The movement to bring death out of the shadows and into cultural consciousness and regular conversation is known as the Death Positivity Movement. The goal of Death Positivity is to acknowledge that death happens to …
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Death Positivity
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Fire-Walking Ritual Builds Community
The Fire-Walking ritual of Anastenaria takes place every year between May 21st and May 23rd in Northern Greece. Thought to have Christian and Pagan roots dating back to the Middle Ages, participants dance around the …
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Graduation Rituals – Cultural and Practical
The season of graduation is upon us. This weekend the University of Vermont will be awarding degrees. Soon local high schools will be playing pomp and circumstance as the class of 2019 receive their diplomas. …
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Ritual in the Simple
One misconception about ritual is that it has to be fancy. While ritual can be elaborate and ornate, ritual can also be plain and simple. On Christmas morning in my family, we share a breakfast …
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Who Wants To Live Forever?
“Who Wants to Live Forever” isn’t just a great Queen song, it’s a legitimate question. If you could, would you want to live forever? So far, humans have a 100% mortality rate, but that might …
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Ritual as Journey Toward Healing
There is no lack of tragedy in the world. Sometimes the depth of tragedy, as reported on the news, causes us to turn away, tune out, and disconnect. Today, though, I find myself thinking deeply …
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Tidying Up as Ritual
Like many Americans, I’ve been intrigued by Marie Kondo‘s method of tidying up. I consider myself a pretty tidy person, but Marie Kondo takes it to a different level. I started watching her TV show …
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What is Ritual?
At its most basic, a ritual is a ceremonial act. This could refer to an elaborate wedding, a carefully planned baby blessing, an intimate memorial service, or the simple act of sitting down for your …
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Saying Good-Bye to Tazor
Last month the community of Colchester (a neighboring town) said good-bye to their police K-9, Tazor. Tazor worked in the department for 12 years with his handler, Cpl. Dave Dewey. In honor of Tazor, the …
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Know Your End-of-Life Options
On Tuesday the Burlington Free Press published an interesting article about the funeral industry, Some Vermont funeral homes charge twice as much as others—and what that means. Having worked with grieving families over the past …
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