As humans, we are the species that operate with symbols. Other animals use familiar signs, landmarks and gestures given by us, or act purely on instinct. Like humans, they too have rituals of gathering food, procreation and even death rituals. Our normal day-to-day rituals include a shower, combing our hair, brushing teeth and preparing for work.
Early in the morning, take ten deep breaths in appreciation for awakening on a brand new day, under a brand new sky with opportunities to start again with a different attitude-one of gratitude. Every action that you perform in ritual has a deep meaning and impact. Although you may not perceive it on the physical level, it does have astral power. There are many unseen forces, whether earthbound or angelic, participating with you upon invitation and invocation. They are there, always watching and participating when the intention is right. I always call on the forces or angels of Earth, Air, Fire and Water.
The subconscious mind understands and accepts symbols and ritual as very real and will mirror that reality on the physical level in your experience. The purpose of ritual is to strike a balance in spiritual attainment-whether psychic development or achievement of Christ or Cosmic Consciousness. Only you can achieve and master perfection of your spiritual goals. Prayer, chanting, meditation and ritual are ultimately performed to achieve unity with the Divine.
For true spiritual growth, practice is the key and so is persistence. If you are a Christian this week and Wiccan next week, then "Houston, we have a problem." Why? Because rituals and symbols fueled with action and belief must be consistent for them to be actualized.
If you read the sacred text of the Bible, you find that Jesus declared often, "Be it done unto 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 placed importance instead on right action-the ultimate ritual. Unfortunately, many well-meaning "religious" folk in traditional faiths have become spiritually shipwrecked by one-sided "my way only" belief systems.
Prayer is a ritual and "link" to the Divine. Buddha, too, rejected fussy, intensely cerebral ritual of the Hindus during his time, replacing them with his EIGHT-FOLD PATH TO ENLIGHTENMENT:
1. Right View
2. Right Aim
3. Right Speech
4. Right Action
5. Right Livelihood
6. Right Effort
7. Right Thought
8. Right Contemplation
Find the religion and ritual you feel the greatest comfort with. Don't judge yourself. God knows who you are and will assist you in your search. No religion works for personal growth unless right action is intended. You cannot love God and hate your neighbor. Divided kingdoms do not last. You cannot hate the sinner and love the sin or judge anyone. Unconditional love is the key.
In my studies of Wicca, or "Craft" of the wise, I found that it is an amazing belief system, which out of reverential respect for nature's beauty, consistency, and color-in the sunshine, moon, storms, stars and rivers-evolved into the varying aspects of God (gods), or Divine aspects of God. There could not have been God without 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 which stipulates "As Above, So Below." That is an ancient Wiccan saying. I saw a bumper sticker and repeated it to several Wiccan clients which reads, "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 one's self is not a good practice to be in.
Ritual is necessary to awaken deeper levels of your own consciousness. You use everything-sense, sights, chants, fragrances or any number of cues that you evoke to deepen your own awareness and contact your levels of knowing to make change occur in yourself and your world. Rituals are not mere mindless exercises to effect change. You must be consciously 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 mutual goal that despite our differences and affiliations, we should provide combined, positive sources of spiritual energy and inspiration to renew our lives on the planet for everyone in spite of our differences. From the esoteric perspective, ritual is designed to successfully impact spiritual growth, understanding and commitment to God while in your body on the planet. Ritual is to remind you of your integral part in the mysterious continuum of life which is much larger than this reality. Your organic self-observation of who you are permits you to participate in ritual only on that level. However, you will bridge and accelerate reality on the astral plane, with practice, to eliminate the barrier or restrictive falseness between yourself and what we call God. God loves you whether the ritual is a simple prayer or an advanced exercise in magick or Wicca. It is your intent. As a human, it is difficult to achieve mastery in every part of your life. But please master the daily ritual of a thankful heart, a loving smile, a greeting to a neighbor and a song to the Universe.
Ritual brings us into alignment with the power of God-the ultimate awareness. Once alignment is attained, there is a breakthrough of understanding on all levels and you will evoke material transformation in your character. We all have that ability and are linked on the Pathway of Energy to who God is, whether through salvation, mediumship, meditation or telepathy-it is up to you to find it, and you will.
From the book, The Awakening: Conquering the Sleeping Giant Within by Reginald G. Johnson, Ph.D., a practitioner in past life therapy, spiritual psychotherapy, and soul coaching. He is a teacher, lecturer and speaker who has appeared in print, on radio and is the host of an anticipated national television show dealing with spiritual transformation from several different viewpoints. For private sessions with Reggie, call toll free (866) 711-8324.
Ashley limo service at o'hare ..It's real easy to look at the physical world around... Read More
Those five words are from a song that I remember... Read More
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: Of course we may never know the real... Read More
Spiritual stuff is a hard sell Roy and one of... Read More
I always thought Ecclesiastes was like Proverbs. That's probably because... Read More
When the body of Christ isn't protected we become vulnerable... Read More
It is no doubt that so many of you are... Read More
Shamanism is an ancient form of mysticism. Although... Read More
The junk I'm talking about is the stuff that we... Read More
Why do we have an Ego?Almost all spiritual guides say... Read More
Welcome to the GOD 1.0 Tech Support Page. GOD 1.0... Read More
In Corrogue I am seeking the source of inner beauty.This... Read More
The story of Cain and Abel stands very close to... Read More
No one appreciates mothers enough. In this life, that's a... Read More
Human beings are blessed with a unique gift: the gift... Read More
Am I dreaming? The sign outside the skyscraper reads: "Spiritual... Read More
Unconditional love means unconditional freedom. Love and freedom are two... Read More
Do you know where your current path is taking you?Education,... Read More
One of the most difficult barriers... Read More
Would you like an exciting and wonder-full resolution for the... Read More
Can I be honest with you? There are days when... Read More
The chakras are different coloured energy centres that originate from... Read More
The tongue is such a tiny little organ. Yet, it... Read More
There is a chronology of events from creation to the... Read More
I have studied many of the great Religions, Quantum Physics,... Read More
Elmhurst prom limo ..The Evil Eye has been around since the beginning of... Read More
As we proceed further into the 21st century there is... Read More
In those days Hezekiah became ill and was at the... Read More
By invoking an external God to whom we look for... Read More
My name is Had. You may know me, but you... Read More
One of the biggest myths to evolve in the growing... Read More
The Mystical Experience"The mysteries of life become lucid ? and... Read More
Most Tarot decks consist of 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana,... Read More
I believe in the source we refer to as 'God'.... Read More
Paul is led up a 512 ft. hill, Mars Hill,... Read More
"I would rather regret some of my failures in life... Read More
Meeting someone so attractive, so beautiful. Your heart beats like... Read More
It is my personal view that the reason we call... Read More
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls... Read More
Make no mistake about it, change is challenging whether it... Read More
"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being,... Read More
The dictionary defines the word forgive as: [to pardon, as... Read More
A subject of debate for thousands of years, spirituality will... Read More
"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other,... Read More
"May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the... Read More
Matthew 3:7-10 John Rebukes the Pharisees and Sadducees7 But when... Read More
2 Corinthians 6:17-6:17For God so loved the world, that He... Read More
Military personnel at a U.S. prison in Guantanamo, Bay, Cuba... Read More
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA: Of course we may never know the real... Read More
One of the first things you will find that God... Read More
Spirituality |