Whether or not we practice a religion, ceremony can be helpful to us. Do you practice any ceremonies? Do you celebrate endings or beginnings? How important is ceremony?

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I think one of the attractions of ceremonies is that it brings our body and our bodily senses into worship. That has become increasingly important to me especially as I have discovered that I am in some ways a kinetic learner i.e. to really understand something I have to do it, not just read about it or hear about it.

Walking a labyrinth is a ceremony I enjoy whether alone or with others. For private devotions I light candles and incense.

I grew up in a fairly ascetic Protestant church that was heavy on verbal teaching and very scarce on ceremonies other than baptism and communion. Over the years I have watched the introduction of such rituals as lighting Advent candles, anointing for healing, and the waving of palm branches.

I also appreciate how worship is enriched by bringing in rituals and activities from different ethnic origins. I think of the smudging ceremony used by Native peoples and the vibrant dance and drumming from Africa.

One ceremony I value in particular is the passing of the peace. Whenever I find myself in a strange church, it is the passing of the peace that enfolds me and where it is not practiced I miss it. When I recently moved and had to seek a new church home the key element in making a decision was that the church I now attend passes the peace.

(For those unfamiliar with the term "passing the peace" means getting up from your seat and moving around the sanctuary greeting other worshipers with the phrase "Peace be with you". I like it that this contact is an actual part of the worship.)

Wonderful post, gluadys. I think you are correct. We are missing ceremony in our life. I wonder if it gets replaced with unhealthy practices.

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I have a background in ceremonial magic. On the occasions where I've performed a rite for some big event, the details do combine to enhance the experience dramatically. The selection and sourcing of needed components, the writing of the ceremonial text, cleaning and robing-up, the sights and smells and sounds, and the intense mental focus during the ceremony all make for a powerful and memorable experience.

I suppose that "ceremony" has a message for us that is not intellectual or always can be rationally explained...so that a prescribed "ceremony" may convey non-verbal meanings.

The ceremony of ablutions and kneeling, prostrating, looking to right and left and kneeling again and standing during prayer can have meaning and significations...humility and abasement. The calendar during the year also carries meaning...with various Holy Days.

- Art

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To me, ceremonies are quite important even to the non-believer. In anthropology, we often say that tradition (and ceremonies are very much involved in the tradition in all societies) is the "glue" that helps hold society together. They are typically outward expressions of inward feelings which may or may not be religious per se. As a non-theist, I still enjoy celebrating the Jewish holidays and the Christian holidays. And, to me, it's not being hypocritical since I can enjoy the joy of others.

Shalom,
Vern

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

I don't believe in any real purpose or value in ceremonies, other than just to have fun. We celebrate German traditions, American and Puerto Rican ones. Over the years we have dropped some and picked up others.

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If there's no purpose or value in ceremonies, then why did you pick us some new ones?

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein

If you read my post, you would see that I wrote...for the fun of it.

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But isn't having fun a purpose and a value? And I betcha there's some added advantage of togetherness as well.

Sorry to be a pain.

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"The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge."-- Einstein