Ceremonies, Ceremonials Originally and essentially acts of magic, designed to bring about particular and definite results, but now almost wholly ritual observances performed from habit, from unthinking reverence to misunderstood tradition, or merely to impress the devotional imagination.

The anointing of a candidate in the Mysteries was actually the completion of a process which began on higher planes and in the candidate's inner nature, not a mere symbol intended to fix his attention or to impress his mind. In two of its ecclesiastical analogs, baptism and confirmation, we find them regarded by some churches as the "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace," and by others as an actual conveying of grace to the candidate; and the same with other Church sacraments.

In real ceremonial magic this is fully recognized, and success depends upon the exact fulfillment of the necessary conditions; similarly in white magic, but the knowledge and proficiency required for the fulfillment of the requisite conditions is apparently beyond the attainments of the great multitude of people today. It comes only in higher degrees of chelaship and is carefully guarded from profanation. For ceremonial magic, whether white or black, means the evocation of various forces of nature, stronger or weaker depending upon their nature, demanding for their control a resolute will, an inflexible mind, and an immaculately pure heart. Ceremonies performed in ignorance may be as barren of results as a static electric machine worked in a fog.

There is a thread-soul of quasi-intuitive understanding running through the traditions of human history which impels people to keep up, however ignorantly, forms and ceremonies through the ages, often when their real significance is lost, like seeds preserved in an ark to await the time when the flood waters shall recede.

(See also: Ceremonies, Ceremonials, Mysticism, Mysticism Dictionary, Occultism, Occultism Dictionary)

Ceremonial Magick: Ceremonial Magick is one of the most complicated systems of spiritual attainment in the world. It is a mixture of Jewish, Christian and ancient Egyptian philosophy mixed with ancient Indian and Chaldean ideas spiced with a hint of earlier Paganism. This is mixed with the ceremonial aspects of Catholicism and Masonry. It usually heavily involves the study of the Kabalah, the mysticism of the world put into Jewish and Judeo-Christian terms.

(See also: Ceremonial Magick, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca)

Ceremonial Magick

Also called High Magick, when distinguished from Ritual Magick It is a precise method of working magick to achieve a certain end. It is not a religious, but rather a magickal practice.

(See also: Ceremonial Magick, New Age Spirituality, Body Mind and Soul)

In 1999, Bennie LeBeau of the Eastern Shoshone tribe began to experience a torrent of dreams and visions. The visions directed him to set in motion the plans for a massive Medicine Wheel Ceremony. The ceremony is set to take place at High Noon on Saturday, May 8, 2004 at more than 20 sacred sites in the American West, and at many other sacred sites elsewhere around the world, including Australia, Ecuador, Guatemala, and the Middle East.

Read more here: » Native American Spirituality: Native American Medicine Wheel Ceremony on May 8th 2004

Haj Is a Journey Into Yourself

It is every Muslim's cherished dream to go on Haj, to undertake the spiritual journey to the holy city of Mecca. On their return, the successful pilgrims are known as Hajjis. When they embark on their journey, they are given a ceremonial and fond farewell by relatives and friends of all faiths. Haj is a commemoration of tests and trials experienced by Prophet Ibrahim and his son Hazrat Ismail, in the vicinity of Mecca.

Read more here: » Haj: Haj Is a Journey Into Yourself

Sraaddha ceremony

According to Hinduism, when a person dies, he either travels to heavenly worlds or to the ancestral worlds depending upon his previous deeds. We are told that the departed souls can be elevated to higher planes of existence and pushed further on the scale of evolution if their direct descendents on earth, especially the male progeny perform some annual rites and make sacrificial offerings to them. With such rites, not just one but the entire family of ancestors would be benefited and spiritually uplifted.

Read more here: » Sraaddha ceremony: Hinduism Rituals - Sraaddha ceremony

The pot is perhaps the most ancient of vessels. It is also the most universal. It is an intrinsic part of several rituals in many societies. It is difficult to imagine any Hindu religious ceremony without the holy kalash. Our gods partnered with demons to churn the ocean to obtain the pot of nectar. In ancient Europe, hydrio-taphia (urn-burial) was common. In Gond society, a married couple desirous of divorce carry together a mud-pot and drop it to 'break' their wedlock.

(See also: Kalash, Faith and Belief, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Science and Spirituality: See the World in a Grain of Salt

Revelation of this excellence in God's creation has been the constant endeavour of science right from the days of Aristotle, Newton and Einstein to the present day.

Realising God's excellence in nature only brought these scientists closer to God - some of them even expressed a feeling of deep religiosity. Einstein said: "Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind".

Read more here: » Science and Spirituality: See the World in a Grain of Salt

Baha'u'llah And the New Faith

Echoing the suffering of all the messengers of God before him and the privations they suffered to fulfil their sacred task, Baha'u'l-lah, the founder of the Baha'i religion, wrote: "We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish".

Born in Persia on November 12, 1817, Baha'u'llah's unusual undertaking at age 27 has gradually brought into its fold several million people from diverse backgrounds. For Baha'u'llah claimed to be the Messenger of God - the Bearer of a Divine Revelation that fulfils the promises made in earlier religions and which will generate the spiritual forces for the unification of the world.

Read more here: » Bahai - Bah‡'’: Baha'u'llah And the New Faith

Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

The followers of the Baha'i faith are on a 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20. In this context, it would be instructive to look at the significance of fasting in all faiths. Fasting may assume different forms across different belief systems but is an integral feature of humanity's common spiritual heritage.

We must ask ourselves why God wants us to abstain from food and drink. Obviously, as the all-loving creator, He would derive no pleasure from the mere act of making his creatures endure hunger and thirst for a specified period. We may as well go a little further and ask ourselves why we have spiritual laws at all.

Read more here: » Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

Bring God into Your Living Room

It is easier to visualise God in the starry heavens than in our own homes. The stars, so remote from our humdrum earthly existence, suggest to our minds infinite stillness, harmony, and wisdom. By contrast, our homes are often scenes of strife and rivalry.

To the extent that we hold God aloof from our daily realities, we alienate Him from the life we know. We need a concept of God that will bring Him into our kitchens, our bedrooms, our living rooms - yes, even when those living rooms are crowded with guests.

Read more here: » God: Bring God into Your Living Room

Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

The followers of the Baha'i faith are on a 19-day fast from March 2 to March 20. In this context, it would be instructive to look at the significance of fasting in all faiths. Fasting may assume different forms across different belief systems but is an integral feature of humanity's common spiritual heritage.

We must ask ourselves why God wants us to abstain from food and drink. Obviously, as the all-loving creator, He would derive no pleasure from the mere act of making his creatures endure hunger and thirst for a specified period. We may as well go a little further and ask ourselves why we have spiritual laws at all.

Read more here: » Spiritual Fasting: Fasting is Food for the Soul

The philosophy of Prophet Zarathushtra accorded sanctity to nature as much as to rectitude in human existence. The Sun became the celestial emblem of the Fire which was kept burning within the homes and fire-temples on earth as an undying and unremitting tribute to the spirit of the Creator, Ahura Mazda.

Haptan Yasht says: "We revere the Earth and the Sky, we revere the strong Wind created by Mazda, we revere all good land." The unflinching reverence of the living world as also an abiding involvement with the advancement of our own Self were propounded through Zoroastrianism, a religion in consonance with environmental perceptions. Physical purity became a step towards purity of the mind, the soul and the spirit.

(See also: Jamshedi Navroz, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Paganism & Pornography

At times my political views seem to lead me into contradictions. Last month saw me writing a furious letter to Penthouse magazine concerning their misinformed story on Witchcraft. Within two weeks I was writing to the head of the QuickTrip Corporation protesting the removal of Penthouse from their stores. You'd think I would have been happy at a blow struck against a magazine that maligned my religion. Not so. At stake is the free expression of ideas. Misinformation and censorship are both threats to that freedom. Of the two, I judge censorship to be the greater threat. As long as publishing continues unimpeded, retraction of misinformation is possible. When publishing is censored, even that becomes impossible.

Read more here: » Paganism: Paganism Pornography

Ramzan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, offers an extensive programme of reform and spiritual elevation to all Muslims to help remould their entire being.

Since human beings tend to frequently lose touch with their inner world, Islam has provided for a substantial provision for an annual "workshop" in the form of siyam or Roza. This trains and equips us to reach out to the inner self, by firmly dealing with any moral laxity and indiscipline.

(See also: Ramzan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Every year, I eagerly await the month of Ramzan. Fasting and praying during the month prepares me to move closer to God. Fasting is not restricted to food and drink; it includes distancing oneself from negative attributes like hypocrisy, covetousness, falsity, backbiting and envy, among others.

Surprisingly and fortunately, the after-effects of this regulated and sanitised lifestyle adopted during Ramzan lingers for several months afterward, enabling one to work towards greater control over one's actions.

(See also: Ramzan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Everyday during Ramzan, for one lunar month from sunrise to sunset, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking and smoking.

Why do Muslims undertake to fast during Ramzan? The common answer is that the Qur'an ordains it: ''O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self- restraint (2:183). Socially and personally, fasting has great relevance.''

(See also: Ramzan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

There is an ancient lore associated with the festival of Raksha Bandhan that is celebrated during the bright fortnight in the Hindu month of Shravan. The Bhavishya Purana refers to a battle between the deities and demons.

The king of the deities, Indra, was feeling depressed. Indra's wife Sachi then took a thread, charged it with sacred verses for protection and tied it on Indra's hand. Through the strength of this thread Indra conquered his enemies.

(See also: Raksha Bandhan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Onam, the festival of flowers, an annual celebration of the spirit of Mahabali's reign of justice, will continue to inspire us to strive for that Golden Mean - when the entire world will be completely free of conflict and any kind of inequality. It would be peaceful. But we also have to hone our ability to deal with the inner kingdom so that there is no discrepancy in the way we perceive the external and internal world. Otherwise, like Mahabali, we might get carried away by our sense of self-importance.

(See also: Onam, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Today's Valentines, for all their 'happiness', betray fear in their eyes. They know little of brotherly love, still less of love for God. What passes in the name of religiosity today is mere bigotry. They, poor souls, might scarcely know who they are, where they are and what they are doing. Life is a pacy film without substance, and love, a mere kit-kat break.

(See also: Valentines Day, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)