Invites participants to approach ritual by asking questions: how does a particular ritual function; what is the potential for finding meaning in a given ritual; what is the story that a ritual embodies; how does a ritual shape us; how does a ritual allow us to express ourselves; what are the devotional, initiatory and magical possibilities for a ritual; how do poetry and voice embody the magic of a ritual; what are the linear realities and non-linear possibilities of a given ritual? Engaging ritual through these and other questions deepens self-understanding and develops skills for religious leadership.
Instructor: Prof Robert Patrick, PhD
Zoom class meetings: Tuesdays, 6:45-10 PM ET
Required Texts: Davis-Floyd, Robbie and Charles D. Laughlin. Ritual: What It Is, How It Works, And Why. New York, 2022. ISBN 978-1-80073-9 ($33.20)
Grimes, Ronald. Deeply Into The Bone: Re-inventing Rites of Passage. Berkeley, 2000. ISBN 978-0-520-23675-2 ($24.67)
Orr, Emma Restall. Ritual: A Guide to Life, Love and Inspiration. London. 2000 ISBN 0-7225-3970-3 ($25.73)
Quin, Halo. Storytelling for Magic: Bardic Skills and Ritual-Craft For Witches and Pagans. Washington, DC 2025. ISBN 978-1-80341-406-5 ($10.95)
Ter Kuile, Caspar. The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices. New York, 2020. ISBN 978-0-06-288182-3 ($13.59)