Not all Unitarian Universalist congregations use the same rituals, and the use of ritual within a congregation can vary. Your history of participating in religious ritual may be positive or negative. Use this spiritual preparation activity to acknowledge your feelings or memories of ritual in a religious setting:

Find a quiet space in the church. Relax into a comfortable position. Close your eyes and think about the rituals that your congregation uses regularly. How do they make you feel? Think about rituals you experienced in childhood. How do they make you feel? Are your memories pleasant or unpleasant? What makes a ritual positive for you? Is the flower ceremony different from rituals you participated in when you were a child?

Reflect on the children in this group. Today may be their first experience with a specifically Unitarian Universalist ritual. How can you help make this ritual a positive experience for them? Release any negative feelings you may have about rituals. Make yourself ready to conduct this ritual as a representative of our Unitarian Universalist faith.