Ritual magic is the practice of performing magic or inducing magical effects by manipulating the magical patterns inherent in particular configurations of symbols, sounds, and actions. Because ritual magic does not require the magician to possess particular inherent biological faculties (eg., a unicorn's horn), it may be used by various creatures to work spells that would otherwise not be possible for them.

Ritual magic may take a wide variety of forms. As practiced by little ponies, it typically involves closed circles or geometric shapes, discrete symbols placed in specific positions relative to each other, and often includes elements of sound (chanting, incantation, or song) and sometimes supplemental tools or special materials. Circles or enclosing shapes (referred to as sigils) are often drawn in large scale on a floor or scraped into the ground. After rituals are complete, such sigils may be erased by more conscientious practitioners to magically sanitize the site, or left in place for reuse in future rituals, or simply abandoned. Advanced practitioners may also combine ritual magic with their own magical faculties (ie., unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony magic), or with other forms of magic such as alchemy.

Most ritual magic is benign, since little ponies tend to use magic for benign purposes and most established systems of ritual magic are designed to prevent their constituent elements, such as circles and symbols, from creating substantially harmful side effects while being implemented. Still, there are many potential dangers inherent in ritual magic, and especially in haphazard experimentation or in the more obscure special systems sometimes purpose-designed by mages who placed efficiency above safety. Even in normally safe systems, gross misconstruction of sigils, misspeaking of incantations, or other such errors can cause drastic unintended consequences. Casters and others nearby have sometimes been injured or killed in such accidents. Ritual magic can also be intentionally used to cast curses and other malicious effects.

Because of these perceived hazards and because of unsavory rumors about its utility for meddling with dangerous extraplanar creatures, ritual magic has historically been seen as something of the red-headed stepchild of the magical arts and sciences, with most little pony mages preferring to focus on the magical pursuits befitting their own biological capabilities. Some of this stigma was lost in the Dark Age, when practicality and need trumped such concerns.

Some prayers can be classified as very simple forms of ritual magic, although academics are often divided on this point.