The power of the ritual
As humans, we are the species that operates with symbols. Other animals use familiar signs, landmarks, and gestures that we give them, or act purely on instinct. Like humans, they also have rituals of food gathering, procreation, and even death rituals. Our normal day-to-day rituals include showering, combing hair, brushing teeth, and getting ready for work.
Early in the morning, take ten deep breaths in gratitude for waking up to a new day, under a new sky with opportunities to start over with a different attitude, one of gratitude. Every action you perform in the ritual has a deep meaning and impact. Although you do not perceive it on a physical level, it has astral power. There are many unseen forces, whether earthly or angelic, that participate with you by invitation and invocation. They are there, always watching and participating when the intention is correct. I always call the forces or angels of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
The subconscious mind understands and accepts symbols and rituals as very real and will reflect that reality on the physical level of your experience. The purpose of the ritual is to achieve a balance in spiritual attainment, be it psychic development or the attainment of Christ or Cosmic Consciousness. Only you can achieve and master the perfection of your spiritual goals. Prayer, chanting, meditation, and ritual are ultimately performed to achieve oneness with the Divine.
For true spiritual growth, practice is the key and so is persistence. If you are a Christian this week and a Wiccan next week, then “Houston, we have a problem.” Why? Because rituals and symbols fueled by action and belief must be consistent in order to be updated.
If you read the sacred text of the Bible, you will find that Jesus often declared: “Let it be done to you according to your faith.” What a tremendous example of Divine conduct, discipline and unconditional love Jesus was, through his use of rituals, symbols and prayer. When ritual and symbols became too theological and extreme, he rejected the priests of the day and gave importance to the right action: the highest ritual.
Unfortunately, many well-intentioned “religious” people in traditional beliefs have been spiritually shipwrecked by one-sided “just my way” belief systems.
Prayer is a ritual and a “link” with the Divine. The Buddha also rejected the fussy and intensely cerebral rituals of the Hindus during his time, replacing them with his EIGHTFOLD PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT:
1. Right view
2. Correct aim
3. Speak correctly
4. Right Action
5. Right way of life
6. Correct Effort
7. Right Thinking
8. Right Contemplation
Find the religion and ritual with which you feel most comfortable. Don’t judge yourself. God knows who you are and he will help you in your search. No religion works for personal growth unless the right action is attempted. You cannot love God and hate your neighbor. Divided kingdoms don’t last. You cannot hate the sinner and love the sin or judge anyone. Unconditional love is the key.
In my studies of Wicca, or the “Craft” of the sages, I discovered that it is an amazing belief system, that out of reverence for the beauty, consistency and color of nature, in the light of the sun, the moon, the storms , the stars and the rivers. -Evolved into the various aspects of God (gods), or divine aspects of God. There could be no God without the Goddess, or the Great Mother. Many of the great religions on earth have been greatly influenced by Wicca, including Christianity. For example, there is a statement in the Bible that stipulates “As above, so below.” That’s an old Wicca saying. I saw a bumper sticker and repeated it to several Wiccan customers that said, “Christianity has pagan DNA.” Wicca is a peaceful religion that respects life and nature. Anything that does not promote peace, balance, love and respect for all sentient beings and oneself is not good practice.
The ritual is necessary to awaken deeper levels of your own consciousness. You use everything: senses, sights, chants, fragrances or any number of signals you evoke to deepen your own awareness and contact your levels of knowing to cause change to occur in yourself and in your world. Rituals are not mindless exercises by the mother to effect change. You must be aware and disciplined for change to occur. There is a thin veil or membrane between physical life as we know it and spiritual reality.
It should be our common goal that, despite our differences and affiliations, we provide combined and positive sources of spiritual energy and inspiration to renew our lives on the planet for all, despite our differences. From the esoteric perspective, the ritual is designed to successfully impact spiritual growth, understanding and commitment to God while in your body on the planet. The ritual is to remind you of your integral part in the mysterious continuum of life that is much larger than this reality. Your organic self-observation of who you are allows you to participate in the ritual only on that level. However, it will bridge and accelerate reality on the astral plane, with practice, to remove the limiting barrier or falsehood between you and what we call God. God loves you whether the ritual is a simple prayer or an advanced exercise in magic or Wicca. It is your intention. As a human being, it is difficult to achieve mastery in every part of your life. But please master the daily ritual of a grateful heart, a loving smile, a greeting to your neighbor and a song to the Universe.
Ritual aligns us with the power of God: ultimate consciousness. Once alignment is achieved, there is a breakthrough in understanding on all levels and you will evoke a material transformation in your character. We all have that ability and are linked on the Path of Energy to who God is, whether through salvation, mediumship, meditation or telepathy; it’s up to you to find it, and you will.
