I primarily practice in the Reclaiming Tradition of Witchcraft, which is considered to be an ecstatic tradition. This means that our rituals have a lot of singing, dancing, and intense experiences in them. I love this about my tradition. It is alive, exciting, and juicy. But there is also something to be said for boredom and in an ecstatic tradition this can get overlooked.
I have heard plenty of ritual feedback over the years where I was told,
"that one part of the ritual was boring". Waaahh! (I don't mean to be snarky, okay, maybe I do, a little bit.) As ritual goers and participants sometimes we can get caught up in the flair and the drama. Sometimes we can miss the point of the inner work because we are waiting for the moment when the fireworks go off.
Guess what people? In life, fireworks don't always go off.
If there is one thing that some of the other non-mainstream religious practices can teach us, is that the ecstatic can often be found right on the other side of that boredom. We are so used to going at the speed of light; checking our email, catching up on Facebook every ten minutes, and tweeting our hearts out, that if we don't have flashing, lightening, and high intensity we feel like we are missing out.
The truth is, just beyond that place of being bored and distracted is a place of powerful transformation and transcendence. Sometimes all you need to do is sit with that boredom to experience something more powerful than even the most dramatic fireworks show could ever offer.
It sounds crazy, I know this. But life is paradox and this is just another example of it.
So, the next time you are at a "boring ritual", I challenge you to keep at it and see what is waiting for you on the other side. It might just blow your mind.
When someone complains a ritual was boring I ask when their event is going to be? It is real easy for people to judge but they are usually the ones not willing to put forth the extra effort. You get out of ritual what you put in :)
ReplyDelete