Jim Clarke has an extensive academic background in the fields of spirituality, education, counseling, ritual, and mythology. With more than 25 years experience as a ritual elder and teacher, he currently serves as director of spiritual formation and chairman of spiritual theology at St. John's Seminary in Camarillo, California.
This paperback is a wake-up call for Christian communities to see the importance of everyday rituals with meaning and relevance to our mind, body, and soul. Although churches have rituals for baptism and confirmation, many believers do not mark significant transitional moments such as birth, the first day of school, puberty, obtaining a driver's license, graduation, leaving home, and trauma (such as a major accident, health crisis, divorce).
Clarke covers what he sees as the significant avenues for the creation of rituals: the transition from adolescence to adulthood; life stages; moving forward baggage-free; relationships; life's losses; and public and religious holidays. Looking at this daunting list, we realize afresh just how few rituals we practice in comparison with indigenous peoples. In fact, many ancient tribes spent more time on healing through rituals than they did on working. Clarke notes:
"Rituals can change lives. When we are experiencing ourselves as emotionally stuck, rituals can shift our focus and act as catapults to launch us forward in life. When we are feeling lonely, isolated, or disconnected from our deepest, truest self, rituals can reconnect us. When we're feeling out of control, rituals can contain the chaos and actively direct the situation toward a resolution.
"Are you trapped in fear or insecurity? Rituals can empower you. Are you dissatisfied with your spiritual life, feeling empty, meaningless, with no sense of direction? Rituals can transform the way you pray, worship, and celebrate."
