The Art of Ritual by Beck and Metrick

I recently read The Art of Ritual by Renee Beck and Sydney Barbara Metrick. I liked this book quite a lot, because it doesn't spend so much time laying out ready-made rituals as it does discussing symbols and ideas and processes, and essentially giving the reader all the tools (even work pages) to create their own rituals. (There are a few specific rituals described in the book, covering events ranging from family dinner, to a wedding, to a group healing ritual that the author was part of after 9/11.)

The book begins with some background about the role of ritual in our lives, including myths and symbols that feed ancient and modern rituals. Next it discusses types of rituals and the process of designing a ritual (the steps that are typically included). Finally the book goes into applying the five elements (earth, air, fire, water, spirit or 'essence'), and the creation or use of altars and other tools that can be used in rituals.

One thing I particularly liked about this book was that it sorted rituals into five types. Rituals can be done for many reasons, and the authors gave categories which I found helpful for determining not only whether to do a ritual, but also what sort of ritual might be appropriate. Rituals are good for marking:

• Beginnings (births, new jobs, new homes, coming of age, etc)
• Mergings (marriages, new roommates, etc)
• Cycles (birthdays, anniversaries, seasons, etc)
• Endings (death, divorce, retirement, menopause, loss, etc)
• Healings (balancing things--physical or otherwise--that are imbalanced)

Beginning rituals help balance the fearful transition between an old and a new way of being. Merging rituals help balance and enlarge the relationship between two separate entities. Cyclical rituals help us balance our lives by increased understanding of our relationships with time and with other larger forces. Ending rituals offer us a way to deal with the polarities of life and death; they provide us am approach to understanding questions fundamental to human nature and of existence. Whenever we touch the energies that fuel and direct life, healing can happen... Healing rituals offer a time for you to be fully present with the pain as well as a means to finding acceptance of it. (p 53)

I was familiar with all the types of rituals except healings...for whatever reason, I had just never thought about utilizing ritual in that context. However the book described a couple of beautiful healing rituals, and it is something that I am beginning to incorporate in my life (albeit in a much simpler and less-formal form than in the book!)

I mentioned in my review of the other ritual book that it was not one I would particularly recommend to someone looking for a good starting point sort of book. This book IS the one I would recommend. ☺