There’s no big theory being argued, just a pool, heat, fear, and a response that actually worked. And somehow that makes the point more clearly than anything abstract could. It made me think that ritual doesn’t have to be elaborate or perfectly preserved from the past to be real. It just has to be intentional, embodied, and shared.
Our life today tends to break everything up into private feelings and isolated moments. Ritual pushes back against that. As if to say this moment isn’t just random, it belongs to something larger. Even very small acts can do that. As you mentioend: Writing something down and burning it or washing your hands while naming what you’re letting go of.
Importantly, none of that denies pain or pretends things are fine. It gives the pain a shape and a boundary so it doesn’t spill into everything else. Really does make one wonder if some of our exhaustion isn’t even from suffering itself, but from carrying it around without any form at all.
As someone who practices a certain faith, ritual helps mark the passage of time and gives structure to a life that could feel as if it is careening out of control. Also, I love how you start with the story of your daughter and the pool. I can picture my own daughters and their fear of stings, too.
Absolutely and believe rituals fit very well into secular life. It does not have to be a religious ritual. It can be personal rituals that are significant. I have many rituals but none of them are an attempt to change the natural order of things, but an attempt to ground myself on my own journey.
Yes, I would say ritual absolutely provides a way to process life events through symbolic action, and when performed daily establishes a baseline of stability.
An example of ritual is sharing a glass of wine after a job well done. For example, Warner Classics production of Philotimo by Alain Lefèvre, composer, pianist, and creator. Yes, after the smoke from an intense fire along the coast of Greece. Alain Lefèvre deserves a toast for a job well done.
For many years, when a person appeared to have passed away, their body was laid out on a dining room table, and a "Wake" ritual was held. Friends and relatives sat in chairs around the body, said prayers, sang, and told each other stories about the "dead" person. Apparently, a few times, that dead person would "wake" up (in those days, a person might be in a deep sleep, or appeared to have drowned in cold waters)? There were usually no medically trained persons available to pronounce the death?
ritual seems important to the human psyche-and that's what religion is for,to my way of thinking
I really appreciated how grounded this was.
There’s no big theory being argued, just a pool, heat, fear, and a response that actually worked. And somehow that makes the point more clearly than anything abstract could. It made me think that ritual doesn’t have to be elaborate or perfectly preserved from the past to be real. It just has to be intentional, embodied, and shared.
Our life today tends to break everything up into private feelings and isolated moments. Ritual pushes back against that. As if to say this moment isn’t just random, it belongs to something larger. Even very small acts can do that. As you mentioend: Writing something down and burning it or washing your hands while naming what you’re letting go of.
Importantly, none of that denies pain or pretends things are fine. It gives the pain a shape and a boundary so it doesn’t spill into everything else. Really does make one wonder if some of our exhaustion isn’t even from suffering itself, but from carrying it around without any form at all.
How does Ritual affect your life? Do you need more of it? Classical Wisdom readers weigh in...
Not necessarily more, but understand the deeper significance of the rituals that we do have.
Giving presents at birthdays reflects the Magi gifts to newborn Jesus of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Do your gifts help the recipient reach their life goals? Not just a 5 minute distraction.
ritual seems important to the human psyche-and that's what religion is for,to my way of thinking
“One must observe the proper rites,” says the little fox in The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
As someone who practices a certain faith, ritual helps mark the passage of time and gives structure to a life that could feel as if it is careening out of control. Also, I love how you start with the story of your daughter and the pool. I can picture my own daughters and their fear of stings, too.
Absolutely and believe rituals fit very well into secular life. It does not have to be a religious ritual. It can be personal rituals that are significant. I have many rituals but none of them are an attempt to change the natural order of things, but an attempt to ground myself on my own journey.
Yes, I would say ritual absolutely provides a way to process life events through symbolic action, and when performed daily establishes a baseline of stability.
An example of ritual is sharing a glass of wine after a job well done. For example, Warner Classics production of Philotimo by Alain Lefèvre, composer, pianist, and creator. Yes, after the smoke from an intense fire along the coast of Greece. Alain Lefèvre deserves a toast for a job well done.
MWPGM Bailey,
For many years, when a person appeared to have passed away, their body was laid out on a dining room table, and a "Wake" ritual was held. Friends and relatives sat in chairs around the body, said prayers, sang, and told each other stories about the "dead" person. Apparently, a few times, that dead person would "wake" up (in those days, a person might be in a deep sleep, or appeared to have drowned in cold waters)? There were usually no medically trained persons available to pronounce the death?