Connecting with Ritual

"It is interesting that a branch of science - psychology - has led at least a few hardy pioneers full circle back to the realm that once belonged to religion, ritual, in order to answer the need for more personal connectivity with each other and the universe."  Peter Levine


Rituals were prevalent in  religious ceremonies when I was growing up. They enhanced any gathering with a broad span of situation:  birth, death, marriage, or receiving sacraments.  Rituals were the workings of the minister or priest. 

Speaking for women, as they began seeking sacred meaning outside of the church, their hearts turned to ritual.   Nature called to many souls, and became the backdrop for individual contemplation.  Woman created their own personal rituals with candles or flowers which led to making some type of altar.  In the earlier years, these actions were secretive as they had been taught that only men could do rituals. 

One may begin to think of women doing private rituals as paganistic and one has to admit there are still pagan rituals today, but this discussion is in reference to something different.  The ritual I refer to is an individual who has a relaionship with the Divine, yearns for communication in addition to prayer on other days than Sundays.  The created ritual can be as simple as lighting a tealight every morning in celebration of life or as a request for safety during the day.  It can be on a larger scale with music, flowers, shared wisdom by friends establishing a sacred circle.

The importance is having the ability to honorably connect with the Univserse, Divine, God or Goddess other than one church service per week.  Women long for a sacred communication and joyfully design a ceremony to enhance their need for connectivity. 

Our lives hold rituals that are not necessarily sacred, like brushing our teeth, reading before bed, driving the same route to work, coffee in the morning and any other repeated action daily.  There are others as well such as Sunday Dinners, Family Meetings, Saturday date night or laundry on the weekends.

If being creative is not your strength, there are numerous books sharing the art of ritual, offering situations such as divorce, new job, awakening, guidance,  daughter's passage, or personal prayer.
The possibilities are endless.  Experiment with bringing just one small ritual into a daily or weekly agenda and notice the advancement of enhanced connection.