I Like Ritual

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 8:14 pm

I have always liked the ritual of the Catholic Church despite my being an atheist The Rosary, genuflecting etc. Fraternal organizations like Masonry, Elks, Moose, Shrine,etc. have rituals., and though much of it seems like superstition, like not walking under ladders and throwing salt over your shoulder, there is a certain relaxing element to it. Certain sport activities have ritual, like Bowls, which I played yesterday for the third time in my life. Some call it Bowling on the Green.

We played for 1 1/2 hours and someone rang a little bell and we all went into the clubhouse for coffee, tea and biscuits. We then went out after 20 minutes or so and continued the game for another 1 1/2 hours. After finishing about 4 PM and shaking hands with your team mates we went back into the clubhouse for more serious beverages, with the losers of the match Shouting (buying) drinks for the winners. Oh so civilized. We all seem to perform or participate in some form of ritual on a daily basis. The simple process of shaving every morning can be a ritual for some, for others, merely a task.

So how about you? Do you have certain rituals that you like, dislike?

shelbell · Post by **shelbell** » Tue Jan 06, 2009 9:42 pm

I get up and come on FG every day.

Nomad · Post by **Nomad** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 12:01 am

I have a ritual that involves bird poo and placenta.

I learned early on its better not to talk about it.

At least not with the person sitting next to you on the bus.

qsducks · Post by **qsducks** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:47 am

Mmm, I wake up & come here too and have a good laugh. I'm Catholic too but don't even bother with praying or going to church for that matter. Do send the kids though.

along-for-the-ride · Post by **along-for-the-ride** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 3:24 pm

I think a ritual and a routine are two different things. A routine is an action we do consistently without much thought to it. A ritual is a special and personal action we may do regularly.

For instance, we may take a bath every day. Routine.

But, when we light candles around the tub and play our favorite music, and add a fragrance to our bath water...............that's a ritual.

I like both routines and rituals. We deserve rituals now and then.

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Wed Jan 07, 2009 7:26 pm

Fluffing my pillow before bedtime..........................

nok · Post by **nok** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 3:23 am

I have a couple of rituals of my own. As for the Catholic church, I like their rituals, too. Those rituals just seem to make their church more sacred and special ( in my opinion, anyway).

I pray at least 3-4 times per day, take naps during the day ( on the bus, in the toilet, wherever !) and try to eat some vegetables on a daily basis.

Post by **Betty Boop** » Thu Jan 08, 2009 5:52 am

Routines and rituals are becoming more and more dominant in my life. My son, because of his Aspergers loves routine, you take him out of that routine and he is lost, completely out of his comfort zone bless him. Because I have to live my life this way routine and ritual are becoming a pain to me, sometimes I feel like a caged animal wanting to break free. I don't want to have to explain as I'm putting my boy to bed every single night exactly what we will be doing the next day when he gets up. Then the next day is full of routine reminders of what he needs to do next, get dressed, eat your breakfast, go brush your teeth, put your shoes on, put your coat on, go out to the car, yes we are going to school now etc etc. If anything out of the ordinary happens I have to constantly reassure him that everything is ok, giving minute by minute instructions on whats happening. I'm glad to say that my daughter is quite laid back and just goes with the flow.

My friend and I had a conversation about all this the other day, she has a son with similar tendancies too, we were horrified to also realise how much control school has over our lives as well. We both know education is important, we're both at uni doing a degree, but school nowadays has far more control on our childrens lives than it did ours. My children are in school from 8.55am until 3.30pm mon to fri. In the evenings they are expected to do one and half hours of homework and they are given extra for the weekends. My sisters children (similar ages) don't do anywhere near the amount of homework my two are required to do.

I guess the routines and rituals that are imposed on us are getting to me a bit at the moment, quite often if something pops up out of the blue at short notice, like a trip somewhere with friends I duck out, its easier to stay at home and keep to my sons routine than have him upset, feeling sick and anxious, I'm talking about real physical reactions here, and all because we're doing something out of the norm.