Thursday, September 8, 2011

Ceremony

Ritual, routine or ceremony? These concepts seem to reflect almost the same process, a series of words and actions repeated to achieve a particular result, like and experiment in Chemistry; follow these steps and you will replicate these results.

The most mundane of these processes is the routine – like the bed time routine: pee, wash your face, brush your teeth, take your night time nutrients, choose a book and off to bed. Practiced enough times, this routine initiates a mental and physical situation which makes falling to sleep easier. Think of all the routines we have in life. Most are life affirming, and yet many are life denying, like self destructive routines around drugs and alcohol.

Ritual is a routine around a spiritual or other concept, like a routine or ritual at the beginning of a meeting: opening the guide books, saying the proscribed words for the beginning of the process, standing or sitting at specific stages of the process. Ritual, like routine, has set patterns, often established by some outside guide or source.

Ceremony is routine or ritual involving Joy, a celebration, a coming together in the presence of like minded individuals to share with joy some transition or situation.

What if each changed the labels of routines and rituals and would call them Ceremonies? What if we inserted joy and celebration into the act of going to bed, or having that first cup of coffee in the morning? Might we then enhance every part of every day with celebration?

Ceremony – Celebrate with joy, with like minded people; live life as a celebration of your being.

Thank you

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