Kurari Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Happy Spring! I went out yesterday morning with a cup of tea onto the balcony and stood enjoying the sun, the birdsong, and the sweet breezes bringing me the scent of fresh leaves and blooming flowers. I said a small prayer of thanks for being granted this new day and for being able to be here with all the birds, plants, and beings on this Earth. At night I burn sage and cedar in a copper bowl and give thanks to the four directions, and to the Earth, Sky, and the Great Mystery. It quiets my mind, helps me relax, gives me peace, and makes it so I can sleep through the night without waking up thinking of my personal problems. I still consider myself an atheist. When I pray, I don't honestly think that there are any divine beings out there listening to me. I need ritual in my life. It DOES something to help me reconnect and ground myself. Sometimes, I just have to exist and open up to the thrum of life (What I mean by the Great Mystery) all around me. Any other atheists that have rituals? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 Happy Spring! I went out yesterday morning with a cup of tea onto the balcony and stood enjoying the sun, the birdsong, and the sweet breezes bringing me the scent of fresh leaves and blooming flowers. I said a small prayer of thanks for being granted this new day and for being able to be here with all the birds, plants, and beings on this Earth. At night I burn sage and cedar in a copper bowl and give thanks to the four directions, and to the Earth, Sky, and the Great Mystery. It quiets my mind, helps me relax, gives me peace, and makes it so I can sleep through the night without waking up thinking of my personal problems. I still consider myself an atheist. When I pray, I don't honestly think that there are any divine beings out there listening to me. I need ritual in my life. It DOES something to help me reconnect and ground myself. Sometimes, I just have to exist and open up to the thrum of life (What I mean by the Great Mystery) all around me. Any other atheists that have rituals? I wash my hands very thoroughly before I do surgery. It calms my mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RankStranger Posted March 21, 2010 Share Posted March 21, 2010 I lay my hands on an engine when I'm diagnosing a problem. Helps me 'feel' what's going on in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MultifariousBirdLady Posted March 22, 2010 Share Posted March 22, 2010 I'm not an atheist, but I'm well aware that there might in fact not be anything other than myself listening to me when I do such things. I find the actions themselves helpful even if my suspicions about anybody else hearing them are wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franko47 Posted March 23, 2010 Share Posted March 23, 2010 Rituals are sometimes helpful, even outside of the mystical realm, but it's still fun to pretend. I often groove out on sunsets. When I was a kid I would watch the sun set when staying out at my grandparent's farm. Behind their homestead about a quarter of a mile (half a klik) was a quaint cemetery crowned by two gigantic trees, like pillars forming an arch way to tomorrow. I would sometimes think that I could see into eternity during this ritual, and it gave me a profound sense of immortality; a sense of the infinite future as a natural thing and also as a personal thing. I still like to gaze into a nice sunset for a bit; heck I'll watch the whole thing go down if I have time and I'm not being rushed by Ms. Metro who wants to get to Starbucks. It still has mystical qualities to me, even if I now have intellectually accepted my mortality and atheism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MultifariousBirdLady Posted March 25, 2010 Share Posted March 25, 2010 I'm not an atheist, but I'm well aware that there might in fact not be anything other than myself listening to me when I do such things. I find the actions themselves helpful even if my suspicions about anybody else hearing them are wrong. I often get paranoid that somebody in the area has a secret ability to hear my thoughts. Then I try to think only good things. Or sometimes I think something shocking while I look around to see if anybody else gets surprised. Yeah, it doesn't make sense.. but.. what if? I am guessing that by quoting my post with this response that you're implying my actions are based on a similar paranoia. The kind of praying I do now is different than the kind of fear-based praying I did as a Christian (the latter of which does in fact fit the comparison). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lunaticheathen Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I visit Marie Laveau's tomb when I feel like I need some luck and/or direction. I also find cleaning and decorating my altar calming. But I'm a crazy Pagan person. :-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valk0010 Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I wash my hands very thoroughly before I do surgery. It calms my mind. isn't that a requirement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Valk0010 Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I go to bed everynight listening to my ipod that is my ritual Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shyone Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I wash my hands very thoroughly before I do surgery. It calms my mind. isn't that a requirement Of course. That means that MY ritual has practical value, but it's still a ritual. Unless you define ritual as irrational repetitive behavior (or even counterproductive behavior), then repeated behaviors that serve to provide consistently good behavior would qualify. I would describe ritual as "protocol". Some protocols have to be changed when the result of the protocol is to worsen the results of an operation, but other protocols/rituals serve to insure that the good behaviors are done consistently. It's like having a set of things you do in an airplane before taking off. If you do it "ritualistically" (or "religiously") then you will be less likely to miss an important step, even if the step itself may not seem important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 23, 2010 Share Posted April 23, 2010 I'm an iconoclast, and rarely do I have or create any rituals. But lately, for the tests at school, I have started to wear my favorite shirt (Stone Brewery) and my "Ouroboros" ring. I know they don't do anything in themselves, but I feel good when I wear them, so it calms me a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 Rituals? I've got a few. When I'm finishing up a batch of mead, after I've finished bottling but before I have a taste, I toast the Norse gods. Every morning, one of the first things I put on is a leather thong with Mjöllnir (Thor's hammer) and a silver ring that I use as an oath ring (+5 against falsehood ). I only wear it openly on special occasions such as an equinox or solstice, but if I'm up and about I am wearing it. On My desk, there's a small green and purple dragon named Lakshmi. Whenever I get a shiny new coin as change, I give it to Her. All three times since 2000 that I've moved house, the first item that I've packed to take to the new place is a hardbound copy of The Soulforge by Margaret Weis. And every once in a while, if it's a rowdy or unsettling night outside, I'll draw protective runes at the front and back doors. Kind of like setting the alarm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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