The power of rituals is not so much about what you do, it's about the meaning you give to what you do.
It is not a situation, activity or an event that lends significance to a moment; it is the moment that lends significance to that experience.
What is a ritual?
For the purposes of this article we are not talking about rituals that form a once in a lifetime "rites of passage" such as weddings, births and deaths etc. we are talking about rituals based on the occurrence and re-occurrence of everyday experiences.
The power of rituals is that they can be subjective and deeply personal and they are sacred because you decide that they are, to you.
The word sacred is associated with religion but it has a wider meaning.
Rituals are sacred because they celebrate something that has meaning and significance and that is important to you
The 3 elements to a ritual
Casper ter Kuile the author of "The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices" says there are three elements to a ritual:
Rituals vs habits
A ritual is not to be confused with a habit.
Habits relegate whereas rituals celebrate
Rituals are the opposite of habits. Habits are intended to make things less conscious, less intentional and to be performed on autopilot.
Whereas with rituals we want to increase intention and pay more attention and do so consciously. With rituals we want to repeat the ritual with the same level of conscious intention and attention each time we do it it.
With habits we relegate to the unconscious and automatic whereas with ritual we celebrate and do so consciously.
The purpose of ritual is connection
According to Casper ter Kuile there are 4 aspects of connection:
I want to share a memorable incident which took place in Chiang Mai, Thailand, a few years ago.
The occasion was the celebration of Western New Year.
I was with family and friends and we enjoyed a very good dinner at a restaurant beside the river Po.
This was a wonderful evening of love and friendship with family and friends and a celebration of the deep connection that we all felt with each other, with the beautiful open air environment, and with a strong sense of occasion on a New Year's Eve.
After dinner and at midnight there was fantastic firework display from the other side of the river. After this, I noticed people wandering around with large paper lanterns.
I asked our local friends what this was about and I was told that it had become a local tradition for groups of families and friends to light and release large paper lanterns on this night and the purpose of the lantern was to carry people's hopes, dreams and prayers for the upcoming year.
One couple in our group were planning a wedding and another person in our group was looking for a new job. I had launched a new business earlier that year and this was a major undertaking with much at stake.
So as we gathered round and lit the lantern and released it into the air it carried our collective hopes, prayers and dreams..
As the evening drew to a close and as all we walked back to our homes I looked up into the sky and could see hundreds, probably thousands, of lanterns across the sky above Chiang Mai.
Each of those lanterns carried the aspirations and prayers of thousands of people. I found it a profoundly moving experience.
I have never forgotten that night and every New Year's Eve, wherever I am in the world, I re-imagine that night and in my imagination I release another lantern for the upcoming year.
When Coronavirus restrictions lift and international travel resumes, I look forward to returning to Chiang Mai for a New Year's Eve and the releasing of another lantern to celebrate answered prayers for the new marriage [now with a young son], the successful outcome to the job search that has led to a blossoming career, and the financial success and prosperity of my business.
The power of rituals is founded in two core practices featured on this site:
Framing
Framing is how we:
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is:
Further reading:
Introducing "The Balanced Toolkit" Approach To Life
Return from "The Power Of Rituals" to: The Meaning Of Life
LATEST ARTICLES
Drop The Story - Deal With Your Demons and Transform Your Experience
Are you living your life from the stories you tell yourself? Learning how to drop the story and deal with that voice in your head can be a game changer. When you can do this you will have a powerful t…
Standing In The Gap Between No Longer And Not Yet
Standing In The Gap In Conditions Of Imposed Change. This is about imposed change and surviving a dire and desperate situation where you are stuck in a difficult or seemingly impossible set of circums…
Preparing The Ground - For Things You Can Not See
We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the ground. The phrase "preparing the ground" is a metaphor for making the necessary preparations to create the favourable conditions for something to…
Easing The Weight Of Expectation
Don’t you often feel like you are carrying the weight of the world on your back? Our start point is understanding that the ego has a very clear idea of how things ought to be, and its intention and ex…
Coram Deo - Living In Consciousness
In you there is a dimension of consciousness far deeper than thought. It is the very essence of who you are. Coram Deo is about living in consciousness. It is a Latin phrase which literally means “to…
The Power Of Patience - Why You Need The World's Toughest Quality
Nothing in the world can take the place of patience. Patience and persistence are omnipotent. In everyday life, patience is often overshadowed by the desire for immediate results. We live in an era of…
Demonizing The Other and Personal Acts Of Compassion
What Does Demonizing The Other Mean? Demonizing the other refers to the act of portraying a group of people or an individual as inherently evil, threatening, or inferior. It often serves to justify di…
Why You Should Embrace Anomalies - The Incredible Value Of Disconfirming Evidence
Is Your Desire To Be Right Greater Than Your Desire To Have Been Right? An anomaly is a deviation from what is expected or commonly regarded as the norm. It often appears as an unexpected observation…
Amazing Grace - The Majesty And The Mercy of Freedom From Your Pain
"I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind, but now I see." The hymn and popular song "Amazing Grace" was written 250 years ago by John Newton, a former slave trader who in 1748 nearly died in a…
The Transformative Power Of Acceptance
Experience The Power Of Acceptance. This website contains about 500,000 words. You could read every single word and it wouldn't make any real difference to you. You might become better informed, but t…