I’m writing this on my way home from a trip that ended with a short visit to Damanhur, an intentional community in Italy. With 1000 members it is, as far as I know, the largest in the world next to Auroville. But what makes it extraordinary is the worldview and mission that carries it.Damanhur is […]
ritual
What Are We Greedy For?
A lot of people reacted to my comment on Facebook the other day that greed is more a symptom than a cause of our current system, with all its inequities. I’m asked, What is the cause of greed? First I’ll say what I think greed is: Greed is the insatiable desire for that which one […]
Imperialism and Ceremony in Bali
This has been a thread in the story of cultural imperialism. The situation is changing now, though, as the power of our own rituals wanes, and the world-story that embeds them crumbles. Many people go to Bali for healing from chronic conditions that modern medicine can only palliate. Emerging from the fog of our old narratives, we are able to appreciate Bali on its own terms. The same goes for any culture that has preserved a worldview alternative to our own.
Rituals for Lover Earth
The medicine man enters the outer vestibule of the sacred healing chamber. He dons the ceremonial vestments and performs the ritual ablutions, purifying himself for the healing ritual that is about to commence. Putting on identical masks, he and his acolytes enter the chamber, to which all others are forbidden entrance. The man they are […]