Rituals

"Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul."...Mark Twain

Robes, incense, crosses, domes, choirs, prayer carpets, sacred scrolls, chalices. All these trappings of ritual and religion are intended to keep the common people in awe, distracted, and compliant. This applies to any religion anywhere. The value of ritual for the novice is its provision of a focus and a language for learning and thinking about the Universe and human existence. However, once the novice is in a position to read and think and investigate other forms of study, meditation and growth, it is time for ritual to be put aside in favor of commitment to human evolution toward peace and active compassion in one's own environment. This is the meaning of one's path. Those who blindly remain bound to religion strike no path. They simply waddle in a pre-worn rut. This does not lead to evolution; this maintains blind stagnation. My practice is a creative activity of discovery through experience and study. Being religious is not practice. Practice is what you do with your religious experiences. Your path is where you venture when you leave ritual behind.