So last night we gathered at a friends house for a celebration of the summer solstice. By all means I’m all for gatherings of friends, having a good time at the beach with some what of a purpose. The purpose of the evening was to follow in the foot steps of ancient traditions ranging across various civilizations over the past and labelling two cars. One card would contain something you wanted to create, the other had to have something on it that you wanted to rid yourself of. These were items one was supposed to write on their by hand, kind of like new years resolutions.
The next part of the evening was to burn the cards in a brass pot, manifesting the items you had written down on the cards. It’s very important for everyone to realize I got NOTHING against any of this, but as I was standing around the fire with my friends I had an interesting thought enter my head. This group of people I associate myself with currently is what I consider extremely unreligious - at least that’s what I would have said before this thought. By unrelgious I mean that I don’t think any of our friends attends church on any type of regular basis and beyond that, some of my friends have expressed towards me directly, that they are not exactly in the Fan club of religious folk.
So anyway back to us standing around the fire, where at some point I’m being asked to say a prayer for our friends injured brother and by all means I wish everyone the best they can get. The observation I made that night though was the fact that this could easily have been some Christian Youth project that had gathered on the beach. Not like I really care that much, but I hope no one misunderstands me here. I like gatherings of friends, I just made the observation that this group of people, how it was standing around the fire, holding hands and saying prayers - I just couldn’t help but thinking I’m at a catholic camp (not that I would know what one is like).
So where all of ‘us’ agree the Church as our parents knew it surely doesn’t exist for anyone I know. However though considering that I think the Bible is just a set of books written by one group of people to keep the other group of people in some kind of check even in today’s society, there seems to be the urge for spirituality - whatever form it may be in. Some practice Buddhism, others Islam, some people actually still believe in Catholicism, the list goes on. The point I’m getting it is that although just about everyone I know rejects religion, all of them are quite keen on practicing some type or spiritual rituals that I can only compare to going to Church. Yes, different theme, no pastors, none of that - but still the same end result.
This article was written by Arno - Author's Website
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
well, beatmassa, there is a big difference between one being ‘religous’, one being ’spiritual’, and one who is ‘philosophical’. quite frankly, i do not in any way believe that this was a religious gathering. i think you should research before comparing the event to church. the comments made here are very resentful, but they are expected coming from one who instead of appreciating the experience, blocks that sort of knowledge/ awareness and the interest to gain so. the ‘prayers’, as you perceived, are actually called mantras. the only traditional prayers made were to come from the heart and it was in the sake of 2 friend’s family members and the one friend who was injured as well. but, you know what, they were not made to ‘god’- they were made to whomever the highest power reflects in each of us- which was clearly stated in the pamphlet about the summer solstice.
So you’re trying to tell me you don’t see any resemblance to a church gathering? Every Sunday someone gets up in Church and asks for the congregation to join in the prayers for the death or injury of a loved one and quite frankly I don’t have a problem with that. Mantras, Prayers, whatever you want to call it - go to church next Sunday and tell me how different our summers solstice event was from a Sunday at Church (aside from the beers lol). I’m sorry if I came across so resentful, I was just trying to point out that even people that don’t like going to church, or even people like me seek for a higher power sometimes to help them out. I don’t recall having said anything in regards to philosophy otherwise I’d comment on that. Maybe I’m too ignorant for these type of things, or maybe everyone’s just rooted differently and I just choose different means of sending my good energy out into the atmosphere for others to feed on. Either way, I’m glad I got you talking
I don’t think I attended this little gathering, however, I think it’s important to realize that regardless of the place, procedure and/or dynamics of where this event took place, whom ever it was where energies were focused on or whatever ritual had taken place that night, it boils down to the roots of everyone surrounding that fire and their belief in their own faith to guide them through the experience. Im sure beatmassa wasn’t the only “wtf is this?” energy of that night.
Leave a Comment