Wisdom from Deb: Rituals, Altars and Ceremonies

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:18):
Hello, and welcome to psychic teachers. I'm your host Dempoe
with a new installment of my wisdom from deb episodes. So,
if it's safe and comfortable for you to do so,
sit back, drop your shoulders, take a deep breath, and
close your eyes. And if you can't close your eyes,

(00:40):
at least drop your shoulders and take a deep breath. So,
all around the world, every day, in every culture, rituals, ceremonies, celebrations,
and deities are being honored and worshiped. It truly makes

(01:00):
me feel a part of such a larger family to
know that throughout history and at this very moment, my
brothers and sisters around the world are creating rituals and altars.
But why have people historically created rituals and altars? And
why do people around the world continue to do so?

(01:22):
What needs and desires within us do rituals, altars and
ceremonies fell? But here are some things to think about
and suggestions. Rituals, altars and ceremonies help us to connect
the heart to the sacred in a common purpose. We

(01:44):
see manifestations of these commonalities in the symbols used across cultures. Prayer,
be handles, incense, certain colors, cardinal points of the compass,
the elements of fire, air, earth, water, and in some
beliefs metle. They invite us to lower our defenses between ourselves,

(02:08):
each other, and something greater than ourselves. The essential element
of ritual is connection. This includes prayer, meditation, or honoring
of some entity that we perceive as powerful or omnipotent.
Think of a worship of the Mother Goddess for fertility,

(02:30):
both of the land and of people. The oldest form
of worship we know. It's often symbolized by that very round,
fertile image of a woman. Alters ritual ceremonies remind us
to mark the passage of time and the passage of
the seasons. Cultures around the globe mark the passing of

(02:55):
days of the seasons of years with ritualistic behaviors. Sometimes
those demarcations are in praise and thanksgiving, sometime in reflection
and contemplation, sometimes in honoring and remembering. Examples are Christian
and Jewish holidays, celebrations of the equinoxes and the solstices,

(03:20):
honoring the traveling through the sky of the sun and
the moon, birth, marriage, death. Some altars change with some
of these passages. Think about how the colors used on
a Christian altar changed throughout the Christian calendar, or envision
an altar with just one blossom to represent honoring spring.

(03:47):
Ritual's holidays ceremonies guide us to separate the ordinary from
the non ordinary. Ritual is a set of symbolic acts
that represent a higher state of being. As the elements
of an altar are symbols representing a connection to the divine,

(04:09):
Rituals are sometimes performed silently, sometime in voice of song
and chant, in dance, in play. Just as rituals mark
the passage of time, they help us allow time to
suspend during our exchange with our perception of the divine.

(04:32):
These activities also teach us to create sacred space that
is separate from the mundane space of our daily lives.
When Moses approached the burning bush, God said, take off
your shoes. The ground upon which you stand is holy ground.
Thus the sacred space around that bush became an altar.

(04:56):
So let's talk about altars, which are vitally important in
my life. And first, let me just remind you of
how to spell that word. As we're discussing them today.
The word alter is spelled with two a's Altar to
alter or change a piece of clothing, for example, is

(05:17):
spelled a l t er. Just sing, my friend Jibili says,
and you've heard me say this before. Give deb a
flat surface and she will create an altar. There are
no rights or wrongs in creating an altar. An alter
is any space that you deem sacred, and its components

(05:40):
are any objects you deem either sacred in and of
themselves or as representations of other sacred entities. There are
some traditions with altars, however, that are common to many cultures.
Usually they contain fire, a representation of spirit, and sometimes

(06:03):
the element of fire itself and light. Altars and rituals
are sometimes connected to the four cardinal points of the
compass and the five senses. Now, many beliefs include the
four cardinal points corresponding elements, colors, symbols, and animal people

(06:24):
as a standard part of the ritual. And it's important
to note that the information I'm getting ready to give
you is from my beliefs. This information varies from culture
to culture around the world. So when I'm working with
the cardinal points of a compass in my beliefs. Here's

(06:44):
what I believe, and here's what I practice. The direction
of East is connected to the element of air. Its
primary color is yellow, and its characteristic is that of illumination.
Think of the sun rising in the east, and so
air beings are connected to the direction of east, birds, bats, butterflies, dragonflies,

(07:12):
so forth. The direction of South is connected to fire.
Think the south is hot where I live. Its color
is red, and it's about action, being determined to do something,
and so heat seeking animal people are connected to the

(07:34):
element of south, Snakes, salamanders, lizards, for example. The direction
of west is connected to water, so its colors are
blue or black, and it's connected to introspection. That element
of water is about emotion and introspection and going within

(07:57):
as so as you can well imagine. Water people are
connected to the direction of west, fish, whales, dolphin, octopuses,
so forth. Finally, the direction of north is connected to
the element of earth. Its color is white or brown sometimes,

(08:17):
and it's about intellect and thinking and having time to
process thoughts. And large animal folks are connected to the
direction of north. Buffalo bear for example. Remember again that
none of what I've just said is set in stone,
and it varies from tradition to tradition. For example, an

(08:41):
Eastern thought there is the fifth element metal and animal.
People's symbols vary from culture to culture, depending on what
a given culture may know and be connected to with
various animal folks or the landscapes that are present in
the cultures. Another way to look at and have a

(09:02):
connection to rituals and altars is to look at how
rituals and altars are connected to our five senses. For example,
the sense of smell, incense, oils, herbs, the fragrance of
various plants roses for example, and candles. Sight, visual image

(09:24):
of sacred objects or flames or other sources of light,
photos of our ancestors. Whatever we can see, it becomes
sometimes a part of a ritual or an altar. Sound, bells, gongs, chimes, chants, drums, rattles,
your own voice, music that you play on a CD

(09:48):
player or wherever. Touch, holding objects to give and or
exchange receive energy. So what we do with touch also
is sometimes blessings. We ask for blessings, we offer up prayers,
we use prayer beads for example. It's another wonderful thing

(10:08):
that's common to almost every kind of culture in some way.
We touch by washing the feet of others or ritual bathing,
for example, and of course taste ceremonial foods, communion. Of course,
ritual also is connected to the seasons, to the days
of the week, to the sun and moon phases, to

(10:31):
planetary alignment, numerology, colors such as the colors of our chakras,
various plants, stones, and a lether of deities. Rituals have
changed the world in many ways. Think a minute about
famous folks you know and how those folks changed the

(10:53):
world by engaging in rituals. For example, Mahatma Gandhi used
his rich dual of Hindu meditation of fasting and spinning
as a way to bring about the freedom of India
from British rule. Doctor Martin Luther King Junior used the
ritual of marching, singing, and chanting to bring about civil

(11:17):
rights for black Americans. Nelson Mandela said in his autobiography
that his early life, which shaped his work, was quote
shaped by custom, ritual and taboo. This was the alpha
and omega of our existence and went unquestioned. Mother Teresa

(11:40):
was unwavering in her following of the rituals of the
Catholic Church as she went about her work with the
poor and with lepers. Henry Crowdog medicine man of the
Secanchubrelli Lakota faced prison and worse in the early nineteen
hundreds because he was determined that the most sacred of

(12:01):
all Lakota rituals, the Sundance ceremony, would continue despite it
being outlawed by the American government. I've spoken with many
people who have lost the meaning of rituals in their lives,
or who never quite understood why a ritual was performed
in their culture or in their home in the first place.

(12:25):
Let's take the egg. Remember just a simple egg as
it's hues during spring as an exam. For those of
you who come from a Christian background, you might associate
the egg with Easter and the Easter bun. For those
of you of the Jewish faith, the egg may represent
an element of the Passover satyr plate. For those of

(12:46):
you of the Pagan tradition, the egg may represent the
notion of renewal at spring and connection to divine goddesses
who bring about the transition into spring. But do you
know why why this is so? The fact is as
the day's lengthen birds produce more eggs. There are many

(13:08):
other associations. Of course, it's far too much for us
to go into today, So I invite you to do
some homework into the egg as a part of your
own belief system, or anything else you choose, so you
have a sense of why you do what you do.
So we talked for a moment about rituals in everyday life.

(13:29):
As we mention at the beginning of this discussion, the
difference between ritual and habit is intention. The first step
in creating a ritual is an awareness, a consciousness of
actions and intentions and why you do them. Here's one
of me. I begin every day with both habit and ritual.

(13:53):
I brush my teeth, I drink coffee. That's habit. But
then I stand in my yard and I say thank
you and good morning to everyone else who lives there,
my plant brothers and sisters, my bird, squirrel, turtles, spider
brothers and sisters. I never just wear jewelry. I wear

(14:14):
sacred jewelry, chosen each morning with intention for my dad.
I hope that this wisdom from deb episode has spurred
you to think about rituals and altars in your life
and how you might incorporate more of them. If you're
interested in taking a deeper dive with me, email me
at Psychic Teachers at gmail dot com and I'll be

(14:37):
happy to put your name on a wait list for
the next time I offer the course that corresponds to
what I've discussed today. So thank you so much for
listening to this mini episode of Psychic Teachers podcast. Samantha
and I will be together again next week. Please remember
to leave a review on your favorite podcast outlet that

(14:59):
helps find us, join us on Facebook, and learn about
our work on our websites. Samantha's website is Samanthafay dot
com and mine is Danbowen dot com. So until next week,
please remember to be the light for yourself and others.

(15:19):
Take care everyone. Thank you for listening to Psychic Teachers,
your podcast for seekers, light workers, mystics, and magical thinkers.
If you like the show, please tell a friend or
leave us a review wherever you listen to your podcast.
For more information, check out our Facebook page Psychic Teachers,

(15:42):
or our websites Samantha Fay dot com and Bowen dot com.
Thanks for listening and have a great week,