Heaven , Earth and Man
Heaven, earth, and man can be seen literally as the sky above, the earth below, and human beings standing or sitting between the two. Unfortunately, the use of "man" here, rather than "human being" may have a limiting connotation for some readers. (By "man," in this case, we simply mean anthropomorphic existence-human existence-not man opposed to woman.) Traditionally, heaven is the realm of the gods, the most sacred space. So, symbolically, the principle of heaven represents any lofty ideal or experience of vastness and sacredness. The grandeur and vision of heaven are what inspire human greatness and creativity. Earth, on the other hand, symbolizes practicality and receptivity. It is the ground that supports and promotes life. Earth may seem solid and stubborn, but earth can be penetrated and worked on. Earth can be cultivated. The proper relationship between heaven and earth is what makes the earth principle pliable. You might think of the space of heaven as very dry and conceptual, but warmth and love also come from heaven. Heaven is the source of he rain that falls on the earth, so heaven has a sympathetic connection with earth. When that connection is made, then the earth begins to yield. It becomes gentle and soft and pliable, so that greenery can grow on it, and man can cultivate it. Then there is the man principle, which is connected with simplicity, or living in harmony with heaven and earth. When human beings combine the freedom of heaven with the practicality of earth, they can live in a good human society with one another. Traditionally it is said that, when human beings live in harmony with the principles of heaven and earth, then the four seasons and the elements of the world will also work together harmoniously. Then there is no fear and human beings begin to join in, as they deserve, in living in this world. They have heaven above and earth below, and they appreciate the trees and the greenery and so on.
- Chogyam Trungpa, Shambhala

Ritual From Below
The Western view of authority as something that comes from above dramatically affects one's perception of the source of transformation and change. The assumption is that if anything transcendental is going to happen, it has to come from above and descend to humans. Ever since Christianity unearthed the gods and goddesses and sent them far away above the clouds, many people in the West have been left standing on the ground feeling abandoned, staring longingly at the sky wondering when God will come. In contrast, indigenous people see the divine as arising from below. Indeed, the ancestors, who dwell under the earth and form a vast pool of energy, allow us to walk upon them. Thus the divine is right under our feet and directly connected to us through the earth. This perception calls for a significantly different attitude that encourages spontaneity and trust of one's instincts, because it sees redemption and healing as rising like heat from the divine below. Ritual therefore follows an ascending principle, presuming that healing rises from under the earth and overtakes us.
-Malidoma Patrice Some, The Healing Wisdom of Africa

"Finding meaning in life requires focusing the psyche toward a reality that extends beyond the everyday world, and the human psyche requires symbols to maintain that focus. Symbols refer us to the Other World; they make us aware of that world, the world from which we draw our deepest connection and identity. Symbols are, as it were, messages pointing to a different and higher dimension, or consciousness. The part of the self that craves this reality will recognize it through symbols."
- Malidoma Patrice Some, The Healing Wisdom of Africa

"I must reiterate the idea that conducting ritual begins by being acquainted with symbolic objects and gestures. If the psyche cannot be educated to embrace symbolism, people will have difficulty understanding and appreciating rituals. Ritual transcends language and enables us to communicate and interact with the Other World. It is important when conducting ritual that people move out of the literal and dwell as long as possible in the metaphoric and symbolic regions of human experience. This is where the soul and the spirit reside. This is the place where people abandon argument and where superficiality does not intrude. In the world of metaphor and symbol, a simple song and a little rhythm produce far greater results than a panel discussion by articulate experts. Here one experiences true collaboration and learns how to give the attention that all people, all spirits, and all ancestors need."
- Malidoma Patrice Some, The Healing Wisdom of Africa

On the Greek Myths
“For what is the secret of the eternal freshness, the eternal beauty, ay, I may say boldly, in spite of all their absurdities and immoralities, the eternal righteousness of those old Greek myths? What is it which made Socrates and Plato cling lovingly and reverently to them, they scarce knew why, while they deplored the immoralities to which they had given rise? What is it which made those myths, alone of all old mythologies, the parents of truly beautiful sculpture, painting, poetry? What is it which makes us love them still; find, even at times against our consciences, new meaning, new beauty in them; and brings home the story of Perseas or of Hercules, alike to the practised reason of Niebuhr, and the untutored instincts of Niebuhr's little child, for whom he threw them into simplest forms? Why is it that in spite of our disagreeing with their creed and their morality, we still persist--and long may we persist, or rather be compelled--as it were by blind instinct, to train our boys upon those old Greek dreams; and confess, whenever we try to find a substitute for them in our educational schemes, that we have as yet none? Because those old Greek stories do represent the Deities as the archetypes, the kinsmen, the teachers, the friends, the inspirers of men. Because while the schoolboy reads how the Gods were like to men, only better, wiser, greater; how the Heroes are the children of the Gods, and the slayers of the monsters which devour the earth; how Athene taught men weaving, and Phoebus music, and Vulcan the cunning of the stithy; how the Gods took pity on the noble-hearted son of Danae, and lent him celestial arms and guided him over desert and ocean to fulfil his vow--that boy is learning deep lessons of metaphysic, more in accordance with the reine vernunft, the pure reason whereby man perceives that which is moral, and spiritual, and eternal, than he would from all disquisitions about being and becoming, about actualities and potentialities, which ever tormented the weary brain of man.

-Charles Kingsley, 19th century English novelist and historian