On Ritual

& self care

Eskandar Sees the Talking Trees, from a dispersed manuscript of the Book of Kings (Shahnameh) by Firdausi (d. 1020)

I’ve been reading Ritual: Power, Healing, and Community by the late great elder Malidoma Patrice Somé. I started reading it a few months back when I realized I needed more ritual and discipline in my life — but not in the ordinary sense. I wanted to learn about it in a more profound and foundational way, understanding how routine could be used as a tool for my own self-healing. I also wanted to unlearn my frustration with having to care for myself. I couldn’t understand why someone else couldn’t do it for me… hadn’t I suffered enough?!?