Ritual Help?

[Arani]

I have a friend on a different board, and she has a problem. She desperately wants to believe in God, to feel his/her presence, but she just can't. She's prayed and begged for some spark of faith, something to show her that there is a God, but she can't. She wants to feel the Divine in her heart. I told her that the first time I felt the Goddess was when I was doing a self-dedication ritual. I was wondering if anyone had any good rituals for connecting with the divine. She's not a pagan, I believe she's an atheist (not by choice, you see, she just can't feel it). So a rather simple (if possible) ritual would be best.

She and I would really appreciate any rituals you think might be good. I really want to help her, but I don't know of any good rituals. Thanks!!

[Faerin]

Well...I don't have any rituals I can offer (sorry), but I can offer a bit of advice :) It sounds to me as if she might be trying so hard to find that Divine Spirit that she has become a bit unfocused and a little frantic (I'm not saying that in a bad way!). What I might recommend is meditation to calm her spirit and let her do a little introspection. There is so much to be learned about oneself in meditation! I hope she finds some answers.

[Arani]

Thanks for the advice Faerin. I will pass it on to her.

But doesn't anyone have any rituals at all??

[Teresa]

No ritual here for that but I would suggest that she relax and center herself and perhaps She will get the spark shes seeking so hard.

[Anahita]

Rather than any specific ritual, I suggest that your friend look around her more closely. Sometimes the Goddess will speak in clear sentences, but most of the time, She works in subtle whispers. It sounds to me like your friend is looking for the sentences from heaven. The whispers are things like that bird singing in a tree that makes you smile on a bad day, the friend who calls just at the right time, your cat purring in your lap, a sleeping child, making love, etc. The Goddess is present in all these things. They are all Her blessings to Her children.

To see these things, have your friend relax for starters. If you're straining too hard, you'll never see anything. Second, seeing signs does take a little bit of faith to start with. If you don't really believe in a higher power, you're never going to see signs of one, no matter how hard you try. It's because your brain will be predisposed to see any signs as coincidences or ordinary things. Have her look starting with the assumption that there is a higher power and she will see evidence of it. See what happens. If it doesn't work, then she can go back to how she was doing it before - no harm done.

- Anahita

[indigo rain]

meditation's the best suggestion i can come up with. meditate, ask for some sign, some... thing, anything from the divine. and then... listen. if she can't hear anything, consider this. maybe this life's focus for her isn't to grow spiritually. maybe she needs to work on something in her mundane life, and this feeling of spiritual detachment is a nudge in that direction. just an idea. but i personally believe, as long as you try to be a good person, you don't have to be religious. just live as best you can.

[Arani]

Thank you all for your replies. I will pass on the advice to my friend. :)