RITUAL AND DIRECTIONS

Sometimes I perform ritual during spiritual work. Ritual is a tangible means for me to express gratitude and to set the process of manifestation into motion.

I know there is limitless debate on what ritual actually invokes. Some believe ritual solicits spiritual powers, while others believe ritual does nothing more than clearly set objectives in the mind that are carried out through the body by purely physical means.

That’s a debate from which I abstain. I have my beliefs, but regardless of the “true” mechanism that manifests ideas into reality, the process still works.

I mean, you don’t need to understand how a combustion engine works in order to drive a car. All you need know is how to operate the controls and to feed it gas and oil when it requires.

It’s the same with manifesting ideas into reality. I don’t have to know whether it happens due to some spiritual influence, a purely physical “cause and effect” relationship, or by some interaction between the two. All I have to do is use the “controls” to elicit the desired effect.

To begin my rituals, I first bow to the seven directions. Some claim there are four directions, but I believe there are seven.

I light candles, face each appropriate direction, and recite some words as I bow. It goes something like this:

I bow to the east, the direction of the rising sun. This is the direction of new beginnings. I seek to initiate a new beginning to provide focus for my actions.

I bow to the south, the direction of warmth. This is the direction of love. I seek loving kindness to influence all I do.

I bow to the west, the direction of the setting sun. This is the direction of endings. I seek an end to the disharmony troubling my soul. This ending opens space for the new beginning from the east to manifest.

I bow to the north, the direction of cold. This is the direction of logic and understanding. Logic and understanding, tempered by love from the south, merge to create wisdom. I seek wisdom to navigate my new beginning into a worthwhile endeavor.

I bow to the above, the direction of the limitless sky. This is the direction of the divine. I seek divine guidance as I exercise my gained wisdom while treading my new beginning.

I bow to the below, the direction of earth. This is the direction upon which my human existence unfolds. Upon this physical plane I utilize divine guidance sent down from above to proceed with my life in a harmonious way.

I bow to the within, the direction of inner soul. This is the space where all influences – physical, spiritual, and mental – combine and manifest into action that which propels my being forward to traverse my path among all creation.

Each element composing every pair of opposite directions (east/west, south/north, and above/below) complements its counterpart to create a third component from their union. These third components provide necessary forces. From the west and east, endings make ways for new beginnings which manifest into the future. From the south and north, love tempers logic to form wisdom. From the above and below, divine guidance influences human events, providing a basis to advance human choices.

Finally, the direction of the within is where they all combine to direct the total being toward its ultimate growth. This is the space where all interaction occurs. It resides in the now. It is our mind, our subconscious. It is our direct link to the rest of creation. It is the only space where we conceive our actions.

Ritual is my way for keeping the wheels of my life spinning and the cogs meshing together.

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