Rituals have a very important role
in every society and allow for a culture to thrive in their element. One of
these roles is maintenance of a society; how the society remains structured.
The rituals of Children of the Moon allow for a sense of order as well as
purpose in the society. Each separate ritual reinforces the acceptance and
belonging in our society. The education ritual, where new initiates are bathed
in the moonlit water, shows how they are now a part of Children of the Moon and
belong with us. Also, we teach them that there will always be light and
guidance even when it may seem dark. We accept them from wherever they belonged
before and wish to wash away their fear of rejection and reinforce that they
are now home. Our religious ritual gives purpose to everyone’s ideas as all are
respected. No one idea is ever cast out and all of them are allowed to speak
freely as they wish. This allows for that sense of belonging to become
prominent as well as showing how all our ideas become one in our community.
They represent all of our different aspects that join together to become
Children of the Moon, one entity. The family ritual, where all members give
their blessings to the newborn baby, is the ultimate ritual of belonging for
us. We try to teach even the youngest of members the importance of tolerance
and that they will always have someone to care for them in their times of need.
This shows maintenance by giving the newborns an unconscious awareness of how
Children of the Moon is setup and how it shall be ran. From day one, they are
taught by the subtlest of ways our structure. In the government ritual, where a
feast is held for the new leader, order is seen. This ritual shows leadership
and respect for one another. Members are in consensus of who shall lead them at
that time and they understand that in order for the society to function, they
must put their trust into the new leader.
Another role of ritual is
perpetuation in which there is cultural continuity. For rituals to embrace
this, attendance to process is key. Without this attendance, rituals would have
no way to be passed down from generation to generation to keep their culture
alive. When attendance is not seen, the existence of a culture changes and
their whole makeup is altered. They are now seemingly a new society, better or
worse, and no longer have ties to their origin. In Children of the Moon, all
rituals are inclusive and everyone participates. In the education ritual, every
new member is washed in the water (and everyone before them has been cleansed),
and in this, all members are connected and have attended to being cleansed. In
the religious ritual, everyone’s ideas are key players. If one’s ideas were to
be shot down, they would have no interest in attending the ritual or even being
a part of the society which will not allow for transfer of culture. For the
family ritual, the subtle teachings of tolerance to children allows for an
immediate continuation of society. We are teaching them in that very moment so
that they will one day teach their newborns of the importance of our culture.
If we did not perform this ritual, children would have no connection to us and
then would have no feelings to continue this society. In the government ritual,
the leader is chosen in hopes of guiding the society to a greater being. We
hope that our leaders can further our prowess on acceptance of all societies
and therefore continue our culture as new members look to them for guidance.
Another important role of ritual,
and my favorite, is the ideology of the society. Rituals allow for the
explanations of a society’s values to be taught in an artistic form. Rituals
themselves may not be simple, but they allow for a multidimensional view of
each culture. In our education ritual, we show how looking for guidance is
nothing to be ashamed of and we often ask for help. Seeking light in the dark
is an exceptional quality especially when one accomplishes it. For the
religious ritual, our value of acceptance is seen. We firmly believe in
religious idea and belief tolerance, and no one shall ever dismiss someone’s
spirituality, or lack thereof. Our
society is based upon those who were judged and wanted to create a safe place
for those who may not be in the mainstream society. This ritual emulates this
story, as everyone is safe in our society. The family ritual reinforces this
safety net as the baby is passed around to be shown that all members will take
of it, not just the parents. They are creating a supportive environment as well
as allowing for the importance of tolerance to be prominent as each person
gives their own blessings to the baby. In the governmental ritual, offerings
are made in exchange for a grand leader. Our society believes in giving it
their all to create a loving community. We give our best crops in hopes that
our new leader will give their best to allow our society to grow and become
even better than before.
