First of all, what is a ritual? Using a simple definition, a ritual is a set of fixed actions and sometimes words that are performed regularly.

According to an article published in Scientific America, simple rituals can be extremely effective, helping to alleviate grief, reduce anxiety, increase people’s confidence and help problem solve. Studies have even shown ritualistic work to benefit people who claim not to believe in rituals at all. Do you have to be part of a religion in order to experience ritualistic work? No, you do not. Infact, you can create your own rituals and a key ingredient for doing that is to have clear intentions for why. It was also noted in the article, those who held clear intentions, experienced stronger favorable results.

The primary method of Feng Shui that facilitates ceremony and rituals is BTB Feng Shui (Black Sect Tantric Buddhist Feng Shui). This method of Feng Shui was cultivated by His High Holiness Grand Master Professor Lin Yun. He would commonly say, “to the masses, the use of ritual for problem solving may seem illogical. However this is teaching you to shift your perspective to see “new logic” in how to problem solve.” 

According to Professor Lin Yun,  he believed “the effectiveness of mundane solutions is about 10 - 20% and the transcendental (ritual) is 120%.” A ritual could include bodily movements, chants, sounds, the use or display of particular objects, items, or totems within your environment that you personally connect with. And keep in mind, rituals don’t have to be complex. I invite you to check out this article on Inc.com that interviewed some of the most successful business leaders out there who utilize their own ritualistic practices. Perhaps you may find one or two that resonate with you, and you could try them out for yourself.

Some other interesting finds were done by Columbia and Yale Scientists. In essence, they found by participating in rituals, “the parietal cortex, an area of the brain involved in awareness of self and others as well as attention processing, seemed to light up during their studies.” In short, rituals provide a bridge to help expand on a person’s spiritual experience, linking into a source that is much greater than them and interconnecting with everything.

Suggested Read: Feng Shui Predecessor History and Energy

Suggested Read: Graveyards, Cemeteries and Feng Shui

New York feng shui consultant Laura Cerrano has over with 23+ years of experience providing bicoastal consultations and workshops for residential, real estate developments, Fortune 500 companies, and healing facilities. She is currently conducting research for her upcoming book that focuses on bridging the gap between the ancient wisdom of Feng Shui and modern day science to establish the practice of Feng Shui as a credible form of assisted healing within the healthcare system.