Rituals in the days of #Coronavirus

It has been seven weeks since we'd been hit hard in Florid with the Covid19 life. I will admit that I have somewhat grown accustomed to the weirdness of this necessary but mentally exhausting " deployment" . As we get closer to the end of this mission, some states { not OHIO} are ma

king plans to slowly and methodically re-open life. 

However, it is not the pre-Covid19 life that we'll expect.  For instance , I see the 6 foot rule in place everywhere at least until the end of this calendar years. I also see more people opting to work from home { if they at all can move their job to a home office} and no large festivals or sporting events. I doubt that movie houses will open any time soon and that Nexflix stock will rise. 

I see people caring less about remaining fashionable { especially we female -identifying people-- the lack of hair and nail salons has shown us that true beauty is internal. I see people enjoying the out-of-doors more often, after so many months { depending on where you live} stuck indoors.  

 Public worships in all traditions will be different. Right now our { Episcopal } Bishop is working with a committee of experts to see what public worship will be like in the months ahead. 

 During this time, I've leaned on the traditional prayer times of my Anglican Book Of Common Prayer. I make an effort to join in Noonday Prayers on Facebook Live, It is a nice time to virtually " be with " loved ones and pray familiar words in this very unfamiliar reality.  

To be honest, I rarely make it to Evening Prayer on Facebook Live, but I always light candles at our home altar to burn marking the setting of the sun and a winding-down of the household. Out of necessity, I've created a " hearth space" on our home altar where ashes line a plate on which the main altar candle resides. Since it is Easter, I also light a white " Christ-candle". 

Brian and I both look forward to our favorite evening ritual, Compline { night prayers} Each weeknight at 8 PM, a group of us gather to pray the short bed-time prayers I also make sure to light the candles.. the candle lighting helps me " get ready" { Godly Play language} for worship.  After Compline concludes, the " check in " time has become just as sacred as the actual prayers. This ritual helps our scattered connect in real time within the walls of our own homes. Over these weeks of physical isolation, I've gotten t know the regular participants+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

in a more personal way as we share the joys and concerns of our daily life in isolation.

As we move forward I know I will continue to lean both on the formal and informal rituals that keep me connected to people I love and with the wider world. On Saturday, Brian and I took a short, physical-distancing trip to the gulf. It was early enough in the day that keeping a safe distance from others. Feeling the cool Gulf water chill my toes, smelling the salty air and seeing the incredibly beautiful , calm blue0green Gulf waters healed my aches and calmed my soul.

We are Earth-creatures, and perhaps COVID19 is showing us how connected we are to the elements of Earth.

Stay safe and know you are loved, anma caras. 

~Sarah

Stay grounded, and stay safe, anam charas.