Spirituality has many conflicting meanings for many different people. Spirituality means for me a quest to find the truth in the highest priority.

Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage!  It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.  Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

The ritual that has been chosen is marriage. This ritual is recognised as the union of man and woman typically by law. The act of marriage is often a religious event and it is derived from the Catholic Church as the divine right of marriage. The purpose of the ritual is essentially to unite people to an everlasting life together bound by the government and often the church.

There are many elements to the ritual that influence how it is different to other rituals. These elements are place, time, participants, leader, community, signs and symbols.

The place of the ritual often depends on the people who participate in the marriage. Places may include beaches, churches or town halls. Though, almost all consist of a priest to unite to the two getting married. There is no specific time when the ritual of marriage is performed. It is a seasonal event that does not require a specific time period for the ritual to occur within. The people who are involved in the ritual of marriage are the two being united, the best man and woman and the families. Though it is seen as an individual event between two people, there are many other participants that partake within the ceremony. The leader is often a priest or someone bound to be able to unite the two. This leader position is often limited to men though it is known that woman also can be the leader that unites the man and woman. For the community, it is a joyful event that has a positive effect on the community. There is no immediate effect on the community though it does unite families to be one with brothers-in-law and mothers-in-law etc. being formed. The most prominent symbol regarding marriage is the rings. Each ring symbolises possession to each respecting partner. The ring is a well represented symbol that is recognised everywhere around the world. The ritual also allows the presence of a higher being uniting the two people in love, allowing them to remain honest and pure for each other.

Through the use of Lovat's 5 step approach, we are able to analyse each of the steps used and how they contribute to the ceremony

Step 1: The participant leaves the ordinary or mundane world and enters the ritual.

This is signified as each member of the ceremony, the bride and groom, don't see each other before the wedding and enters each of their respected rooms

Step 2: The participant engages in some type of preparatory rite

The bride and groom begin to get changed into their outfits

Step 3: The participant experiences a central or high point of the ritual

This is done by the actual ceremony and the climax when both members of the ritual pronounce "I do".

Step 4: The participant joins in some form of celebration in the ritual

This is signified by the after party where the community celebrates the ritual. The couple then enjoy a honeymoon which is a celebration of their marriage

Step 5: The participant leaves the ritual and returns to the ordinary world.

This is done after the honeymoon as they return to the real world.

This analyses how the ceremony of the marriage is a ritual by the inclusion of elements of the ritual and the analysis of it providing an insight of how God and the search for a higher being influences the outcome of the ritual.