renunciation & ritual

[Guest guest]

Good morning all;

 

 

I have found selective renunciation a lot of fun. I suppose these

activities began when I was raised Mormon. We were invited on occasion to

practice common sense renunciations--like fasting. We were also taught that

spending some quality time with prayer might be desirable if one wished to

grow spiritually closer to God.

 

I gave up Mormonism many years ago. My present-day relationship with

renunciation probably began with becoming a vegetarian nine years ago.

 

And then other 'renunciations' followed. Doing hatha yoga daily,

meditating--these are kind of renunciations, I think. You say, 'spending

time doing yoga, sitting, meditating is more important than being out

playing tennis, or watching television.'

 

Renunciation has merged with ritual in the last several years. I enjoy

rituals. Taking baths with certain kinds of herbs has been fun. Wearing a

tika, (a smudge on the forehead, on the third eye), has been quite useful

and enjoyable. And I take advantage of creativity. For a year or so, I

wore a blue tika. The color was very valuable to me that year. Another

year, I wore violet.

 

Clothing can have both a ritualistic and renunciative value. One year, I

decided to wear only white. (Except at work, where I had to wear black and

white). This was a major Shiva year. Now, I mostly wear orange. I have

had several punjabi suit-type outfits made in various shades of orange. I'm

not into fashion, and with my background in theatre, I like the idea of

weaving renunciation/ritual into the texture of my public and private lives.

I enjoy the idea that it may be useful for people to see that dressing can

involve a ritual other than fashion. But on a spiritual level, which is the

real reason for my choice, wearing this kind of clothing/color reinforces my

own passion for the quality of renunciation that involves me at the present.

 

So, I believe that selective and creative renunciation is very useful.

 

 

Madhya