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[c_korone]

What makes for a 'good ritual' in your opinion? What are the most important factors for that to happen? What purpose is fulfilled in an ideal ritual?*

*If your immediate thought is 'which kind of ritual?', please either choose one or more to describe, or describe the most common, or most central type of ritual in your practices.What I'm curious

Comments

[crafting_change]

a balance of mirth and reverence.

To me it isn't the words memorized, but the emotions invoked.

[basbleugrrl]

For me, a good ritual is when I come out feeling refreshed and renewed. Important factors in that are grounding, some kind of energy focusing, and taking a moment to be grateful for all of the things in my life, even the bad things (because they teach me how to be/do better.) I like rituals that have lots of metaphor (burning, ritual washing, etc.)

[dom_ino]

easy: you know it's a good ritual when you get what you wanted out of it.

these days, about the only ritual I take part in are the large community rituals at gatherings. 200+ people in a spiral dance is pretty awesome.

[chaos_current]

Sadomasochistic sex.

I mean, I don't actually have a practice, or participate in any rituals (outside coffee preparation, in which I'm looking to create the perfect cup of coffee), but you know. That sounds like a good ritual to me. I suppose I could justify it by saying I believe the pain / pleasure combination is the most effective way to reach gnosis, which would likely BE my goal, if I were to ever have a ritual with goal.

Who doesn't like a little pain?

[lucedellaluna]

The best rituals I have attended or conducted are the ones where everyone forgets that they are in a room full of people and after wards there is no remorse or shame for their total abandonment. It is also a great ritual when everyone has had a feeling of Deity presence with them.

Being in a shamanistic ritual, dancing ecstatically, feeling the drums throbbing in your bones while your heart picks up the pattern, not caring that you are naked, feeling yourself being taken over, knowing that others are there to protect you, now that is a ritual. And when it is over I feel no shame nor do I see it in others.