Ritual means “a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, actions, or objects, performed in a sequestered place and according to set sequence”. The term also describes common actions people perform. Things such as saying hello when greeting someone or shaking hands are rituals. Ceremony is more of a formal activity observing a culture of tradition. All cultures have some form of ritual and ceremony.
Rituals and ceremonies allow us to spend more time exploring different types of self awareness. Self awareness is a powerful force that can be extremely influential in developing who we are and how we function within society. Awareness is the ability to experience something at a higher level than just yourself. Highly self aware people view practicing mindfulness and one of their internal standards.
Ritual and Ceremony for Self-Awareness
Rituals help us in understanding things about ourselves and in developing self-awareness. They help us grow closer together with others, whether it’s our family members or our peers at school or work. They bring us together physically in order for us all to experience the same feeling at the same time. Rituals are important in establishing who we are as humans. We have rituals for practically everything in our lives including waking up, eating breakfast, going to school or work, saying goodbye to someone, and countless other events that happen on a regular basis throughout the world.
The use of ritual or ceremony is essential in making what’s common into something special by raising your level of self awareness of it. Internal self awareness is a key aspect of ceremony as well. In a ceremony, however, a specific item or tradition may help tie all elements together in order to celebrate an occasion such as a birthday, graduation, or marriage.
Ritual and Ceremony for Social Awareness
Rituals and even more so ceremonies establish a sense of community. When people feel close to each other, they are more likely to help out members in need. On the other hand, ritual can be used to negatively influence someone or some group. It’s important for people to understand such negative thoughts so they know if they are being manipulated.
People throughout history have used rituals in order to achieve an outcome whether wanted or not. It was common practice among ancient civilizations to use religious acts as a form of maintaining peace within their tribe. Many believed if you didn’t follow through with them, terrible things would happen in return including sickness, natural disasters, or death. So lacking external self awareness, many drank the proverbial Kool-Aid.
Rituals were a powerful way to control people who did not have the ability to read and write. They took place in venues where only important members of society would be able to attend. In turn, this excluded most of the population. The few that could attend would look at these rituals as special occasions. They felt something they needed to experience even if it meant putting their lives on the line.
Ceremonies serve an important purpose too. They help us connect with others by sharing our experiences together through rites of passage. They help remind us of what’s truly important during tough times. Through ceremony, we celebrate successes over failures by the act of remembrance. Whether it’s performing a certain prayer or following strict guidelines when constructing buildings like churches or monuments, ceremony is an integral part of life that should be cherished every time it’s performed.
Final Thoughts
Rituals and ceremonies have been around for as long as humans have existed. Many rituals people practice today came from a part of cultural tradition passed down from generation to generation. They help us define who we are as individuals and what group we belong to. The rituals and ceremonies we participate in, whether in day to day life or every year or so, give intention to what we do and what we value in life.