Early humans realized that there was a need for habits, rituals and ceremonies to help make their lives manageable. There is still such a need for ritual and ceremony these days.
Early humans realized that there was a need for habits, rituals and ceremonies to help make their lives manageable. There is still such a need for ritual and ceremony these days.
Feeling disconnected from Deity and other people, I believe I have a profound need for moments of pause, reflection, and connection. And with all the suffering in the world – and the way it can make us feel overwhelmed – ritual can help us get through these moments and heal in ways that no rationalizing or logical approach can come close to.
It’s all about intention. This can be as simple as a daily ritual of waking up and setting my intention for the day before I even open my eyes or a self-directed ritual of intention to love tenderly and openly without armor, and to remember the preciousness of this day that I woke up to.
But before I dive more into that, let me clarify the difference between routines, rituals, and ceremony:
A “routine” is a regular and habitual series of action or activities, often performed in a specific order. They usually lack a deeper symbolic or ceremonial significance. While they aren’t usually imbued with spiritual meaning, they CAN be based on our intention.
A “ritual” is a set of actions or activities performed in a prescribed manner, often containing symbolic meaning, cultural significance, or personal intention. There’s often a sense of mindfulness and purpose.
A ceremony will usually involve a series of planned activities, rituals, or symbolic gestures. They’re more elaborate and structured than rituals and often mark significant events, transitions, or celebrations, or blessings, which is why they often have a communal or societal dimension like weddings or rites of passage.
Ceremonies can also be private, like a solo fire ceremony where we let go of things that no longer serve us, or a clearing and letting go of past limiting beliefs.
One benefit of daily rituals is that they help us manage our anxiety by providing a sense of control and predictability. Like how some people love their bedtime routine because it calms them before they go to sleep. Or how some have a daily spiritual practice of meditation or prayer.
Rituals can also give us a shared social reality and connection with other people, like people gathering over a holiday with loved ones. And they play a role in cultural identity and preserving traditions.
There is often a touchpoint of interconnectedness and connection to nature in traditional rituals and ceremonies. When we remember to see things this way, we are reminded that we’re not separate from each other or anything else. We’re encouraged to dismantle the artificial separation that modern life has imposed on us.
It seemed to me that there was a dichotomy regarding worship of Deity split between corporate, (church) prayer and private prayer.
Corporate prayer seemed pretty well defined and seemed more like a vehicle for fellowship and communication with others in a structured environment. Scripture encourages this type of worship in many cases in Acts, for example;
They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers. Acts 1:14
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42
After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly. Acts 4:31
Private prayer also, is encouraged as a way to “know” Deity on a personal and intimate level in scripture;
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:5,6
This seemed to me to be a more inward journey that required thought and contemplation so as to be meaningful to me and not just rote repetition of poetry composed by others. While I was willing to use scripture as a foundation, my inner need was for ritual to be well grounded in personal petition to the Creator.
After considerable meditation and quiet contemplation, I decided to start where many practicing Jews start their personal daily devotions, with the Shema prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Deuteronomy 11:12-21;
Shema Yisrael Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam.
Hear, o Israel, the Lord is our G_D, the Lord is One.
The Lord is G_D, The Lord is One. Blessed be His name forever.
(Personal acknowledgement that the Creator is eternal)
And you shall love the Lord with all your heart, and all your soul and all your might.
(Love is a choice and not merely an emotion. There are emotions attached to love, of course, and that often accompany it; one can feel joy, safety, comfort, butterflies, attraction and so on. But those emotions themselves are separate from the entity of love, and love does not function the same.)
And these words you shall diligently teach to your children; and you shall speak them while sitting in your home and while walking along the way; and while lying down and while rising up;
(We are admonished to pray constantly)
and you will bind them as a sign to your hand and keep them as a remembrance before your eyes; and you will fasten them to your doorposts and your gate.
(As humans we need reminders, symbols, rituals and talismans to keep our attention)
Blessed is the name of the Lord forever. His grace and Mercy are boundless.
Supreme Ruler of the Universe, if it be Your Will, grant that I might subdue my passions and ego, that I might maintain a heart of gratitude. I have so much to be grateful for.
(Two things here; 1) when my attention is on MY will and MY wants I am not paying attention to the will of Deity, 2) For me, the best way to focus on the spiritual needs and requirements is to constantly feel gratitude for the gift of the immediate moment. To live consciously.)
I am grateful for all the gifts I have been given, but mostly for my health; physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
I am grateful for the love and relationship with my spouse, (partner).
I am grateful for my home, for the wherewithal to pay my bills and for my personal possessions.
I am grateful for all those who have come into my life; friends, relatives associates, acquaintances and adversaries. They have all had lessons to teach me and I am grateful for the lessons taught; both individually and through others. I manifest an open mind that I might learn the lessons when first presented when they are easiest, rather than procrastinate and put them off so that they are repeatedly represented in a more and more difficult manner until they are learned.
I am grateful for the power to manifest healing and I am grateful for the healing manifested. Therefore; at this place and time, I do hereby manifest healing for; (enumerate the specific healings to be manifested) and all who are hurting physically, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and financially.
I am grateful for the guidance I have received and manifest that the guidance continues all of my life.
I am grateful for petitions answered and for petitions not answered because they were not righteous.
I am grateful for the ability to remember those who were important in my life and who have since died; (enumerate specific persons who have died who influenced your life and you wish to remember), and all the friends, relatives and associates who have passed away. May I keep their memory evergreen in my heart and mind as long as I live.
(My personal spiritual “punch list” to keep me focused on the true purpose for my being a part of this Creation)
I am grateful for the Universal Spirit and for the gifts of the spirit which I have been worthy to receive and for the gifts I shall be worthy to receive in the future.
I am grateful for Deity which dwells within me, has made me a co-creator of my life and has granted me access to the power of Deity when used in a righteous manner. Therefore; at this place and time, I do hereby and hereon manifest Brotherly Love, Charity, Truth, Temperance, Fortitude, Prudence, Justice, strength. courage, wisdom and abundance.
All these things, I do hereby and hereon manifest through the power of Deity granted to me, with a humble and grateful heart.
So Mote It Be. (In place of “Amen” which has different connotation based on my current research).
This ritual petition to Deity is repeated upon arising in the morning and prior to going to bed at night. Parts of the second half are repeated prior to meals and at other times during my day when it seems appropriate to voice gratitude and thanksgiving.
As I continue sharing my thoughts with you there will be a filling in of the theological and spiritual positions that underpin what I believe. However, if you went no further that to make a concerted effort to understand what I wrote here and the thought processes behind it, you would have a pretty firm grip on where I stand regarding my belief in Deity.
Take what you need and leave the rest.
