The Art of Ritual: Creating and Performing Ceremonies for Growth and Change

by Renee Beck, Sydney Barbara Metrick

Rituals mark life's momentous and symbolic events: from special birthdays and holidays to personal affairs such as a child's first day of school or the death of a beloved pt. Over time, and as people and circumstances change, some rituals become merely habitual, losing their significance and creating a hunger for more meaningful methods of celebration. In THE ART OF RITUAL, Renee Beck and Sydney Barbara Metrick explain the power, relevance, and need for ritual, describing the various types of rituals and their myths, symbols, and history, as well as how to: Prepare, perform, and complete rituals; Integrate the five elements into ritual practice; Craft and consecrate ritual tools; Make and use altars. This revised and updated edition also includes a new healing ritual for small groups and a series of self-exploration exercises that assists with the integration of ritual into daily life. Presenting a multitude of ways to create ceremonies for healing, growth, and change, Beck and Metrick will inspire you to honor each rite of passage in a truly personal way.

Genres: Spirituality, Nonfiction, Paganism, Religion, Witchcraft, Reference, Personal Growth

218 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1990

Reviews

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. But then, I wrote it.

[Pretentia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This walks you through creating your own rituals. You may want to create a ritual in your life to honor a change, help process your feelings, build community or connection to others or many other reasons. This has a definite pagan twist to ritual.

[L.A.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A friend lent me this book because she thought I’d like it. And I do! It’s a great reference book that I will definitely add to my library. And I love that it includes a bibliography because I’m also going to check out some of the books she references.

[Gillie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good primer for creating rituals to mark or honor various transitions in life. It explains types of rituals, using the elements in ritual, steps for creating a meaningful ritual, and more. The process described seems a bit cumbersome, but it would definitely be possible to streamline it. There's lots of good stuff in this book. I recommend it for anyone wanting to introduce more ritual in their lives.

[Mitchell Stern · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a good general overview of how to build rituals in multiple contexts. I will say it lacks the level of depth found in other works and is a bit overly brief but still a useful broad strokes reference

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

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