Another true or untrue...you decide.

Ritual is necessary for us to know anything.
Ken Kesey

nightowl

Untrue. Gut reaction don't know why. Lol

Originally Posted by Docha

Untrue. Gut reaction don't know why. Lol

So Docha is it a ritual for you to trust your gut?

Originally Posted by nightowl

So Docha is it a ritual for you to trust your gut?

I wouldn't catagorize it as such. I ignore it half the time then kick myself laughing.

But its not really a classified ritual, I don't do it the same way or same time always. Sometimes its one feeling, others its thoughts.

To me ritual implies repeated actions for an intended purpose. Like praying every night before bed, or always putting your right shoe on first to make sure your day goes well.

In truth I'm not likely to even get ready for work the same way everyday. I never put things away in tbe same spot...I forget to pray all the time...I'm just not overly habitual by nature.

Rituals are repeated actions. Unless chaotic lifestyles can count as ritualistic, logically for me then the answer is no.

Perhaps we need a definition of ritual, are we talking about the kind of "morning ritual" which "magically" takes us from sleepy-eyed sweaty funk to pristine clean and ready to work? Or are we talking about ritual where we perform certain acts (many self effacing) in order to appease and invoke unseen forces to manipulate the physical reality through non-physical means?

Or maybe ritual simply means "habit"? One really is a product of their habits, for better or worse.

I'd say the quote is true, ritual can lead to knowing but also awareness of one's ritual/habits can lead to knowing. "Habit" can be code word for "belief system."

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Originally Posted by nightowl

Ritual is necessary for us to know anything.
Ken Kesey

nightowl

Hi Nightowl ... I would question what it is we are hoping to get to 'know' through ritual ... are we simply conditioning ourselves into 'believing' ritual is necessary in order for us to reinforce a belief we have adopted? ... almost like self-hypnosis ...

Untrue.....

There must be a lot of context missing from this quote because it seems absurdly speculative to me.

"Ritual" can have a mind-numbing effect, no effect, or could facilitate new awareness. Could signify mental disorder, sound mind, superstition... Could create structure in ones life or interfere with functioning...

My answer to this quote would be... huh?

Ritual can definitely be habit so in that sense yes. I think what it's saying that in order to really learn anything we have to do it over and over and over. Referring in part to our life lessons here. If we don't learn patience the first time we are hit with that lesson, later on it repeats, and if we ignore it, it repeats again... etc.

Just my view. :)