I’ve heard our ritual book called The Fraternity Woman’s Guide to Living Life Well. I couldn’t agree more! Yet, as is the case with many guide books, we tend to refer to them only when we are looking for very specific guidance or instructions. For example: how to set up a chapter room for initiation, or what key in which to sing a favorite ritual song. But if we refer only to our ritual book a few times a year, we are missing an opportunity to truly use it as a guide to living well.
When we choose to live our lives as the embodiment of what our ritual means, then we are truly living our Theta lives well. This takes constant reflection and revisiting of our ritual in order to develop it as the outward sign of what being a Theta truly means. Don’t wait until initiation to unpack the wonders of our ritual; revisit it frequently to embrace its beauty and wisdom. Take some time to carefully unravel the mystery of what our Fraternity and sisterhood looks like from the inside out. The words and passages in our ritual are designed to make us think and challenge us to be the best versions of ourselves. This is the pledge that we made. The obligation and privilege to live up to that vow remains ours for a lifetime.
Our ritual book has provided us with the framework – a checklist, if you will – to help us achieve lofty goals. But in the busyness of our daily lives, it is easy to overlook the nuances of the lessons that lie in the details of our ritual. I encourage you to take some time during Ritual Celebration Week (March 4 through 8) to find some special passages in our ritual book that resonate with you and keep them in the forefront of your mind well beyond the week. The guideposts that Theta provides for us throughout our lives are our most precious gift to one another.