The Art of Ritual: Creating and Performing Ceremonies for Growth and Change Paperback – November 30, 2018

I have some friends are building their new home after a horrific fire. Have always seemed interested in being there for other people. I decided to do some research and, asked a friend if they would help me decide what would be something special to give them and their new home. I love the different opportunities in this book and the explanation and stories that support The.Ceremonies. Thank you

I teach a ritual, ceremony and services class for our ministers in training. This is one of two texts that I use for the class, and they provide a great balance of traditional, seasonal and original ritual and ceremony ideas and resources. Very satisfying purchase! I have it as a paperback and as an ebook, both.

Great Gift for those that serve as ceremonial leaders.

Let's be upfront about the book. It's for beginning practitioners of ritual and those who understand the importance of having rituals in your life, but have no idea how to construct them. Advanced practitioners of ritual, such as clergy will find some basic justification and simple reminders of why rituals matter. they might also find new or underutilized rituals to help their practitioners. But let's be honest, the New Age-y elements are somewhat useless in actually constructing something meaningful for most people.As a minister myself, I am somewhat hesitant to really recommend this book and its suggestions be put into practice by those who are not properly trained (particularly in the maintenance and containment of liminal space and all that can arise from within it). In the same way you would hesitate to let a primary/elementary school student run a nuclear reactor, letting untrained/unskilled persons create and perform rituals naturally should cause some hesitation. The authors seem to understand this, even as they go about laying out a number of rituals for even the uninitiated to perform.That said, the content is simple, easy to understand, and in the grand scheme of things, probably mostly harmless. The descriptions are simple to follow and the book is laid out well, and in a logical, carefully considered way. The checklists and reflections in each chapter are also a nice touch. It is easy to read, and its flaws are few. All in all, not a bad book.

Great book that leads you through the steps of developing transitional rituals. Great journaling prompts that focus you on whiting down your intentions for your rituals. For major life changes.

A helpful read.

This had such a practical, sensible approach to spiritual practice, and as someone who is both spiritually-inclined AND pedantic to a fault, this is very appreciated. Explained concepts in a way that made it easy to understand. Highly recommended to anyone with even the vaguest interest in deepening or even starting down the path of their own practice.

There are lots of book out there that give you pre-created Rits and ideas but this book goes even further. This book delves in to why, why are rituals important? When should we have one? and how to create your own. Magic is deeply personal, symbolism works because we have all agreed that certain things symbolize other things. I have found it much more fulfilling to look inside to find my Symbols and then my focus and intent is natural not learned. This is not to say agreed upon symbols are less potent but that you should be able to decide that for yourself ad be given permission to create your own magic. -Bethany