{"id":7,"date":"2010-06-18T13:32:30","date_gmt":"2010-06-18T13:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/practicalspirituality\/2010\/06\/the-path-to-the-sacred-what-is-a-ritual.html"},"modified":"2010-06-18T13:32:30","modified_gmt":"2010-06-18T13:32:30","slug":"the-path-to-the-sacred-what-is-a-ritual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/practicalspirituality\/2010\/06\/the-path-to-the-sacred-what-is-a-ritual.html","title":{"rendered":"The Path to the Sacred: What is a Ritual?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When people hear the word ‘ritual’
\nmany think of empty actions, repeated and repeated without meaning. The word
\n“habit” and ritual are often connected. Frequently people in the Western world
\neven use the word in a negative fashion, associating ritual with the actions of
\nwild religious cults, and irresponsible people who use spirituality to hurt
\nothers. We should not, however, let the misuse of words deter us. A healthy use
\nof ritual involves an action sequence involving our body, place and objects.
\nThis sequence is set in a pattern intended to connect us with the sacred order
\nof the spiritual world. Ritual intends to shift our awareness to cultivate an
\nimmediate felt relationship to the power and presence of Spirit.  <\/span><\/p>\n

The communion ritual in Christian
\ntradition is an example of a sacred action and pattern that uses the physical
\nworld to unite people in the metaphysical force of Chirst’s love and
\nconsciousness. It is important to remember that when the intent is strong, the
\nbread and the wine carry the spiritual power of Christ’s own body and blood.
\nThis is neither simple psychological symbolism, nor literal cannibalism. It is
\na sacred ritual in which the subtle spiritual energies of the world are
\nengaged. This ritual has opened millions of hearts and minds to spiritual
\nexperiences that have changed their lives. The ritual is more than the act, it
\nis a gateway to an inner encounter of The sacred.<\/p>\n

In ritual we use our bodies and
\nsacred objects in three primary ways. First, is the use of ritual to embody and
\ninteract with the patterns of the spiritual world. Second, through intent,
\nsymbol and action we activate the subtle energy within things to have an impact
\non our body and awareness. Rituals aim to mirror the scared world by creating a
\nmicrocosm we can interact with, and thus touch and be touched by the greater
\nforces of this world. Alternately and closely related, a healthy ritual act is
\nan act of power: a behavior, gesture or action that intentionally moves energy
\nto effect a positive change.<\/p>\n

Finally, there is a psychological shift
\nthat impacts our attitude and worldview. This final element is helpful when it comes
\nto managing our emotions and reactions in daily life. If we carry the ritual
\nmindset with us into our lives, we see that all habits, actions and routines
\ncan be acts of power and intent. When understood properly, a ritual should ideally
\nbe infused with these three elements. While it may become a consistent
\npractice, try to make the meaning and value endure. Be careful not to fall into
\nunconscious habit.<\/p>\n

It
\nis easy to get caught up in the language and semantics around ritual – trying
\nto differential between ceremony, rites, rites, sacraments etc. For our purpose
\nhere, any distinct action that fulfills one or more of the above three
\nfunctions is a ritual. A ceremony may be made up of many rituals and many of
\nthe other 11 Master Paths incorporate ritual into their process and protocol.
\nYet, rituals may stand alone. Entering a Christian church many people will
\nkneel, make the Sign of the Cross upon themselves and proceed to the service of
\nthe day. But the same act of kneeling and evoking the Sign of the Cross may be
\ndone at home, in nature or before bed. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When people hear the word ‘ritual’ many think of empty actions, repeated and repeated without meaning. The word “habit” and ritual are often connected. Frequently people in the Western world even use the word in a negative fashion, associating ritual with the actions of wild religious cults, and irresponsible people who use spirituality to hurt…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[18,21,22,23,67],"class_list":["post-7","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spirituality","tag-jonathan-ellerby","tag-religion","tag-return-to-the-sacred","tag-ritual","tag-spirituality"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Path to the Sacred: What is a Ritual? - Practical Spirituality<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/practicalspirituality\/2010\/06\/the-path-to-the-sacred-what-is-a-ritual.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Path to the Sacred: What is a Ritual? - Practical Spirituality\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When people hear the word ‘ritual’ many think of empty actions, repeated and repeated without meaning. 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