RITUALS

Visible Order

Sanskrit ṛtá

In Vedic religion, "the lawful and regular order of the normal, and therefore proper, natural and true structure of cosmic, worldly, human and ritual events."

Sky Watching
Noon

 Phenomenon

 Dusk

 Phenomenon

Zen Practice
The Blade

Detachment

I am participating in a ninety day 'Commit to Sit' practice again this year.  Every day a teaching is sent from the Zendo to each of us.
"My Dharma must be transmitted from mind to mind. You must make people awaken to themselves.  From ancient times the transmission of the Dharma has been as tenuous as a dangling thread."

Personal Maintenance

New Store

"Began in Amsterdam in 2000 as a single store.  Sixteen years later there are four hundred stores located mostly in Europe by Raymond Cloosterman, Founder and CEO

These excellent essences and products are out of my price range but it's nice to stop by and inhale when I'm near there.

 

I use natural essences from more affordable and often direct sources, like lemons soaked in almond oil, or sea salt in a tub of warm water with lavender added.

I also hand wash clothes daily in buckets in the tub and hang them above to air dry, another kind of ritual.

Preparation
I never leave the apartment without my earrings, hat, and scarf.  Without them I feel unready.  It's my ritual preparation for being in the world. When I am heading to the zendo I include the bracelet that one of the monks made and gave me.
Leaving home

 Arriving home

Communication
To and from friends, via email, blogs, Face book and hand written cards as well as gift exchanges via the United States Post office.  There's listening or reading, thought and responding involved.  In the end, nothing but friendship really matters.  Communicating is a kind of ritual observance honoring the value of friendship.  Recently this wonderful book arrived from Wendy Golden Levitt.

Valuable links to this below, including a short Video

LINKS

Wiki
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual

Store
https://us.rituals.com/en-us/home

Zen
http://zencare.org/commit-to-sit/

Sigurd Olson
http://singingwilderness.net/wordpress/sigurd-f-olson/ 
"The Singing Wilderness"
http://fiscal.ifp.org/project.cfm/274/The-Singing-Wilderness/
The Film on Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/3708217 
~*~