The Power of Ritual

While surfing the net, I came across an interview with the author of a new book, The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities Into Soulful Practices by Casper ter Kuile on NPR.  It was a segment called Author Interviews.   It was only eight minutes long, but it captured my fancy and I found myself ordering the book then and there on Kindle.  What intrigued me was the author's premise that as the title suggests, sacred practices can be spotted in ordinary daily activities.  It also seemed so relevant to these days when we are so very separated from our communities and social activities, although the books was written long before our current madness.

So, it being Sunday, as I said above, it is indeed a good day to think about spirituality and rituals.  I found myself thinking about how as I worked in the yard, I was practicing the ritual of watering, sweeping debris, tending and trimming and the like.  One ritual I often like is that of a nap.  Today it was in the hammock.  Looking up I could see my sycamore tree with its green leaves rustling in the afternoon breeze, the tinkling of my wind chimes and the distant sound of traffic and sounds of neighbors practicing their usual Sunday rituals of lawn mowing, playing ball, enjoying conversation and more.  And then later I went to pick up dinner for friends and we ate together.  

All of these things are sorts of rituals that Casper describes in the opening section of his book.  And I realized how much these things need to be cultivated and practiced lest they be lost.  And there is a very real danger, it seems, of this happening the time of wearing masks and social distancing.  The good news is we are finding ways around those things to still practice social connection and find ways of soulful practice.  We are a resourceful lot, and we will find our way, together while apart.

If you would like to hear this interview, it is only eight minutes long, here is the link at  NPR.org.  

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