Auld Lang Syne, the song we often sing at the turn of the New Year, is thought to have been composed by (or at least compiled by) Scottish poet Robert Burnes in 1788. The origin …
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Resolutions or Resilience
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Three Candles for Remembering
Two weeks ago, my partner and I decorated our house for the holidays. We put up a tree and the lights, hung the ornaments. Like many people, a lot of our decorations have sentimental meaning. …
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Honor the Dark
“Hello, darkness my old friend.” I’m that strange sort of person who likes the shorter days. I feel comforted when the darkness descends early. I like to feel wrapped in it, like a quilt, with …
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Ritual of “How Are You?”
Good morning, friends! How are you? In American culture, we have a ritual of greeting that follows variations on the pattern: “How are you?” “Fine, thank you. How are you?” or….. “How’s it going?” “Good. …
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What is a Blessing?
It’s common, in our culture, to hear someone say, “This is such a blessing” or to tag a social media post #blessed. Here at Rites of Passage, LLC, we offer a variety of blessings as …
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What Makes a Ritual?
Lately, I’ve been thinking about what makes something a ritual versus a habit or routine. Maybe each morning you drink a cup of coffee while reading the paper. Is that a ritual or a routine? …
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Why Bless Your House?
One of the services I offer through Rites of Passage is House Blessing. A house blessing (also called a house cleansing) can take place when you move into a new home or anytime you want …
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Rituals Build Community
Have you ever been part of a group that just didn’t seem to gel? People weren’t on the same wavelength, there were unnecessary misunderstandings and distrust? We often think of community as something that happens …
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Going Through the Motions
One well-known criticism of rituals is that it is “just going through the motions.” While that can be the case, it doesn’t have to be. A recent Patheos article considered the average Christian’s understanding of …
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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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