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 This is the eleventh post in the 30 days to Druidry series.

I talk a bit here about my personal problems in Christian ritual. I do not wish to upset anyone, these are just my feelings on the matter – feel free to skip this post.

 

Ritual is important, in any aspect of life. I brush my teeth before bed. I make a cup of nettle tea when I first wake.

 

Ritual comforts me.

 

Worship… Worship is a word I struggle with, intellectually. I grew up in a Church of England youth group and a Catholic school… complete with nuns and a built-in chapel.

 

Worship still screams “Christian” at me, and I’m not fully comfortable with that. I have no problem with Christianity as a religion; however, I disagree with the intention behind a lot of the rituals. And through association, generally don’t use the term of Worship anymore.

 

Meaning behind Ritual

The rituals of Christianity do not match with my beliefs. My main issue is with baptism. I’ll save the jokes about vampire/cannibalism in Catholic Communion and the woman-possession in a father walking the bride down an isle.

Baptism. The purification of evil, or of sin… Often, from a baby.

I do not believe babies are born inherently in sin, with evilness within them. Instantly. And I do not agree with parents telling their child that they born with sin. Partly due to my developmental Psychology course. As if kids don’t have enough problems?

 

“you were baptised”
“you mean, you thought I was full of sin?”
“errrm.. uh..”
“thanks”

 

Yeah. Moving on.

 

Intention

I love ritual. I have a morning ritual, a getting home from university ritual and a going to bed ritual. I also enjoy rituals of worship with other Pagans.

I’m a member of a Druid Grove and I have Pagan friends who I meet monthly and four times a year, do ritual with.

Pagan Ritual is focused on intention. We follow the seasons and our own development alongside the Earth’s.

Cycles

We see her start to retreat in the winter; see the leaves fade and the crops and animals hibernate. And I feel this inner tug to sit in with a book and cup of chai. I feel the inner need to retreat too; to wear darker, thicker clothes and to do things quietly; in stillness and darkness.

We are a part of nature; humans are an animal. And we feel the energy of the Earth we live within… Even if you don’t feel those pulls, you automatically change your diet, sleeping and waking activities because the same food won’t grow and the light which we depend upon shifts.

Even on a practical level, humans follow the Earth’s cycles.

In ritual, we just take that to a higher level, we connect with the changes consciously, and make plans to utilise the best of each season.

 

In ritual, I return home to myself.

 

In light,
Rose