The Noble Pagan Forums - Non-Ritual Ways to Incorporate Your Religion into Your Daily Life

From episode #6 of The Infinite and Beyond Podcast, called "The Modern Spirit of Paganism" (last 8 min) by Christopher Oraphello:


Non-Ritual Ways to Incorporate Your Religion into Your Daily Life

How we practice our faith can take many forms.

Religion is a personal thing.

What is religion?
A system of beliefs regarding one's existence within the Universe which involves practices that are performed to embody and reflect
ones beliefs by bringing them into communion with those beliefs and reaffirming them in ones life.

Because of this, religion can be practiced anywhere and in many different ways. Rituals do not need to be grandiose, formal, or
dramatic (like the Golden Dawn) and neither do they need to be scheduled, plotted, or planned. People get caught up in using ritual
tools and fancy robes, implements, decorations---but they are not entirely necessary, and can often deter one from practicing by making
practicing ones religion a chore (or even seem like an inconvenience).

Religion should not be a burden, or seem like some form of obligation. Religion should be personal, and enjoyable.

If an act is combined with a devotional mindset and faith, then it becomes a religious act---an act embodying ones faith and spirituality.
For example, instead of holding a ritual for a Sabbat, why not just throw a party? If a party is thrown with this thought in mind, like
Midsummer, for example, it becomes a religious celebration. And it can become one without anybody knowing. It could just be the
personal way you interpret the event.

Similarly, on Mothers Day, or Fathers Day, why not also honor the Goddess and the God?

If possible, why not allow your diet to reflect your faith? (as some choose to be vegetarian)

Or, when you have quiet moments during your day, tune into the Divine, and turn those moments into religious experiences?
Why not get in touch with yourself by engaging in exercise or practicing a martial art?

"As above, so below, and as below, so above".

By getting to know yourself, you will help yourself understand the Divine.

Why not even listen to music that puts your into a religious or spiritual frame of mind? Or how about engaging in outdoor activities?
Picnicing, camping, or even becoming an amateur astronomer?
(These are the ways of connecting with the natural world).

Or what of stuff you engage in now, for example, gardening or keeping plants? If you do these things already, and you simply change or
enhance your reason for doing them, they become a religious act and an act of worship.

Remember, we don't need tools or acoutrements to practice or experience our faith. If you are private or in the closet about your religion,
have faith or have hope...our religion is always with us and the gods are always present, no matter where we are, or what we happen
to be doing.