People circle around a center
altar, then kneel in the darkness of a cathedral as a candle is processed in by
a dancer to the middle and lights a circle of candles. A bell rings, and we
open ourselves to the mystery of this moment, not knowing what we will discover
tonight. A cello plays a meditative melody. A loaf of bread is broken and
passed among the people. The bell rings again.
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I love the images you paint of ritual, Mark, just as I love the images you paint of nature. I'm savoring Mountains of Light. Thank you for making my work part of your post. This year, as for the last six years, I was grateful to have a Solstice Ritual with family. I wasn't home and this was a first. I missed walking in my big woods and visiting familiar trees and streams on Christmas Day.
ReplyDeleteI love a silent ritual. I love the ritual of dance. In the first few years after Vic's death, my life was filled with rituals, dreams, grief, and no deadlines. It was a painful time, but also a sacred journey to the Underworld.
Elaine Mansfield
Thank you, Elaine, for your kind words. Your focus on rituals is encouraging me to do more in this realm. And your grief memoir inspires me.