Current mood:	excited
Current music:	the alice cooper band, "living (is only one part of being)"
Entry tags:	mojo meeting, ritual, salon

crossroads ahead...
ironically (today being sunday & all), my philosophy studies have been about theism & atheism...

so, i have been thinking about the roles that spiritual/religious rituals play in our lives.

i have long been a proponent of the idea that spiritual/religious ritual provides an opportunity for engaging in some sort of cosmic heroism. this kind of idea has taken many forms throughout the ages, but perhaps there is a cyclical pattern involved? we have spoken about embarking on a project to creatively syncretize some of these archetypal methods in order to produce a ceremony honoring this impending festival season. obviously, there are innumerable sources from which we can draw material, so i will just attempt to provide some sort of framework through which to begin discussion of these eternal themes...


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some of my favorite resources for creating ritual can be found @ UUA's WorshipWeb, & these pages are particularly useful:

Von Ogden Vogt's model
Other models of worship
Resource Library


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much of my perspective on systems of worship comes from my studies of anthropology, and i have been influenced from an early age by the ideas of Greg Stafford, who defines four essential systems of worhip (which are syncretised in some cultures):

:::ecstatic/shamanic/totemic/ancestral adoration through animist worship:::
:::propitiatory or sacrificial offerings to 'deities' in theistic methods of worship:::
:::veneration of liturgy, prophets, and saints through humanist/sorcerous worship:::
:::transcendant/ascetic disciplines of mystical worship:::


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and, as buddhalotus noted, lately i have been particularly concerned about some of the 'darker' aspects of our lives that often begin to affect us at this time of year... i shared a number of pertinent resources in a response to this post on her journal.


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last year, we participated in a samhain ritual with some friends, in which i shared "The Covenant of Survival" ...that ended up being included in Dark Goddess '04, as part of Kali's chant.


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at this time of year, i honestly also often think of donnie darko...


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let us keep up The Great Work!


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x-posted to aethyrflux & mojo_meeting, where comments are welcome!