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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

The Secret I Can Not Tell You, But....

This is my very own Ritual Book, for those that know me, you know this is my favorite thing.

I am a member of a secret society. From our founding as the Adelphean Society to our current status as Alpha Delta Pi, the practices and ceremonies I share with sisters are secret, and remain guarded by her members.

I love that I get to carry a secret... Maybe someday I will be able to pass it along to my own daughter, or niece, or even my own mom - but until then, the key is thrown away.

I can not tell you our secrets. I can not tell you our Ritual. The habitual ceremonies that take place every week, every semester, or every year. The knowledge passed from one generation to the next, the sacred seen and heard.... my lips are sealed.

Now, I have not told you our secrets, but maybe you know them? (No, I don't mean you've googled our way through Panhellenic secrets, or attempted to find out our grip or symbols)

In Alpha Delta Pi Rituals, sisters are given standards and guidelines, we make a promise of excellence like all of our fraternal brothers and sisters do in their respective ceremonies.

Each initiation ceremony may be different - while I can't tell you for sure - I'd guess they are more similar than they are different. The changes or differences between them rooted in our culture or history, our founding purpose and the development of our organizations. Our values, while we share many of our ideologies and have common community values, vary slightly from organization to organization.

Ritual is a secret I can not tell you, but it is one that I can show you.

Ritual is something I know, it is a secret I carry with me all the time. It is a promise that I made, and one that I asked my sisters to hold me accountable for.

So... am I keeping my promise? Am I living my life the way that I promised to do so? Am I valuing the relationships and cultivating the skills I said that I would?

Ritual is a secret I can not tell you, but if I am living my life the way I said I would, if I am treating others the way I said I would, if I am acting in a way that reflects the values that were shared with me... then you should be able to guess.

You should be able to guess what I was told. You should be able to guess what my promise was. You should be able to guess the meaning of the secrets I carry.

If as sorority women and fraternity men, we are truly showing others what our Ritual is, then when our new members arrive at our initiation ceremonies they should be able to say - "Oh, I should have known" or "Oh, I could have guessed."

Each and everyday we have the opportunity to show those around us our Ritual. No, you will not see inside our Ritual Book, or listen to the traditions shared only through word of mouth, but you should see it everyday. You should see it in me. Here's to trying.


Happy National Ritual Celebration Week
<3 Love and Loyally









3 comments:

  1. Aloha, I found your blog while searching for the lyrics to Little ADPI and oh my word do I love this post. It reminded me why I loved being a part of such a wonderful society.
    I hope you don't mind but I posted this to my chapters Facebook so that others can be reminded the importance of ritual,
    Loyally,
    J.Cherry <>

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much for your support, Sister! I am so happy you liked this post! We belong to an amazing sisterhood! I'm so flattered! <>

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  2. I will always look up to you. Such a phenomenal woman and an inspiration to everyone who is lucky enough to have you in their life. Love you, sister! <>

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