Spirit, Purpose, and Meaning - More on Rituals
The power of ritual comes from how the act makes you feel. Take the feeling off the table, and you are left with some pretty dry shit.
A few weeks ago I wrote about the role of ritual in organizing. I shared how one ritual, an annual convention, and the countless rituals within it, did more to build an organization than anything else we did throughout the year.
Merriam-Webster defines ritual as “the established form for a ceremony” and as “an act or series of acts regularly repeated.” That all sounds right, but it isn’t as simple as we do these things, these ways, every time. That kind of consistency is good and can help build an organization, but the power comes from what and how those acts make you think and feel. Take the insight or feeling off the table, and you are left with some pretty dry ritual. It is the spirit and meaning of rituals that make them stick.
As you think about what rituals you want to foster in the organization, think about spirit, meaning, and purpose.
Spirit - simply the energy of the ritual. Is it joyful or solemn? Serious, rebellious, or humorous? Or, maybe a blend? There’s no right or wrong answer. A lot will depend on who you want to attract and what you hope people will do. Sometimes you need righteous anger, and other times mindful reflection. One custom of the National People’s Action convention was a high school marching band and color guard doing their thing before we loaded the buses to do a direct action. The spirit was “joyous rebellion” and people loved it.
Meaning - what meaning do people associate with the ritual? In some organizing shops the one on one meeting is an act of deep significance. I have experienced this to be the most deeply practiced in congregation-based organizations such as the Gamaliel National Network and the Industrial Areas Foundation. These organizations, among others, perform a one on one meeting as a ritual of the organization, done in a very specific way and carrying deep meaning to the people experiencing the practice. Done well, it signals the value of curiosity about the other person, prioritizing relationships and truly understanding the other, and setting the foundation to push each other to greater heights by going deep early.
Purpose - what value does the ritual serve in addition to spirit and meaning? In my previous piece, I shared how at a direct action the leadership team putting their fist in the air is a signal for the crowd to come to complete silence so leaders could negotiate with the target or the police. That is the purpose. It just happened that this act signaled other things about the organization: discipline, team-work, and following our leadership, all parts of the organization’s culture. The same could be said for a one on one - the primary purpose is to build the relationships and grow a base. The practice also carries many others meanings with it.
Some rituals will be created with the greatest of intention, with teams thinking through the culture they want to create, and what rituals support that culture. Many of the best, however, will come from the creativity and spirit of people and the moment. In organizing, we constantly create the arena for magic to happen, and if we are present and aware, we will notice when new potential rituals emerge. It is our job to create the space, notice them when they arrive, and weave them into the ceremonies of the organization - or help them become a new ceremony altogether.
A few weeks back I shared how for 35 years, following an action, members of National People’s Action sang “When NPA Goes Marching In” to the tune of “When the Saints Go Marching In.”
There was no planning meeting where a staff person suggested this idea as a new ritual. It first happened in the spontaneity of the moment – after taking over and protesting a cruise ship full of banking executives in New Orleans in 1979.
Leaders in the organization noticed how good this felt to people and what it signified - “wanting to be in that number” – and it was then sung after every single action for 35 years. There’s a good chance you will hear it sung as “When People’s Action Goes Marching In,” at the People’s Action Convention in June of this year.
This was possible because things were organized enough to pull off a good action, but also not so scripted to stunt the creativity of the membership. The two qualities together birthed one of the most lasting rituals of the organization.
In your work, start by noticing the rituals that already exist. What can you learn by exploring what is already there? Maybe they are part way there, but could use a bit more spirit or meaning. Or maybe you need to start from scratch.
Some will come from great intention and others will show-up through the natural flow of the work. Either way, if you build ones that inform the culture you want, and are rich in spirit, purpose, and meaning you will help people experience powerful things, connecting them more deeply to each other and the organization.