Quotes About Rituals

Passover is the most widely observed of all the Jewish holidays, and the Passover Seder... is the most practiced of all the Jewish rituals.

Before Christianity became the Roman Empire's official religion in the 4th Century, 'mystery religions,' organized around a central canon of secret knowledge, were widespread. Membership in such religions was limited to people who had passed through secret initiation rituals and had begun to learn a body of hidden knowledge.

The idea that the law should punish what is rude; that government should protect our tender sensibilities from those who would - quite often with shallow motivations but sometimes with deeper and more serious complaints - challenge our national certainties and rituals, should alarm and anger us.

I'm only superstitious on the tennis court.

Spiritual life can certainly follow the pattern one sees in the fake martial arts, with most teachers making nebulous and magical claims that never get tested, while their students derange themselves with weird ideas, empty rituals, and other affectations.

What is a shaman? The word was borrowed by anthropologists from the Tungus people of Siberia.

Though we may not be so extreme, many of us do have certain Christian activities (church attendance, tithing, Bible studies, and so on) that we feel we must do to be good Christians. These activities themselves are obviously not wrong, but a performance-oriented perspective is wrong.

Medicine today has become a religion and the doctors are the priests of that religion, very powerful priests...they can tell you to" (insert command here) "and you usually do it.

Aurelian consecrated the cult of the 'Invincible Sun' (Sol Invictus) in a gigantic temple, embellished with the spoils of Palmyra. He gave it a special college of pontiffs, and instituted fouryearly games. We know nothing of the special rituals applied to this Sol Invictus. The new sanctuary followed an eastern tradition, with its tholos, or dome, in the centre of a closed courtyard isolating the sacred area from the profane world.

That is why each year, from 4 to 10 April, games were celebrated (Megalesia): theatrical shows in front of the temple and chariot races in the Circus Maximus on the last day.

Marriage was so sacred that it couid not be celebrated on just any day or month of the year. May was ruled out, because it was the month of the old (maiores): 'Who marries then has not long to live' (Ov., F, 5, 488); the 9, 11 and 13 were in any case devoted to the dead. This prohibition was still observed not long ago in Provence. Also ruled out were the first fortnight of March (season of war: Ov., F, 3, 395) and June (before the 'purification' of Vesta's temple).

In the early fifth century AD, Macrobius (S, 1, 16, 7) comments that the Claudii, Aemilii, Julii and Cornelii still had their own ritual festivals. There were others which each family celebrated 'according to the tradition of domestic solemnities'. We know nothing about the special sacra of the Aemilii or Cornelii, though it is known that the Julii paid special honour to Apollo and Venus, but evidence of this devotion appeared belatedly and not without some political ulterior motive.

war and peace also dominated the function of the sanans, leaping and singing priests grouped in two sodalities: twelve Salians of Mars and twelve of Quirinus, who respectively opened and closed the season, the first in March, the second in October, under the common protection of Jupiter, Mars and Quirinus.

As may be seen, the majority of public priesthoods had a collegial structure;

In these temples was celebrated the anniversary (natalis) of their dedication (today we would say their 'inauguration').

With the ashes of calf embryos burnt at the Fordicidia, horse blood and bean stalks, they also concocted the mixture for the purifying fumigations (suffimina).

Our elders say that ceremonies are the way we "remember to remember

These are ceremonies of practical reverence.

There was no ball of smoking incense, no cup of magic wine, and none of the other equipment essential to talk to God.

It is always better to let them (shaman and priest) take credit for a good outcome. Do you understand?

It was one of the rituals, the evening telling of feelings. Sometimes Jonas and his sister, Lily, argued over turns, over who would get to go first.

a child without tradition is a child crippled before the world. Tradition

He asks wether Christians eat gold. Ari, nispa. Qoritam mikhunku. Yes, they are saying. They do eat gold.

It's funny about religion, whether it's the religion of white Rasta kids or even my own mom it's usually got some other point than thanks and praise. For the people doing the thanking and praising, I mean.