What is ritual, and why is it essential?
“Ritualization differs from ordinary activity in that it imitates aspects of everyday reality while self-consciously contrasting itself against them.”
— Sabina Magliocco, Ph.D.
To begin our contemplation about the importance of ritual, we must first address the meaning behind ritualization and the vast use of intentional-action in human societies. Since the beginning of time, human beings have used rituals to cope with their most powerful and terrifying experiences. Ritual, as symbolic movement or action, expresses themes of human experience through archetype, story and symbolism. When we can connect to something bigger than ourselves we are inspired by the human spirit to be closer to what we view as Divine.
Ritual is used as the impetus for healing and regeneration, as it imbues the participant with intention, thus weaving meaning into their action. Ritualization allows participants to become actively involved with their innate healing power by channeling it and using it in ways that create profound changes in the self. Intentional action involves a set of performative acts intended to link self and Other: the social other, in the form of the healer, and the sacred Other, in the form of the perceived Divine. The sacred Other is the ultimate source of transformative power; it defines us according to what we are not, while being grounded in our own embodiment as material creatures.
“This contact with sacredness, however it is imagined by an individual or culture, is ultimately a touchstone of our humanity; it is what makes us whole and grants us a sense of connection to community and the world.”
Sabina Magliocco, Ph.D.
When we touch upon the vastness of our individuality, and come into the remembrance of the eternal self, the fractured pieces of our being become receptive to the balm of the Divine. Recognition of both our human and sacred natures reconcile the cracked aspects of our being which keep us locked in trauma states.
As a world, and within our cultures, we are ritually starved. Caught up in obsessions with productivity which keep us distracted from the divinity around us and trapped within the limited beliefs of our own mind. Failing to connect the transcendent reality of nature with the self leaves individuals to feel trapped, uninspired and caught in personal trauma loops.
As the modern world continues to propel further into the future of innovation and expansion, the people who form our societies and influence culture are looking for a deeper meaning to life and an illuminated path to knowing the richness of what it means to be human. We are hungry for meaning and connection. Gabrielle Roth, of the 5Rhythms, expresses her lament for the loss of ritual and makes a call for The Sacred to be woven in our modern and complex society.
“We no longer honor life’s whole sacred journey. Our rituals are empty; they mean nothing. They no longer empower us for the psychic tasks we need to undertake...That’s why we need to rediscover a creative contemporary shamanism suited to our turbulent, tenuous times.”
Gabrielle Roth
To do this, we must take the journey of finding the Divine into our own hands — to connect to something deeper and imbue a depth of meaning into our lives that transcends the present-day desire to continually move forward.
We must call ourselves to the pauses of life.
Finding ways to make the sacred mundane and weaving rituals of self care into our daily lives sets our intentions to remind us of the divinity of our sacred home — The Body.
How can washing your teeth be an act of worship to your bones- the structures which make up the very foundations to your ability to move?
How can moving your body become a sacrament to allow the somatic intelligence of your physicality to shine through and bring you into greater cohesion with health and balance?
How can we find moments with Spirit (be it God, Goddess, The Great Unknown, The Void) to usher us into our day and lull us into our slumber?
As we contemplate these questions, dwell in the sweetness of the unknowing. Familiarize yourself with the uncomfortable and the new. There is potential in what we do not know- there is wisdom waiting for us in the quiet spaces of awareness that quietly whisper for our attention. And while I am in no rush to get to those divine nooks-and-crannies of experience, I hold myself aware that I yearn.
I yearn for meaning, peace and connection.
Ritual has, and will, always guide us towards these sublime desires of the human experience.
Pause.
Listen.
Remember.
Repeat.
