Sunday, September 9, 2018

Rituals and Ceremonies: Why They are So Very Important



By Rev. Amari Magdalena



It’s at that point in the wedding ceremony when I begin, “and now as these two lovely people have exchanged vows and rings of promise, by the authority granted me by the State of Washington, I now pronounce you…….” that I begin to choke up or tear up. There is something so very sacred about being involved in such a moment of joy in people’s lives.  It cements, for me, the importance of rituals and ceremonies for bonding communities together.

Each new moon, each full moon, each equinox or solstice, whether I’m alone or with a group, I acknowledge the passages of time and their meaning.  In groups, large and small, I am often witness to the power of ceremony to bring together a group of people in deep unity.  Total strangers are hugging one another and feeling a deep peace and connection with other humans.  A shift takes place that I experience more powerfully than in any other time and place.

For me it is a great shame that as organized religions moved away from heart-based traditions to more head space/mental experiences, most chose to eschew much of the tribal ceremonies and rituals of eons, labeling them Pagan!  So much was lost and what was kept seems only approximations of what was and could still be.

Perhaps what transpires is a sense of the importance of other kingdoms that we share this small planet with: Animal, Mineral, Plant, and Human.  The awareness of the elements: Air, Earth, Fire and Water add another dimension of togetherness vs. aloneness. In circle, as we touch hands, our own vulnerability and need for affirmation is recognized.  Since the many years ago when I had an entire Unity congregation stand and hold hands while we listened to Carlos and Johnny sing “Holding Hands,” I’ve seen transformation in minutes.

Why then would we choose to participate in ceremony or ritual?  Community is a big component: we find common ground and purpose as we celebrate.  Our dividing differences can, for a time, melt away in the feelings of connection.  The greater reason is perhaps the overriding feeling of Oneness: we lose our separateness as we hold hands in ceremony and we enter the precious moment of Now. 

The memorial service of John McCain was a huge example of community coming together in a ceremony to honor and bridge differences.  My own sister Leanne’s memorial, in a packed large church in Thornbury Bristol England, was a testament to her influence in the city and love of those whose lives she touched.

Another purpose of ritual or ceremony is to quiet the chaos, still the noises-outer and inner and to surrender to something greater than our small individual universes and to, in the suspended sense of time, enter into magic!  And what I know to be true is: “Evolution will, not in my opinion, wait for us to find time to participate.  It will roll on.  In the direction that the planet is currently headed, that may breed disaster for humanity.  Thus, I feel it is so imperative for us to make that time and space to gather together with intention of facilitating our individual and planetary upliftment.” 1

Wherever you are, I implore you to create Peace Circles as we did in the 1990’s.  Gather with your friends and neighbors in a circle. Focus on the world you wish to live in.  Hold an earth ball or an imaginary one, turn it around feeling the oceans and land masses.  Acknowledge all the diversity of each of Earth’s kingdoms. Chant, “Peace” and “Planetary Harmony.”  Close, holding hands, and sing for one more time, Imagine along with John. You will feel better and that energy will encircle the planet, much as our jet streams do, yet with a loving energy.

 “When humans participate in ceremony, they enter a sacred space.
Everything outside of that space shrivels in importance.
Time takes on a different dimension.
Emotions flow more freely.
The bodies of the participants become filled with the energy of life,
and this energy reaches out and blesses the creation around them.
All is made new; everything becomes sacred.” Sun Bear

1. Blue Moons and Golden Suns: Meditations & Celebrations for Aligning with Natural Rhythms. 

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