The JOY of Sacred Ceremony & Ritual
The truth is reaffirmed by our participation in ceremony and ritual.
A sacred ceremony casts a spell on our hearts as
it reminds us of who we are,
thus releasing us to become who we are capable of being. Marianne Williamson.
We are crossing thresholds everyday—-we need to participate in ceremony, as ritual assists us in life’s day to day transitions. Today, many are recognizing that rituals and ceremony can create cellular shifts within us.
Rituals support changes for what we are experiencing, to create a way to FIT THINGS TOGETHER.
Allowing our mind to expand
Our moods can change
Our spirits rise
Even the smallest rites of everyday existence are important to the soul —- the unconscious things we do everyday like taking a walk, a sport class or a weekly family dinner or brunch. Have you ever had your bedroom and bathroom painted and had to relocate your morning rise and preparation routine? We have dozens and dozens of rituals in our daily ‘routine’.
Do you participate in:
Birthday celebrations
Songs or chants for occasions
Easter egg hunts
Hanukkah candle lighting
Christmas decorating
Spring planting
New Year Resolutions
Wedding ~ Funeral ~ Dedication
Both ritual and ceremony are an attempt to invoke spiritual presence and blessing, honoring through an action.
There are differences between ceremony and ritual.
RITUAL is often repetitive in actions, structures with an objective to receive spiritual support in a hoped for outcome, often done for years and even centuries.
CEREMONY has some structure, guideline, inviting without expectation spiritual assistance for help in aligning our heart’s desires with the natural flow and rhythm of life; providing a bridge between the earthly and mystical worlds. It provides a way to honor events in our lives, and helps us be at peace with inevitable life changes.
All ceremonies are healing, and they assist in life transitions, and of course for celebrations!
The 3 stages of ceremony are: separation transformation incorporation.
There are MANY practices and ‘ healing salves’ that may be included in a ceremony:
candles singing/chanting dance/movement stories silence herbs/aromas drums/percussion fire/candles special objects
All is intended to create energy and give back to the universe for the life given to us. History details celebrations through ceremony and ritual in every civilization since the beginning of time, including for the seasonal shifts and rhythms for new seeds planting, growing and blooming, harvesting and then a time to pause for respite. There is diversity, yet the honoring of the Universe, God, Spirit, Creator, or whoever it is that speaks to you in the night —- is unmistakable.
Ceremony need not be fancy, the most important aspect of all ceremony is that it be authentic, genuine. Rituals evoke a commitment from the heart, an act of spiritual intimacy, in which we connect deeply to our divine source, casting a spell on our heart.
People are hungry for ways to connect to the sacred—-to learn how and when to use practical and simple ways to cope with problems, gain insights, and bring LIFE to the everyday of FEEDING the SOUL. WHAT IS THE SOUL? For me personally, it is where HOPE & POSSIBILITY LIVE.
Our spirit needs constant care, nourishment….nurturing, just like our physical body, and it’s a continual process. Ceremony and ritual have been used as a ‘‘preventative medicine’’, keeping our lives infused with Light, that we might be less vulnerable to the dark~