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

Renee Beck (Author), Sydney Barbara Metrick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

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 pet. 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 assist 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.A guide to creating rituals, vows, and affirmations to celebrate important events, promote healing and growth, or affect change.Includes guidelines for creating personal, family, or group rituals as well as advice for crafting and consecrating tools, making an altar, and using the five elements to balance your rites.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Beck and Metrick remind us that human beings have used ritual for centuries as an important buffer to change, and as a way of consciously recognizing and supporting a life event rather than denying or indulging in it. The end result of all ritual is increased balance, strength, energy, and comfort. This is an important book whose time has come. -Angeles Arrien, from the Foreword

About the Author

SYDNEY BARBARA METRICK is a Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) and a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with a Ph.D. in expressive arts therapy. She is the author of I DO and CROSSING THE BRIDGE, and co-author of Art from Ashes. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.
RENEE BECK is co-director at the Contra Costa Alternative School and a licensed marriage, family, and child therapist with master’s degrees in transpersonal counseling and clinical psychology. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Celestial Arts; Rev Sub edition (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1587611902
• ISBN-13: 978-1587611902
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A nice little book on personal ritual, April 1, 2005

By 

Boudica (Ohio USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Ritual: Creating and Performing Ceremonies for Growth and Change (Paperback)

This book is a reprint of a book from 1990 which has been updated. However, not having seen the first version, this new edition is very much up to date, and the material covered is as useful today as it was in 1990.

The author's idea for this book is to introduce basic ritual practice to those who are looking to enhance their spiritual life. It is meant for the practitioner who wants to work their own rituals, is looking for material that is not "path specific" (within the pagan paths) and needs a beginning point to work from.

The book is broken down into 10 chapters, covering much material. I have to say that the authors took the time to put together their introduction and explanations of what ritual is, what roles it can play in your life and the history and mythology of ritual. It is well researched, clearly explained and covers the first two chapters.

Each chapter ends with a "Self Exploration" box, which is a review of the material covered and gives you pause to reflect on what the material means to you, how it can be applied in your life, and how you are progressing. The authors suggest at the beginning of the book for you to keep a "journal" and this is also a point for reflective meditation on your journal entries.

There are also margin "notes", being quotes from various authors regarding the material covered. Material from Joseph Campbell, Richard Wilhelm, and others occasionally grace the margins bringing a bit of outside observation to the material provided by the authors.

The book is also peppered with some nice black and white graphics, adding a bit of grace to the material and book. It is a very nice presentation, overall.

While the authors did not make this book path specific to keep open your own personal spirituality, they do have certain elements in the book that may or may not be part of your own personal spirituality. They associate the elements of ritual to the four elements and essence, or spirit. They use the pentacle as the diagram for these elements. However, they do suggest you "personalize" your symbols, using that which is meaningful to you. They also provide some good correspondences tables which are offered as a basic guide.

The chapter on "Crafting and Consecrating tools" is a mix. How well you are able to handle "arts and crafts" projects will greatly affect your participation in this chapter. Also, some of the "tools" are created in the kitchen, and depending on how well you relate to the project will determine your choices here. However, they do cover some very basic tools, making "dream pillows", incense and various types of candles. The "Consecration" process is simple enough and can be used both for what you make and what you man "find" to add to your tool collection.

There is a chapter on creating your own "altar" and again, it is very basic. But the option to add whatever it is that you relate to spiritually will yield a very lovely altar presentation. There are "themes" given for your altars, falling into the categories of "Beginnings", "Merging", "Cycles", "Endings" and "Healings". While the categories seem self explanatory, there are subheadings that explain this further and are well laid out and clear in their purposes.

Sydney Barbara Metrick is a PH.D. in expressive arts therapy. Ms. Beck is a licensed therapist. The reason I add this here is that once you get into the rituals area of this book, it becomes clear that the rituals are creative, thoughtful and intended to enable you to gain the maximum benefits for personal growth and development. There is a chapter on "Ritual Guidelines" that also includes a worksheet to help you layout your ritual, focus on your intent, be creative with the purpose yet allows you to analyze the entire process after you have completed the ritual to see where you benefited as well as where you can improve. The worksheet follows the entire process of the ritual, and is a great guide to working a ritual that will mean the most to you. The worksheet is a wonderful addition to the process and for the beginner it is a very valuable tool.

In the chapter on "Applications of Ritual" the authors suggest rituals for various personal needs, from quitting smoking to business relationships, depression issues to obsession issues. It is a really good section on ideas for various personal goals and spiritual needs, and is, again, well thought through.

The end of the book contains a short "Conclusion" chapter tying it all together, and two appendixes covering correspondences, two rituals for spring for single practitioners or for groups, a glossary and a bibliography. There is also an index for quick references.

If you are considering adding ritual to your life for personal growth and discovery and you are not going to be path specific, this is a wonderful jump off point for you to start with. All the basic elements of personal ritual are here for you to consider and explore. All that is needed is you. boudica