Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'm sure that all of us have some sort of preperation that we have before doing any ritual. Maybe it's a bath, a cleansing, or what not. I thought that this would be a good place to start discussions about how we prepare for rituals and if there is anything that you have tried before and discarded?

When ever I do a ritual, it is difficult for me to focus. Plain and simple. I have an alter. I don't use it as much as text books refer to. I normally just clear my mind, I usually have to be in a room where it is quiet, or on one of my walks I'll do a little ritual, where I'm distracted by people playing video games. I don't take a shower or bath before hand, if I do, that ritual usually involves some kind of water magics, or purifying crystals.

What works for me doesn't work for everyone, but there is a lot less formality about the way that I do things. I wouldn't call it reckless, just different. I can't explain flowing my energy out, because I don't even know that I would call it energy, I'd more describe it as my spirit. And it flows out of me, I feel instantly more aware, I can hear and see better, but I'm all focused on what I'm trying to do. And it might only last for thirty seconds, but in that thirty seconds of me using my spirit to send out a spell, or do a "thank you" ritual, or a ritual for good luck is more potent for me than standing before an alter.

I have better results this way.

I still keep my alter because I think its a nice tribute to all the good energies and spirits that keep me safe, my loved ones, and my family.

When I was practicing with a Gardnerian coven, doing pre-Initiate circles, we would all take a shower beforehand (but not together) to cleanse the body and the auric field from the stresses, worries, and thoughts of the day (rituals were usually in the evening).

At home, I do a weekly ritual devotional bath to Venus on Fridays, a sort of part-beauty, part-cleansing ritual. Friday is ruled by the planet Venus, I tend to work only with Roman deities, yada yada. Rose hips, lemon balm, and a statue of the goddess are all present. And boy do the rose hips smell great in the steaming bath, kind of like a big tea!

Before my own solitary rituals I have, at the very least, a shower like I did with the Gardnerians, though sometimes I do a full on fancy bath like the Venus ritual. This is most often followed by the LBRP.

One of the cleansing rituals I keep meaning to implement but keep failing to do is charging a special goblet of water with energy and happy vibes and then drinking it, first thing in the morning. I picked that up from T. Thorn Coyle, one of my favoritest pagans ever. Start each day fresh, new, focused on sacred things.

I forgot to mention. The following prayer is a prayer of ablution, said by the cultores deorum Romanorum before performing any ritual, big or small. I do it in the shower, and when washing my hands, especially before my daily observances at the lararium.

Haec aqua a corpore impuritates, modo simile plumbo mutando ad aurum, elluat. Purga mentem, purga carnem, purga animum. Ita est!

Roughly translated into English it says something like, "May this water cleanse my bodily impurities, like the way lead is changed to gold. Purify my mind, purify my body, purify my soul. So it is."

With both you and Salmenella talking about the impurities in your body and life it seems that the Roman religion and culture had very strict rules about cleanliness and being near the Gods. Would this be an accurate statement?

It's both. If I face the wrong direction or don't have my hands in the right position or forget to burn incense at a certain time or say something wrong, then I have to cleanse myself and redo the prayer. I also have to cleanse myself multiple times in the middle of rituals as part of the ritual itself.
Usually there would be an assistant during a ritual to hold a towel and bowl of water to cleanse yourself with. I'm the only person in my house that practices Religio Romana so I have to adjust.

And to answer your other question. Yes. There was a strong importance of cleanliness and perfection when being with the Gods.