Quando in un bosco ne percepisci la bellezza e diventi tutt'uno con il bosco, allora, intuitivamente, sei in armonia e in pace con le Dee e con gli Dei. Essi sono parte della nostra vera natura, la nostra Natura Profonda, e quando siamo separati dalla nostra vera natura, viviamo nella paura. Percepire questa normalità vuol dire dare un senso reale al vivere che è insito in tutte le cose.

Intraprendere la Via Romana al Divino significa iniziare un percorso di risveglio: praticando l'attenzione e la consapevolezza continua ci incamminiamo lungo una strada sapendo che ciò che conta è il cammino per sè più che la destinazione.

When you, entering a forest, perceive the beauty of the forest and you feel to be in a complete harmony with it, then, intuitively, you are in peace with the Deities. They are an essential part of our real nature, our Deep Nature, and when we are separated by our real nature we live in the fear. Perceiving such normality means giving a real sense to our lives.

Undertaking the Roman Via to the Deities implies a path to awakening: with the practice of continuing consciousness and awareness we undertake our walking knowing that taking the path is more important than the destination itself
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martedì 8 febbraio 2011

Rites and Rituals in Modern Traditional Roman Religion

Rites and rituals pose severe problems in those religions inspired to an antique tradition: above all problems of "meaning" and "sense" because in this case the problem is how define and understand the meaning of functions based on values typical of another "time". First of all, this difficulty derives from the fact that "we live our time" which is not only chronologically but also conceptually very far from the time when these rites were imagined, designed, lived and practiced in everyday life.

There is thus a problematic fact in practical terms: today it is very difficult for us to concretely make a relatively simple rite like the "sacrifice" in its original form not only in practical terms but also in sacral ones because we can hardly imagine the inner meaning of this rite. If it is very difficult for us the sacrifice, it is impossible to think about more complex rites like the October Equus.

When speaking about a problem of "sense", I mean that the problem is not how make a mechanical repetition of some acts and gestures as well as the repetition of some formulas from the Tradition: there are many examples of these rites which are mere "commemorations". These commemorations lack a symbolic "content" and the link to a precise systems of values and a perception of the world: this lack makes these rites meaningless flabby parodies. It 's like having the alphabet of an ancient language without having the related syntax: we can put together some letters but we don't know what we have written.

Our times are extremely far from that system of values and visions: maybe we have never been so far like in present times. We live in a Christian culture and, above all, we live in the modern technological society.

Antique rites were linked to a precise and complex symbolic code, but many antique symbols have been reversed, forgotten or ignored. These antique symbols were linked to the role and position mankind occupies within the natural order. Today all this has changed also because mankind lives completely disconnected from the natural cycles and dynamics. This is the reason why for example the sacrifice is presently inconceivable because it had the aim, among others, to make natural the act of eating animals being a form of violence which "makes the living disappear". Sacrifice becomes a remedy to justify how what is disappearing is necessary to make something else survive (macte: grow!). Sacrifice is the act through which an unavoidable violence necessary to survive is driven to an aware consciousness. Without this consciousness, eating is just a mechanical act completely disconnected to Nature. These considerations can be extented to all the aspects of human existence: but in the techological era all acts are, and can be only, mechanical acts. After all, we live in the Khali Yuga time.

For the homo technologicus antique rites are uncoinceivable, ridicolous, grotesque. Antique symbols are meaninless, no-use, naive in the technological society. Also monoteistic religions, notwithstanding their great apparatus, are likely to be empty boxes.

What can we do?

We can try to reconstruct a religious link with Nature, her manifestations, her beats, her rhythms, rediscovering the divine soul of Nature. The problem is not to fight technology and its gadgets pursuing a "natural heaven" in an eternal nostalgia: we are men and women living our times. We have to reconstruct an aware consciousness with the support of this great ancient heritage which represents an immense base of great wisdom. It is clear enough that the Antique Roman Religion, as it was in the past, is dead, but what once has dead maybe was not worth dying.

On these bases it is possible "to build": maybe we can build only poor shacks over splendid ruins. But it is better to live in these shacks than remaining in the ruins passively suffering a decaying world.

I think that when any act in our everyday life is a rite, maybe we are moving towards the "Via": this is a little contribution to be and remain awake. Family, friends, meals, civil duties, rensponsibilites towards the others, the respect for Nature, anything can become again a sacred act. In this way we can see again the "content" of the world around us in all its facets: and the "divine" is always hidden there.

6 commenti:

Anonimo ha detto...

I think that it is possible for us to regain something of the understanding of pietas. We can start by establishing a lararium and making it part of our daily lives. In this way we can begin to make a simple beginning of understanding that we do not live our lives alone, but in relation, and in connection, with others, with family, with ancestors. Then as our understanding expands we can begin to include other relationships that we must respect; to neighbors, to community, to nature. Cicero said that the most sacred place is the home. If we start there I think it is possible to begin the journey of understanding. To begin another way is to me too abstract.

Carmelo Cannarella ha detto...

Of course a lararium is extremely useful also to remind us who we essentially are. I have an "internal" lararium and an "external" one: I have consacrated both according to the ancient rite (also with a libatio with wine, water and milk) on Dec. 21th. The external one is also oriented.

Anyway, I completely agree with you: the essential thing is to move a first step and begin our journey in the Via.

Sivadasi ha detto...

Oh, this made me sad. It also made me nod in agreement as to how it states the fact of the reality we live in. And amongst these two, it also leaves me with a glimmer of hope...

Carmelo Cannarella ha detto...

Cultivating a religious and spiritual path like the Roman Via,connected to a past culture and tradition not related to present official istitutions, involves many problems of connection with modern times. Nonetheless, considering that many traditional expressions of spirituality, derives from common heritages, it gives us the possibility to live this spirituality in these (adverse) modern times. I want also to add that, according to many point of views, these traditional spiritual approaches, to be considered as alternative ways to see and live the world and nature, should be seen as a potential opportunity to save the Earth and built a decent future for all against intollerance, fanaticism, materialism, reification of the human beings...

Sivadasi ha detto...

Again I fully agree. The Way of organic traditional spiritualities may be difficult, and it truly is difficult to achieve -let alone live- in the required state of mind within our modern age; and yet is is the only way to live, if one wants to live in such a way that furthers all that is good and is blessed by the Gods.

Carmelo Cannarella ha detto...

We share the same vision...
Pax
Carmelo