RITUALS

The etymological meaning of the word ritual comes from the Latin ritualis and means "one who performs a rite". A rite is a religious custom that marks a transition from one stage to another.

A ritual is an action that marks something that is believed in. Most people associate rituals with something occult, but we have lots of rituals in our society – we just call them something else. Many athletes have rituals before they compete. A ritual can also be a ceremony, such as a wedding, a special way of celebrating a birthday – in many families, the entire Christmas Eve is a long ritual that people put a lot of effort into.

The material focus of our time has led us to forget the meaning of our rituals, and we now often perform the actions alone. Think, for example, of fireworks, which were initially intended to scare away evil spirits and demons. This meaning is entirely absent from our culture today. While many rituals have become empty shells, devoid of meaning, great importance is attached to the rituals that still exist – such as bachelor parties, weddings, confirmations, and student parties. Rituals are necessary for society and create cohesion, and for us on a personal level, so mark change.

We need rituals. They create cohesion and can support us in times of change.

On this page, you can find rituals for the loss of pets, after an abortion, after a divorce, after a layoff – but also celebration rituals for new jobs, career paths, love, menopause, puberty and much more, as well as calendar rituals. You can follow them as a guide or simply use them as inspiration. Our rituals are a way of working with yourself. You don't have to believe in spirits or energies to perform them. Rituals can be a simple way to create change in your life – a form of magical self-help.

There are different types of rituals, including calendar rituals that take place at certain times of the year. There are rituals of transition – adolescent rituals, weddings, funerals and baptisms. In addition, there are rituals to prevent danger and illness, for protection, or to make something happen. There are also social rituals – such as how to toast, shake hands, hug or kiss on the cheek. Rituals are everywhere and support our society, each other and ourselves.

You will not find shamanic, Wiccan, or chaos magic rituals here; you need to go somewhere else to do that and get a real, human teacher. We only offer rituals for self-help and connection.

For us, rituals are tools for existence and for cohesion with others or with something larger. It can be a way to actively take care of oneself and help move from one period in life to another. Rituals create cohesion if they are done together, but can also generate coherence with something larger if they are done alone. Rituals are for EVERYONE.

When we perform rituals, we communicate with ourselves (and perhaps something bigger) on a deep level. That's one reason they often work. Rituals have been around as long as societies have existed. They wouldn't exist if they didn't work.