Cleansing Ritual?

[AnurenDark]

Has anyone ever performed a cleansing ritual, as in to purify past sins and begin anew, like the marking of a new journey?

I only ask because I wish to include it in a story I'm writing and I have never performed anything of this sort before. Guidelines, materials or any sort of tips would be helpful.  

[WebenBanu]

Hm... that's a good question, but "sin" isn't much of a concept in most of the Pagan religions with which I've had experience. In my own religion, Kemetic reconstructionism, every moment of every day (though especially moments of renewal such as sunrise) is considered "zep tepi." Zep tepi means "The First Occasion," and it refers back to that original moment of creation when the world came into being. We don't have any formal ceremonies for starting over, really- all it takes is for one person to remind another that right here, right now is zep tepi and that we are active participants and co-creators of our world.

I'm not sure about other traditions, but although we do have some magical texts (such as the Declarations of Purity a.k.a. "The Negative Confessions") which may have acted as a magical make-over for the deceased, it's generally conceded that humans screw up from time to time. The most important thing is to have your good deeds balance out your mistakes. So confession wouldn't do much for us, but donating time to a charity or other worthy cause might.

Hope that helps!  

[AnurenDark]

WebenBanu

Hm... that's a good question, but "sin" isn't much of a concept in most of the Pagan religions with which I've had experience. In my own religion, Kemetic reconstructionism, every moment of every day (though especially moments of renewal such as sunrise) is considered "zep tepi." Zep tepi means "The First Occasion," and it refers back to that original moment of creation when the world came into being. We don't have any formal ceremonies for starting over, really- all it takes is for one person to remind another that right here, right now is zep tepi and that we are active participants and co-creators of our world.

I'm not sure about other traditions, but although we do have some magical texts (such as the Declarations of Purity a.k.a. "The Negative Confessions") which may have acted as a magical make-over for the deceased, it's generally conceded that humans screw up from time to time. The most important thing is to have your good deeds balance out your mistakes. So confession wouldn't do much for us, but donating time to a charity or other worthy cause might.

Hope that helps!

Mmm thanks that was helpful, I like the idea of renewal, it's something I'll definitly take into account.