Richard Webster - Rituals for Beginners: Simple Ways to Connect to Your Spiritual Side

Llewellyn Publications

Woodbury, Minnesota

Copyright Information

Rituals for Beginners: Simple Ways to Connect to Your Spiritual Side 2016 by Richard Webster.

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First e-book edition 2016

E-book ISBN: 9780738748719

Cover art: istockphoto.com/21682429/KovacsAlex

Cover design: Ellen Lawson

Edited by: Stephanie Finne

Llewellyn Publications is an imprint of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Webster, Richard, 1946

Rituals for beginners : simple ways to connect to your spiritual side / by Richard Webster. FIRST EDITION.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-7387-4765-1

1. Rites and ceremonies. 2. Ritualism. 3. Ritual. I. Title.

BL600.W425 2016

203.8dc23

2015015229

Llewellyn Publications does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business arrangements between our authors and the public.

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Llewellyn Publications

Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd.

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Manufactured in the United States of America

contents

How Rituals Can Enhance Your Life

Rituals of Life

Everyday Rituals

Your Spiritual Journey

The Power of Magic

Ritualistic Tools

Timing

Goal Setting and Visualization

Preparation for a Ritual

Practical Ritual Magic

The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram

How to Create a Ritual

After the Ritual

Tarot Rituals

: Correspondences

rituals list

Three

Four

Gratitude Ritual

Nine

Eleven

LBRP Part Three: Evocation of the
Four Guardian Angels

LBRP Part Four:
The Qabalistic Cross Repeated

introduction

N ot long ago I surprised a friend by telling him his regular habit of going bowling every Wednesday evening was a ritual. He thought rituals were conducted in a house of worship, and he found it hard to believe that even something like shaking hands or saying thank you could be considered a ritual.

By definition, a ritual is an action, or series of actions, performed in a prearranged, prescribed manner. Anything that follows a set pattern could be described as a ritual. Even the process of getting out of bed and preparing for work could be called a ritual, as most people perform the necessary actions in the same way every day. Saying grace before a meal is a form of ritual as is blowing out the candles on a birthday cake. My daily walk is a form of ritual. My grandchildren love hanging up their Christmas stockings. This is also a ritual.

I worked as an entertainer for many years, and, consequently, my wife and I never went out together on a Saturday night. Because of that, we now go to a movie or a show every Saturday night, and its become a ritual. Every Sunday evening, our children and grandchildren come to our home for dinner. Thats my favorite ritual. Thanksgiving, bridal showers, knocking on wood, avoiding walking under a ladder, or tossing a pinch of salt over your shoulder are all ritualistic acts.

Rituals are often associated with religious ceremonies. A religious ritual is a formal, well-defined, spiritual experience. The intention of a religious ritual is to bring people closer to God. Taking Holy Communion or attending a Catholic Mass are good examples of this type of ritual. The prayers, invocations, singing of hymns, and the special clothing and equipment worn and used by priests all add to the power and effectiveness of the ritual. Religious rituals help people connect to something greater than themselves and enable them to experience the spiritual side of their nature.

As a child I went to a church school and, like all the other pupils, attended a variety of services and ceremonies. However, I did this purely because it was expected of me. I said the required responses, but I did it purely by rote. Although I enjoyed some aspects of these services, especially the singing in the chapel, they all seemed a waste of time. Because I was never taught the meaning of these rituals, they meant nothing to me. It took me many years to learn that rituals were an important way to achieve spiritual transformation.

For thousands of years, rituals have been associated with the important transitions and milestones of life, such as birth, christening, puberty, marriage, parenthood, and death. Rituals still play an important part in these transitions, as they support, encourage, and assist our progress from one stage to the next.

We all have small rituals that help us handle life. These rituals have a beneficial effect on our mental and physical health. Rituals help us control stress and can, in fact, keep us sane. Pausing for a cup of coffee or a chat with a friend are rituals that help us cope with all the minor irritations that life sends our way. Of course, some rituals, such as drinking to excess or indulging in too much retail therapy, can produce more problems than they solve. Consequently, we need to ensure that our small daily rituals are beneficial rather than harmful.