That is an all encompassing question. Firstly when we speak of ceremony we think of a sacred place in which to have it. This might be a church, sacred land, an ashram, it just depends on your culture or faith.
For me, the first thing is to remember that ceremony requires sacredness. Sacredness requires some sort of sacrifice to honor the space or land you are on. This can be prayers, it can be sage, holy water, tobacco, it depends on your culture. What you don't want to do is go in like a bull trampling on the sacredness of the space you are in.
When you pray you have to make sure your prayers are not greedy, self serving, or ego driven. You want a good connection to Creator and you want to honor what is around you.
This gets to my next answer which is in my book, Dreams and Visions the Fire in my Soul. What is our motive for seeking Spirit? Are we seeking it simply for monetary gain and or physical gain? Do we seek Spirit because we truly love and wish to serve Spirit? Are we seeking Spirit because we believe we will be enriched monetarily or with the physical things of this world?
Spirit is our parent, and should be sought because Spirit is the Creator, both holy and loving. It should not be sought simply because we wish a luxury car, or the newest, latest or greatest gadget. Let’s put ourselves for the moment in the role of a parent. What parent only wants to hear from their child when they need money or when there is some gain to be had in the contacting? Parents want the pleasure of hearing from their children because that parent is loved and appreciated for who and what they are. Parents want to be respected and to be honored for their sacrifices, their wisdom, and to be acknowledged in this. In the same way, Spirit wishes to be loved and acknowledged as our Parent, our Creator; that which is holy, wise, and has our best interests at heart. Again, going with the analogy of a parent, what parent would want their child to come to them petulant and demanding. Imagine a child saying, “You owe me, you brought me into this world, it’s your fault and it’s your responsibility. Give me what I want now!” What would the reaction be to such a demand from any normal parent?
While we do have the ability to manifest things into our lives, we also must realize that Spirit is neither a heavenly butler nor a vending machine. Our manifestations should not so much be about self-gratification and wealth as it should be about manifesting change in the world at large. Our manifestations should be about bringing in hope, universal love, health, compassion, wisdom, and good will. When our manifestations become selfish and self-involved, we’ve not only missed the entire point of manifestation, but we have misused our gifting.
Having said this there is a balance. Of course, we should manifest things for ourselves, but within reason and within the context of what is for our highest and best good. Is it really in our highest and best good to drive a BMW or Porsche convertible when another less expensive mode of transportation is available for us? Is it really in our best interest to go to Spirit demanding and hungry for the things of this world rather than hungry for a relationship with Spirit?