Songs and/or chants are used for a variety of purposes in Pagan ritual, such as evocations, invocations, power raising, trance induction, quarter calls & farewells, creating group/community mind, soothing jagged emotions and generating visions. Over the years, I have learned many wonderful chants in my community. I now teach them for ritual and for the joy of singing. Soon you will find downloadable files of some of us singing the base melodies as well as some harmonies. Many of these songs have been sung in circles or around the campfires of various Pagan Fests by people who do not necessarily consider themselves as great singers. Yet, when multiple voices and harmonies are combined, it is amazing what chants can add to your rite. It is my hope that the chants herein will get passed on as they were originally passed on to me.

"The reason songs and chants are important in ritual is that they help to control both breathing and thought. Using a song or a chant is a good method for focussing your mind. It is also particularly effective for building a group mind, since it is a good method of getting everyone breathing together and concentrating on one stream of consciousness (i.e. healing, power raising, etc.). This works better if everyone in the circle knows beforehand (at least generally) what he or she should be concentrating on.

The type of song or chant you could use will depend on what you are trying to do. If you were doing power raising, you would want a song or chant that builds in strength until it reaches a climax. You would start off slow and gradually build up the tempo, driving it by swinging your hands to push the energy unto the center of the circle, until the level of energy has been achieved. Then you release the energy at its target. During the process, you can use a Back-Chant to speed up the tempo.

For extra dimension in elemental calls and purifications, songs about the Elements can be used as purification in ritual instead of standard spoken purifications. You can also sing while cleansing the ritual space by using a Besom Chant when you sweep. For building a group mind, you would use a slower song or chant than you would for power raising, combined with slow, rhythmic movements, such as gentle swaying. Do not use a back-chant. Almost everything but a back-chant will control the breath and get everyone breathing together at the same speed, which is what you want for building a group mind. Trance induction involves the creation of a deep state of meditation in order to do work such as visiting the astral plane. The best approach is to use a single sound that lasts for one out-breath, so that it empties your lungs totally. Do not hold your lungs empty, but slowly refill them, ready to chant again on the next out-breath.

Songs that are meant to be songs of worship or adoration may be solemn or they may be joyful, depending on the situation you want to create. For grounding, farewells or banishings, you should use slower songs that wind down the energies. After a ritual, you can have more songs, not necessarily ritual songs, but often songs with a Pagan theme. This will ensure that the transition from the ritual world to the mundane world is not too jarring."