The Art of the Morning Ritual

[Perd Hapley]

Do all rituals have to have a sense of spirituality?

I don't think so.

[KD5NRH]

KD5NRH, thank you for the link.  I will let SWMBO know about this.

I accept no liability for the outcome. When I lived about 10 minutes from the flagship Half Paycheck Books, I didn't spend any less on books, I just got a lot stronger carrying full bags home.

[fifth_column]

Do all rituals have to have a sense of spirituality?

I don't think so either.  Neither does a ritual have to have any religious connotation.  People with OCD engage in many rituals that have nothing to do with anything other than their illness.  The difference between routine and ritual, to me, is that a ritual is performed with intention and for a specific goal.  Maybe the goal is as simple as calming one's self by pausing and taking a deep breath, or performing some specific movement before giving a speech, for example. 

[Perd Hapley]

I don't think so either.  Neither does a ritual have to have any religious connotation.  People with OCD engage in many rituals that have nothing to do with anything other than their illness.  The difference between routine and ritual, to me, is that a ritual is performed with intention and for a specific goal.  Maybe the goal is as simple as calming one's self by pausing and taking a deep breath, or performing some specific movement before giving a speech, for example. 

Making lunch for one's kids (a commonly-cited "ritual" in this thread) is done intentionally, for a specific goal, but I wouldn't call that a ritual. I'm not sure how I'd define it more specifically. I guess I might say that the type of ritual I'm talking about is something more like the midnight snack. It doesn't accomplish anything as practical as providing one's kids with a noon meal. It's done because it makes you feel better, or for a religious reason, etc.

While reading scripture in the morning has religious implications for me, the tea would be ritual enough, just because I drink it slowly, and take time to sit and enjoy it.

[fifth_column]

Making lunch for one's kids (a commonly-cited "ritual" in this thread) is done intentionally, for a specific goal, but I wouldn't call that a ritual. I'm not sure how I'd define it more specifically. I guess I might say that the type of ritual I'm talking about is something more like the midnight snack. It doesn't accomplish anything as practical as providing one's kids with a noon meal. It's done because it makes you feel better, or for a religious reason, etc.

While reading scripture in the morning has religious implications for me, the tea would be ritual enough, just because I drink it slowly, and take time to sit and enjoy it.

I've been having difficulty defining the difference between routine and ritual myself.  The dictionary definition of ritual is along the lines of "The prescribed order of a religious, or secular ceremony."  Anything can be a ritual.  IIRC buddhist monks make most everything into a ritual, including bowel movements, and walking through doorways.  I think the main difference is the intention, or mindfulness, associated with the act.