By Walter Hesford|FāVS News Columnist
A ritual is “a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order” — according to the online Oxford Languages Dictionary.
I suspect that all religions, all cultures, have rituals that draw people together and connect them to traditions and the sacred. Some of these, like those that occur during bar mitzvahs and baptisms, weddings and funerals, mark special occasions and transitions. Others may occur on the participants’ days of worship.
But what about on ordinary days? Are there secular rituals that can give order and meaning to daily life?
Certainly we all have routines that get us up and going, get us through the day and ready for sleep. What can turn a routine into a ritual?
What turns a routine into a ritual?
Perhaps it’s attentiveness to the action performed, what some may call mindfulness. The website “Calm” describes eight daily rituals that create mindful engagement, from meditation to nature walks.
One of these is reading for pleasure. That’s the one I have elevated to a ritual by every morning dwelling on an entry in the journals of Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s own ritual was writing in a journal almost daily from the 1840s to the early 1860s. Lacking his devotion and skill, I devote myself instead to what he wrote long ago.
Why? For one thing, this takes me back to my homeland, the New England landscape. Good rituals should ground you in what you hold dear, as I do the woods and fields of my youth. The late August fields, through which Thoreau tramples as I read and write, are spangled with an amazing variety of goldenrod and asters. I can find many of these gold and blue beauties around here too, so my present is linked to my past, if I have eyes to see and heart to care.
A caring heart is what Thoreau’s journals and books cultivate. In his first book he proclaimed, “I have no redeeming qualities in myself but a supreme love for some things, and when I am reproved, I fall back on to this ground.” Thoreau was often reproved because he seemed to be wasting his time just roaming around and observing the natural phenomena he loved.
He was also reproved because he had no love for the rituals of organized religion. He thought that those who went to church on the Sabbath wasted the day, which he deemed better spent rowing on the river or slushing through swamps.
I, on the other hand, do like to keep the Sabbath day holy by attending a church service, one rich in rituals. Some might find the services I attend ritualistic in a negative sense, squelching enthusiastic expressions of faith, and boringly repetitious Sunday after Sunday.
When religious rituals welcome everyone
Repeated just about every Sunday in my Lutheran church is the ritual of communion, considered barbaric by many since ancient times as it invites participants to partake of the body and blood of Jesus in the form of bread and wine. What could this possibly mean? How could anyone find this appealing?
One possible appealing meaning is that we are thereby enabled and encouraged to continue the work of Jesus in the world, which is to affirm the value of every human being, to care for the well-being of all.
Communion and other solemn rituals can be intentionally exclusive, but we have open, inclusive communion. Everyone is invited to the table.
In spite of the definition cited at the outset of this column, I think rituals may be playful as well as solemn. Sports stadiums are filled with intriguing, often weird, repetitive actions. I particularly enjoy seeing the Seattle Mariners form a circle and dance a jig when they win a game. Fans are thereby invited to share in their joy.
Whether solemn or playful, religious or secular, communal or private, rituals should increase our joy, enhance our lives.
What’s your favorite ritual?
The views expressed in this opinion column are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views of FāVS News. FāVS News values diverse perspectives and thoughtful analysis on matters of faith and spirituality.
