The Power of Ritual
Why do the holidays often evoke feelings of excitement and joy? One reason may be the ritual. During the holidays many of us anticipate experiencing certain emotions. We may expect for example, to feel a sense of intimacy when we share a holiday meal with family and friends or take part in a family tradition. Or we may look forward to feeling reverence and gratitude while we attend holiday religious services. What these situations have in common is our capacity to transform something abstract (i.e. feelings of intimacy, reverence, or gratitude) into something concrete, such as a meal or religious service, through conscious reflection and expression. This is ritual; expressing the abstract through a physical or symbolic gesture.
The power of ritual is that it enables us to experience desirable emotions in both body and soul. Rituals move us out of our head where we experience everything abstractly, into our body where we can tangibly experience events. They are a means for us to integrate our intellect with our emotions and our body, which leads to deeply satisfying experiences and the development of a sense of inner wholeness. Our ability to use ritual to have soulful experiences also suggests that we do not have to rely on others for our happiness during the holidays, or anytime, which is good news because although the holidays are a time of high hopes, they are also a time of big disappointments.
Consequently, to ensure we experience a little personal joy this upcoming holiday season, we can consciously perform a few rituals just for ourselves. All we have to do is bring physical or symbolic expression to a sentiment we wish to experience holistically. Our rituals do not have to be dramatic, large, or public to be effective. What they require is our willingness to feel and be creative. Sometimes a few moments of silent reflection and lighting a candle, for example, is enough.
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