Most people do not know this, but I was baptized into Christ's Family via The Presbyterian Church. I owe these good Christians a lot for sharing the stories of Jesus in a way that my teenaged brain could comprehend. But if I was honest back then, I would admit that I prefer the ancient rituals that my Grandmother's Roman Catholicism employed. My full self-- not just my eyes & ears were engaged with those ancient Christian rituals.
It was the need for ritual that was a big driving force in my journey to The Episcopal Church. I'm grateful to our Reformed Christian siblings for introducing me to a critical reading of both the New and Old Testaments of Holy Scripture-- feeding my " head knowledge". However, my heart knowledge needed the ancient yet relevant liturgical and community practices of the Anglican Branch of God's Mansion.
During the height of the pandemic, I fund myself relying more on the Daily Offices to keep the days from blurring together. When church service were only available online, Brian and I would " attend" church virtually with our clergy & people and share in ceremonial bread & wine after church{ It wasn't, according to my understanding of what our bishop allowed " home Communion, but it was the acts of sharing the bread & wine together that sustained me.
Now that we are once again living more restricted lives due to COVID, I find peace in using my home altar in creative ways. For instance, I burn a white candle daily. In front of this white candle is a photo of my dear Grandmother { may her soul rise in glory and DANCE} .
In Godly Play's Baptism story, there is a part where the storyteller says " Watch me when i change this light. The light doesn't go away, it changes. Instead of being at one place, the light is now filling the room and going everywhere.
Candles have become a big part of my Pandemic Rituals. In addition to my white Grandma Candle, I keep a lavender-scented one and light it when I need an extra dose of healing from the Divine Mother. Additionally, since I am experience life both visually and in a tactile way, I've started researching semiprecious stones and their meanings. One of the stones that I've always felt drawn to is amethyst--my Mom tells me I've always been drawn to purple.
This pandemic has, and continues, to challenge our resilience, Ritual, both solo and communal, helps me make sense of all the nonsense that humankind throws at each other. Ritual helps me, in a tangible way, to tap into that Divine Feminine strength with which I was born. I've always felt closest to Creator God in nature, so bringing elements of nature to my ritual table helps to connect me with all humanity.
Today I give thanks for rituals.
In the Name of the Mother, the Sibling, and the Life Force...
Amen.
~Sarah McCarren
7 August 2021
No comments:
Post a Comment