video recording of at least yourself performing a ritual, taking into account
the following performance elements.
The ritual I’ve recorded is
something that I typically perform with my children. These rituals have more songs and stories
included than a lot of rituals since they are aimed at kids, and they can seem
a bit silly at times, but my kids really enjoy them. However, that also means that the words
aren’t as “deep” as you may find with other rites. Also, please excuse my singing voice…my
children are a sympathetic audience.
Works Cited
Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster Dictionary.
n.d. 2019. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary>.
Thomas, Rev. Kirk S. The Well-Trained Ritualist.
n.d. September 2019. <https://www.adf.org/system/files/public/rituals/explanations/Well-Trained-Ritualist.pdf>.
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