Ritual – Page 13

The Willing Suspension of Disbelief: Poetic Faith and Nontheistic Spirituality

December 23, 2021February 24, 2021 by Duende

Nontheistic spirituality and spiritual naturalism are umbrella terms for spiritual disciplines that require no faith in the literally supernatural. Examples include Humanism, numerous forms of atheistic/secular Paganism, Humanistic Judaism, Secular Buddhism, The Satanic Temple’s approach to Satanism and so-on, as well as present-day revivals of ancient philosophies such as Stoicism and Epicureanism. My Way of … Read moreThe Willing Suspension of Disbelief: Poetic Faith and Nontheistic Spirituality

Falling Flower: a Simple Memorial Ritual

June 21, 2025January 29, 2021 by Duende

Oh, that sweet fragrance of falling petals…. With kind words, it is ended. Farewell. The time to go is now. It may be that the people who would most benefit from symbolic ritual are those who are least likely to partake in it. The inclination towards formal, poetic gestures in moments of truth may very … Read moreFalling Flower: a Simple Memorial Ritual

Sir Francis Galton Worships Mr. Punch

January 27, 2021January 27, 2021 by Duende

In his 1909 book Memories of My Life, English polymath Sir Francis Galton reflected – in the language of his era, whose sentiments on civilization do not match our own in some regards – on several curious and creative experiments in poetic faith: In the days of my youth I felt, at one time, a … Read moreSir Francis Galton Worships Mr. Punch

When the Spirit Moves Me: The Mudra of My Way of Life and Death

December 20, 2021January 4, 2021 by Duende

In devising Mr. Spock’s famous Vulcan salute (“Live long and prosper”), Star Trek actor Leonard Nimoy was inspired by the Priestly Blessing performed by Jewish Kohanim. This benedictory gesture represents the Hebrew letter Shin (ש), the three upward strokes of the letter being similar to the position of the thumb and fingers in the gesture. The ritual practice of symbolic gestures is … Read moreWhen the Spirit Moves Me: The Mudra of My Way of Life and Death

The Oscar Wilde Temple

December 24, 2020December 24, 2020 by Duende

Artist Peter McGough explains the Oscar Wilde Temple, a secular “celebration of the creative process through which experience is transformed into art and reality abstracted into revelation.” For more information on this project, please see the Oscar Wilde Temple website.

Midwinter Solstice and the Notion of Genius Loci

February 23, 2021December 20, 2020 by Duende

My Midwinter altar – I think “locus” is actually more apt in this context – is a literal illumination of the vanitas theme, a union of wunderkammer and kamidana (wunderkamidana?) It’s an assemblage of objects whose symbolic meanings are both amplified and made more subtle by their interrelationships. I try my clumsy best to make … Read moreMidwinter Solstice and the Notion of Genius Loci

My Way of Life and Death

January 20, 2022December 13, 2020 by Duende

By Tony Wolf Beginning about thirty years ago, increasingly since my father died in mid-2016 and with great intensity since the start of this year, I’ve been developing an embodied philosophical/artistic approach to – and “poetic faith” in -the reality of death and its implications for living meaningful lives. It draws inspiration from aspects of … Read moreMy Way of Life and Death

Returning

December 9, 2020December 9, 2020 by Duende

This evening I returned the last of the leaves from my Autumnal altar, plus the surplus flower stems from my wife’s birthday bouquet, to nature. They will nourish the growth of the tree outside our apartment. A simple and sincere memento mori ergo carpe diem ritual gesture sealed the deal. The flowers themselves, having lost … Read moreReturning

The River of Flowers: A Memorial Ritual in Christchurch, New Zealand

December 10, 2020December 2, 2020 by Duende

Inaugurated after the devastating 2011 earthquake that killed 185 people, injured between 1500-2000 more and decimated the city’s downtown district, the annual River of Flowers ceremony remains a positive and poignant memorial rite in the city of Christchurch.

A Pocket History of Tucson’s All Souls Procession

November 12, 2020November 12, 2020 by Duende

Established in 1990 and on hold (in its full form) until the abeyance of the COVID-19 crisis, Tucson’s All Souls Procession remains a grassroots community festival of memorial and celebration. This short video offers a glimpse back into its history.