Purification has a wide variety of connotations and possibilities and often comes with some very complex rituals designed to purify mind, spirit, body and objects. There is such a wide variety of possible rituals that it is nearly impossible to enumerate them all. In fact, I will only touch on a few of the thousands of possibilities and hope that my fellow essay writers will cover others.
Purification rituals fall into three basic categories: purification of the soul, purification of the material and purification through conversion. The most commonly known purification ritual in the United States is baptism. The Christians use baptism as a means of purifying the soul as well as purification through conversion. One cannot take the baptism ritual without conversion to Christianity. The tradition came from the Jewish mikvah - the ritual bath used to purify converts and to purify people at Yom Kippur - which is an example of purifying the material. However, water purification rituals are an idea so old that they fade into pre-history and there is no way to prove their origins.
While baptism is one of the more simple purification rituals, there are many cultures that use purification as not just a ritual, but as a way of life. For example, the Shinto purification process is a daily activity and a means of existence, rather than a single ritual. It is too complex of an idea for me to break down in a simple essay, but I have come across several websites concerning Shinto purity and one of the best sites for information I've found is:
http://pnc-ecai.oiu.ac.jp/jhti/shinto/project1.htmlMany Pagan traditions involving purification come in the form of the use of materials, or low magic, to purify things in the material world. Pagans have historically purified themselves with fire, incense, blood sacrifice, and, in some cases, sea onions. A good example of low magic purification is the creation and use of an herbal broom to give your environment and your body a "clean sweep." This is accomplished by collecting the branch of a fallen tree and tying herbs gathered during the new moon to it using raffia or hemp cord. Common herbs for an herbal broom include: sage, cedar, fennel, lavender, mint, rosemary, dill, and parsley.
Once using the broom, one can take the dried herbs and greens, light them, and wave the smoke about your hous
Post too long. Click here to view the full text.