From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!lime!houxg!hogpc!houti!pegasus!pete
Newsgroups: net.religion
Title: Re: Ritual and Polytheism
Article-I.D.: pegasus.329
Posted: Wed Apr 20 13:57:34 1983
Received: Fri Apr 22 05:55:05 1983

A comment on Tim Maroney's mesage on ritual and consciousnes change.


I agree that ritual can change consciousnes radically.
(What are sex, love and yogas, and perhaps even drugs
but rituals)

Ritual can also serve to stultify ones consciousness also.
A ritual repeated without thought and attention can become
a negative meditation that leaves the mind numbed and caught in 
a tight little loop.

A trivial example-- if one rotates ones thumb against the tip of
the middle finger in a counterclockwise direction, pressing softly
and moving slowly for about fifteen minutes, one will enter a very
odd and unpleasent state. A friend, who is a professional psychologist,
has observed a number of patients in various mental hospitals performing
this "meditation" continuously for hours. (In fact she had some success in
treating them by helping to break this one habit). Here is an action
which changes consciousness and then leaves the practitioner trapped in
a little loop.

My objection to many religious groups (both Christian and other) is
that the purpose of their activities is to AVOID a change in consciousness.
(After one initial change, so that the person accepts the religion).
Rituals that empowered the believer, created doubt (a most necessary 
ingredient in any conciousness change), and left the world seeming more 
complicated than before the ritual started are avoided. 

For these groups religion, provides ANSWERS. For me a religion must provide
methods of exploration (Religion being one of the many possible tools
that aid in my task). Any advice about how to develop, find, or experience
positive rituals will be gladly accepted. Any flames or discussions
about these topics are eagerly awaited.

			A Searching Judeo/Budeo/Pagan 
			looking for more slashes to add to 
			list

			Peter Silverman
			pegasus!pete