Boring?

[AchtungBaby80]

Originally posted by sugar and spice
I don't think that anybody's trying to stir isht up with this post -- this is a pretty normal reaction, IMO.

I have to agree. I can't exactly say I was bored...it was more like, "Whew! That wasn't bad at all!"

I think the more times you participate in your ritual, the more you can appreciate it. You can't really pay attention to anything your first time around because you're so nervous! At least, I was.

[Janerz222]

Just want to say that Betarulz!'s post was one of the smarter, more eloquent things I have seen posted lately. It really speaks to how I feel about my own ritual and what I think most of our founders intended for our groups.

[APhi Diva]

Originally posted by PhoenixAzul
Ours are always short, sweet, and to the point. Our initiation takes a while, but it's always hillarious commentary after each girl is initated. There's always the "dropped a candle and burned the carpet" girl, "singed hair" girl, and " lit the ritual book on fire" girl.

HA HA! I WAS "singed hair" girl at my initiation! I swear, I missed half of what went on b/c I was so embarrassed about having set my hair on fire and stinking up the room!

[PhiPsiRuss]

Originally posted by cynical0123
Does anyone else think their ritual is boring? I went through my pledge period waiting for something exciting to happen, and I was ever nervous before my initiation. Afterwards, I was like WTF? Thats IT? I have been through initiation multiple times, as a pledge and as a member, and I think the same thing every time. I am a member of an NPC sorority, and I have talked to friends that are in other sororities, and we have realized that our rituals are very similiar. And very dull in the same ways. I wont say anything further, since I know many people respect and honor these rituals, but they seem quite dull to me. I was pretty let down.

Any ritual is boring if you're indifferent to its values. If you are determined to continue exploring your sorority's values, then you will begin to finding it meaningful and special.

[adpiucf]

And that's why most house corporations ban house/dorm suite residents from keeping candles, and why a lot of rituals have been amended to include lightbulb tapers instead of lit candles.

In all honesty, yes, ritual can be a let-down after 4-8 weeks of a new member period where you are showered with gifts and attention, where initiates will be talking and ominously stop, smile and say patronizingly, "Oh I can't tell you the rest of the story until after initiation," etc., and you have a build-up and an expectation of the unknown.

It is the responsibility of the chapter to prepare new members to receive the ritual, and to help initiated members understand and live the ritual in their daily lives.

So I don't blame anyone for feeling bored-- but speak up. Maybe it is time for a chapter ritual workshop. The better you understand it, the more you will feel it and the more special it will seem the next time you perform it.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally posted by adpiucf


The better you understand it, the more you will feel it and the more special it will seem the next time you perform it.

I agree with you. The "lightbulb" moment, the moment you truly understand and internalize your ritual, for many, comes AFTER not DURING. The best advice I got from any sister was that I wouldn't "get it all" at first, but it would come to me after some time in the chapter.

[Measi]

Originally posted by 33girl
WE only sacrifice virgin goats.

Amateur.

Damn. I'm impressed!


Of course, the red catsuit image is burning in my eyesockets. I suppose we need to go with white and blue ones, then, to keep up with our fellow music sisters!

[roqueemae]

I expected more than just catching and riding that silly goat. I would have loved some "revealing of secrets"

[ta kala]

i know when i went through my first initiation, i was so wrapped up in it that i didn't take in a lot of information. the second time around i had to fill in for our new member educator, so i was too worried about my roll to pay attention. but the third time, i really listened to the words and everything else and it really struck me as beautiful. i think if you just take the time to really listen and understand, you may feel the same way.

[Senusret I]

Originally posted by Sister Havana
Eh, you haven't seen fun until you've seen ours, where we all wear the ritual thong...and we're coed!

You have a BIG mouth, gosh!

At least you didn't tell them that it's blue with gold sequins. THAT would have been way too much info.

[cynical0123]

I see what everyone is saying, and I dont think I quite envisioned cat suits or goats hahaha...

Like I said, Ive been through our ritual multiple times, but I feel like the things that have been said/focused on are pretty vague. Like..the general idea is to be a respectful, intellegent, caring person. That is a wonderful goal to aspire too, but I feel like I could have gotten that information from my mom, a friend, or good book. None of it seems really specific to the ABC or XYZ organization, for example, except for the symbolism of colors or mascots or whatnot. I have a feeling that many organizations have rituals that discuss or teach the exact same things...I guess that's what I meant by them being dull or unoriginal.

[honeychile]

Unoriginal? Since Alpha Delta Pi's ritual is the oldest, I would hardly call it unoriginal.

It took highly enlightened college women to come up with - in 1851 mind you! - azure blue cat suits, while toasting with lion's blood to the collection of diamonds! In stilleto's, no less!

[texas*princess]

Originally posted by honeychile
Unoriginal? Since Alpha Delta Pi's ritual is the oldest, I would hardly call it unoriginal.

It took highly enlightened college women to come up with - in 1851 mind you! - azure blue cat suits, while toasting with lion's blood to the collection of diamonds! In stilleto's, no less!

I know.. weren't they only like 16? When I was 16, I was more worried about getting asked out to the big high school homecoming game by a cute upper-classman...not starting a legacy of sisterhood and wearing our beautiful blue catsuits. (not to mention those beautiful feather boas)

[FSUZeta]

ritual chair if you do not have a love and a reverance for your organizations ritual. of all the things that an organizations chapters may have in common, the ritual is the one thing that everyone presents the same(or should). it is what makes zta's ztas, and adpi's adpis,etc. i love our ritual and feel honored that one of the offices that i held in college was ritual chair. and as others have posted, you may not be as impressed with your ritual due to the presentation. it seems more sincere and real if all parts are memorized, and if there is post initiate training afterwards where everything you heard in your ceremony is explained in detail to you. i hope that you will be able to appreciate your ritual in the future, and convey that appreciation to your sisters.

[astroAPhi]

Originally posted by honeychile
It took highly enlightened college women to come up with - in 1851 mind you! - azure blue cat suits, while toasting with lion's blood to the collection of diamonds! In stilleto's, no less!

We Alpha Phis wear no less than silver and bordeaux hooker boots with the Kate Spade logo emblazoned all over them. Talk about enlightened.

During my initiation a lot of things went over my head. I was really really nervous so my mind was all over the place, but I was definitely impressed with it's physical beauty. After the next initation, I listened much more closely and I was impressed with our ideals.

Let's face it, rituals are going to at least be somewhat similar because we all stand for the same basic things. I think that basically we help each other become better men and women (unless, you are of course, a SHIM, and they make better shims, or its, or something like that). In some ways, its similar to a religion, but a religion is designed to make you a better PERSON. However, I'm willing to bet that some groups emphasize different ideals more than others, but the hoped-for outcome is the same.

My mom was really pissed that I wouldn't tell her my Ritual, so I told her this: "Mom, every group gets together, promises to watch over each other, tells the new people what they stand for, and then they all sit around and sing kum-by-ya. Now you've been initiated into a sorority." She didn't like it.