The importance of Ritual
As I walked one of my favourite footpaths today I came across a rose, a poem and a card from a daughter to her late Father. As someone who lost my own Dad very young and who was never given the opportunity to remember him or mark his life in any way, I was deeply touched by the beauty and simplicity of this home-made ritual, and the Mother who had created a way for her children to remember their Father in such a natural and heart-felt way.
As our society changes and fewer and fewer of us take part in religious ceremonies and rituals, it feels as if we are somehow losing the ability of a simple ritual to bind us together as human beings. We long ago lost the ability to sing and dance around a fire without self consciousness and a worry of appearing crazy, yet I for one have a deep yearning to mark the changing of the seasons with fire, dance and song, perhaps storytelling, to re-connect with the earth that nurtures us and to re-connect with each other. Ritual can also be a powerful way of letting go, of allowing our resentments to literally burn in the flames, of taking a few moments to connect with the silence and the sacred all around us. To remember that we are visitors on this planet and that it deserves no less than our love and respect.
Celebrations too are changing, there is so much emphasis on stuff, on what we get rather than what we can give, what we can be grateful for, what we can honour within ourselves and those around us.
My vow is to create more home made rituals and celebrations with my family and community, to use the opportunity to connect at an inner level with ourselves and each other but also to celebrate the miracle of life through dance, song, fire and silence. I’ll let you know how I get on!
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