Beautiful post from C. Michael Smith on why we need sacred ceremony.....
Posted in the Depth Psychology Alliance Facebook group
WHY WE NEED SACRED CEREMONY
Looking into the heart is looking into a spiritual mirror.
Deeper than the surface vibrations and the distracting egoic-vibes
are the throbbing vibrations of the heart, and those that lie close to it.
Within the heart, your own essential being, the Flow of Spirit is inviting
you to open the doors and let the creativity and love move through.
It may take some time and effort to get to the deeper vibrations.
We may have to strip away layers of false self, and the
lies we tell ourselves. The masks we hide behind must
come off. The clutching fear of the unknown must be released.
Not always so easy. It takes courage and faith.
It helps a lot to have supportive community and someone
to keep us company.
When we arrive at the heart and catch a glimpse of our own
essential being, of our own Archetype, waiting to be lived and
creatively expressed, that’s when the flow of energy arises
giving us the power to clean the heart vessel of its load of denser
emotions and attitudes that hold us back from the Flow of Spirit.
When the heart is clean, purged of its excess, then authenticity,
enthusiasm, and creativity flow, for the doors of the heart are
now open and there is no obstruction to the Flow of Spirit.
A tremendous vibration of love is released: the Creative Flow
of Spirit. We then become a loving and creative force in the universe,
in our communities and families.
Our creativity arises fresh and effective. We may express it
as poet, or painter, healer or parent. The possibilities are endless.
We each begin to express our artistry and contribute to the beauty
of the cosmos and the world around us.
Of course no one is completely clean all the time. Not me either.
Life can surprise us, and occasionally knocks us off balance.
That’s why we need periodic mindful, non-judgmental self-examination,
and periodic renewal through ceremonies and practices which help
us return to the vessel of the heart which holds the baggage we
have been accumulating. You know, the anger and resentment, the
fears and envies, the attitudes and emotions that are dense and
block the Flow of Spirit and thus thwart our own creative self-expression.
Fortunately we have assistance. Our hearts and the Heart of the Cosmos
are always connected. The Spirit Flows through the Heart of Being-itself.
The universe is inherently creative, powered by that “love that moves
the sun and those other stars”* It is the function of ceremony, prayer,
and chant to connect us with this source.
C. Michael Smith, Ph.D. Crows Nest International (c) 2015
* Quoted from Dante. Paradiso. Canto XXXiii
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