Respectfully bridging old traditions with new rituals in Spiritual Practice

[Susan Gold]

Misa, this has proven to be an interesting discussion beginning with the new offering of the ancient Native American Women's Water Ceremony.  In so many ways our current world is asking us for change: new thought, new practices.  While this doesn't mean that we must discard the old, there are certain aspects of perception, language and spirituality that change and evolve with time.  Certain traditional practices, in order to hold true meaning for current generations, may need to reflect a devotional response to the issues of greatest concern in today's world.  I know you have given this great thought and hope that you will share your insights.

How do we respectfully bridge old traditions with new rituals in Spiritual practice?  Thank you.

[Reverend Misa]

Susan,

Thanks for asking this.  As you know, this topic came up for us recently when you offered to do Mother Mary's Ascension Rosary for NDF participants.  Having grown up Catholic, I have prayed the traditional Catholic rosary many times, and it was one of my favorite rituals.

Hearing the recording of the Mother Mary's Ascension Rosary, I could feel the deep love and respect for Mother Mary.  It is a very different set of prayers than the ones I grew up with, so it took me a while to settle into such a unique version.  After meditating and praying, followed by some research on the history of the rosary, I heard the voice inside me reassuring that this new version was respectful and heart-felt—enough reassurance to say let's introduce it.

As a practitioner of various ancient Native American Ceremonies and newly, created, contemporary ceremonies, I watch myself and others become challenged regarding decisions where new forms of an old ceremony are being requested.  I have over the years created some personal guidelines for myself, and I would be quite curious to hear other people's thoughts on this subject.

1) When I am learning or participating in a traditional ceremony or ritual from any religion or spiritual practice, I follow the tradition as closely as I can.  I do not suggest changes. The reason is that many of the practices have been formed over time for reasons I do not fully understand.  In order to fully understand, I recognize I need to learn it and appreciate it as it is.  To me it would be presumptuous and rude to suggest changes to a ceremony or ritual that I had not fully made my own.  If the ceremony or ritual does not suit me, I do not attend again or learn any further.  If it does suit me significantly enough, I humble myself to learn.

2) When a ceremony or ritual has fully become a part of me, I listen to Divine guidance with each ceremony.  If there is an impending desire within myself or consistently from the regular participants (not first-timers who don't know it yet), I meditate and ask for guidance.  I only make a change when the guidance is very strong and very clear within me.  If it is not clear, I ask for guidance in creating a new ceremony or ritual that will meet the intended need.

By following these guidelines, I have been privileged to be given several traditional ceremonies to share as well as new, contemporary ceremonies, and at times, changes in traditional ceremony that are perfect.

For example, in the original Full Moon Water Ceremony, the women did not bless the water, and neither did we for an entire year as I learned the ceremony.  It was in a meditation when the Grandmother from the other side of the veil were talking to me, that I was inspired to bless the water during ceremony, and they concurred.  Their water was pure; ours is wounded.  And so, this change was appropriate and perfect for our time.

Each of us must make our own decisions.  They are not easy to make sometimes.  Being respectful of tradition while opening to the needs of today, in my opinion, is best taken with careful regard. There is strength in the old ways that cannot be understood until deeply experienced, usually repeatedly. And yet, old ceremonies and rituals are most significant when they provide sacred space for us to become our full potential in today's world.

In my opinion, loving consideration, request for guidance, and attention to heart-felt intent are all part of the equation in making decisions about change in old traditions.

What are your thoughts?

[Susan Gold]

Misa,

I understand and appreciate your comments.  Thank you. 

Since my early childhood, I have not followed any one religion in a strict sense.  I spent most of my life pursuing an understanding of the sacred and the divine from the perspective of spirituality rather than religion.  Although I was raised in a Catholic family, my relationship with God was always of a personal nature and not defined by doctrine or ritual.  I went to Church every Sunday, and prayed the rosary during Lent with my Dad because it was required.  But I preferred to go to Church when no one was there, which I did quite often.  I would sit and pray silently, drinking in the sacredness of the space within and without.  And I would often retreat to the safety of the Church itself during times of great discordance within my family.

Generally speaking, I do not think of prayer in terms of religion.  For me, prayer has always been a personal communication and conversation with many aspects of God or the Divine Presence.  I enjoy prayer.  It’s likely because I was raised in a Catholic tradition that the New Rosary holds such strong meaning for me, like a hidden layer of the greater experience that I was unable to access or appreciate as a child.  And it is perhaps because I respect prayer so fervently that it is difficult for me to think of it as irreverent to use personal rather than scripted words.

Nonetheless, our discourse has provided me with an expanded understanding of how others might perceive changes to traditional uses of prayer and how to be respectful in the application of prayer.   Certainly if the ceremony, prayer or ritual does not suit any individual, it seems reasonable to find something that does feel suitable and appropriate.  Whatever it is that we do find suitable and appropriate, I personally recommend that we continue to engage in the practice of prayer.  It has been my experience that, through prayer, we create a vibration of love and light that resounds throughout time and space, that is capable of healing many wounds, and furthers the likelihood of miracles in every day!  I know we have experienced this same and similar blessings through the practice of sacred ceremony.  Exploring prayer and ceremony has lead me to discover a greater understanding of the power and grace of all things sacred.

Thank you.

[Reverend Misa]

Susan,

I certainly did not mean to suggest it is irreverent to use personal rather than scripted words. Indeed, I found a tremendous passion when I began to hear my own, unique prayers emerging from me.  And discovered this passion again as I heard others' unique conversations with the Divine.  I once had the privilege of doing pipe ceremony with a traditional Catholic priest.  I heard him saying the traditional prayers at my father's funeral mass earlier in the day and I knew he held beautiful space.  Then he sat down to Native ceremony with me and my partner, where he was invited to pray what was in his heart as he held the pipe.  He was one of my Dad's best friends, and to hear him pray spontaneously was like listening to warm, heart-felt poetry.

I believe, our greatest fulfillment, most sacred sanctuary lives within our own personal relationship with the Divine. I have witnessed individuals being touched in their depth of Divine relationship both in complete solitude and in ritual with others.  Whether we are praying old prayers by rote handed down from a religion or spiritual tradition, new prayers by rote that speak deeply to us, or we are speaking our own unique truth in the moment, prayers can be powerful doorways for deepening our sacred relationship.  I only suggest that when we change rituals from a tradition (including rituals based in specific prayers), we do so with the care and reverence I witnessed in Mother Mary's Ascension Rosary. 

If I did not communicate that clearly I apologize.  We certainly agree that prayer can bring deep healing and light into the world, as we have experienced together, and I am grateful to have shared such space with you.  I am also pleased that you have chosen to share your sacred offering with others here at NDF.  We have received grateful response that you made this new rosary available.

[Susan Gold]

Misa,

You have the most fascinating stories!  Indeed your life has taken you through many incredible experiences.  Your passion and devotion to the sacredness of life is very apparent, and never ceases to amaze me! You have traveled, no doubt, with some extraordinary people, and they were in good company :-)

No, I didn't misinterpret your response ... I just wasn't as eloquent I think in expressing my thoughts.  It is not a question that I have ever considered before.  I can certainly see now why it is important to expand my consideration of these things.  Sometimes it's difficult to know what a tradition is.  I learned many things about the Rosary after reading about it on the internet that I never encountered in my life.  There are many variations and many styles of the prayer.  In fact the way I was taught as a child didn't even appear in the various texts I perused online.

It seems that prayer itself is a universal tradition, and that it comes in many expressions.