Rituals are a feature of all known human societies and according to Catherine Bell,  "the performance of ritual creates a theatrical-like frame around the activities, symbols and events that shape participant's experience and cognitive ordering of the world, simplifying the chaos of life and imposing a more or less coherent system of categories of meaning onto it." (Ritual: Perspectives and Dimensions. (1997) New York: Oxford University Press. pp.156–7)

Coherence, connection and simplification of life. Imagine that :) 

A Ceremony or a Ritual?, Im not sure there is much difference? Maybe a Ceremony is more a celebration marking an occasion when it happens and a Ritual is more a performance honouring an event that has a regular occurrence? Or maybe it depends on a whole lot more.

Which ever you choose, I believe there is significant emotional and spiritual value in both.

Its about awareness, gratitude, connection and honouring, -four of my favourite words.

Ceremonious occasions bring people, communities and even countries together to acknowledge and celebrate. My family celebrates at Christmas each year and even though we celebrate family and not the birth of JC it is probably a Ritual because we do it each year at the same time and the elements are largely the same :) A Baby Naming is beautiful for many reasons and each one I perform is unique in its  make up of special elements which, Im saying, makes it a Ceremony. Your thoughts?

Namaste xx

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