Rituals

ritual oathing stone with handfasting cord made with Douglas clan tartan

Ritual: Oathing Stones

DARE YE VOW ON AN OATHING STONE? Hearken back now to a time long ago when the land was always viewed as the home of the ancestors. Everyone knew that the spirits of loved ones who had died now guided and protected those still walking the earth. Everyone understood that physical survival in this world […]

Six people in black lower a casket into a grave

Rites of Passage: Funerals

Whatever your spiritual beliefs, death creates a threshold between the world of the living and the world of the dead. When we think of a funeral as a rite of passage, we’re referring not to the deceased but to those left behind. For the survivors, life is irrevocably changed by the death of someone significant, […]

Rites of Passage: Weddings

By its nature, a rite of passage is a ceremony intentionally practiced and witnessed by a group whose members affirm that the person who completed the actions of the rite has been irrevocably changed. Thinking about the elements of today’s weddings and funerals, I can see why writer Ronald L. Grimes says ritual may have […]

Ritual: A Baby is Born

Cue the scene from The Lion King when Rafiki lifts the newborn cub, Simba, to the heavens and proclaims him King Mufasa’s son and heir to Pride Rock. I bet you can hear the music, The Circle of Life. For centuries, cultures the world over marked the arrival of a baby with a ritual. For […]