The power of ritual

[Guest guest]

Hello Laxman,

 

In my opinion, rituals can be very powerful esoterically speaking.

There are many kinds of rituals though. I would divide rituals into

these types:

 

-Rituals that originate from an old era and have lost their original

meaning and strength (due to modifications and lack of esoteric

knowledge). These rituals are religious and useless most of the times.

 

-Rituals that originate from an old era and have kept some of their

original characteristics and qualities. These rituals are found

sometimes in major religions of our world, they have limited effects

depending on the person conducting them and his faith. The strength

of these rituals lie in the fact that they have been repeated already

so many times and thus, they have created a thoughtform (a mass of

energy) which has a certain power. The more intense the faith of the

person conducting them, the more intense the result will be. Most of

the times though, they are done without any awareness of what is

taking place in an energetic level. Lack of awareness and lack of a

specific goal, also limits the results of a ritual.

 

- Occult rituals given to us by enlightend masters. These rituals are

believed to be created by higher deities or gods. I would say these

rituals are what we call Sadhana, spiritual discipline. Most of the

time, tantrik rituals have to be performed exactly as given and the

latent powers in the them work instantly. It is also claimed that

these rituals can create chaos if not performed correctly.

 

- Rituals that we compose on our own. We can compose rituals that

have as goal to guide our attention inwards and to concentrate our

mind more easily. Most people add various elements in these rituals

that work on a spiritual level too. For example burning incense clear

the etheric atmosphere and attracts positive energies to us.

Purification of the person conducting the ritual surely adds to its

success.

 

I dont know exactly how complicated poojas are. I have never attended

one. From what I have read though, I believe that each act and

element of a ritual has a specific symbolism and purpose. Along with

the sanskrit recitations which is a mantra (powerful sound) itself.

 

Actually, the power working through the ritual is the power of mind.

If one is a master of it, it needs no external rituals. Still,

certain external or material acts/elements (such as insences,

candles, mantra chanting etc) have a direct relation and

communication with the world of the mind. So, I dont think it would

be wise to understimate the power of ritual as it can be very helpful

for spiritual advancement.

 

Here is a beautiful article by the american ayurvedic doctor and

author of many books (ayurveda, yoga, astrology, tantra) Robert

Svoboda, about Ritual Success: http://www.drsvoboda.com/ritual.htm

 

HAri Om.