I had a similar experience at an event provided by a spiritual group in an public park some years ago.
They had a copy of the Labyrinth of the Chartres Cathedral on a large foil (original sized) and offered you to go on a slow walk with some strangers also on their way.
I gave it a try and was ordered to think about a situation in my past where something negative happended (no big trauma!) that was bothering my afterwards.
I went with a memory of a situation in which I had an experience of not belonging to a group.
We gathered in the centre of the labyrinth and one member of the group lead us through a ritual with chanting and burning a piece of wood. The ontological claims sounded like bullshit to me. I just smiled, nodded and listened.
After the ritual and after the walk back I was in a great mood.
And ever since then I feel more connected to groups and have more feeling being part of my social circles.
Thanks for the comment! I've been meaning to explore rituals more!
I'm interested in how many cultures seems to converge on ritualistic practices. I think of them as akin to art: a way to gain non-propositional knowledge. Or, to use another metaphor; a way to shift the way your mind works (short or longterm)
I had a similar experience at an event provided by a spiritual group in an public park some years ago.
They had a copy of the Labyrinth of the Chartres Cathedral on a large foil (original sized) and offered you to go on a slow walk with some strangers also on their way.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chartres_Cathedral#Labyrinth
I gave it a try and was ordered to think about a situation in my past where something negative happended (no big trauma!) that was bothering my afterwards.
I went with a memory of a situation in which I had an experience of not belonging to a group.
We gathered in the centre of the labyrinth and one member of the group lead us through a ritual with chanting and burning a piece of wood. The ontological claims sounded like bullshit to me. I just smiled, nodded and listened.
After the ritual and after the walk back I was in a great mood.
And ever since then I feel more connected to groups and have more feeling being part of my social circles.
Thanks for the comment! I've been meaning to explore rituals more!
I'm interested in how many cultures seems to converge on ritualistic practices. I think of them as akin to art: a way to gain non-propositional knowledge. Or, to use another metaphor; a way to shift the way your mind works (short or longterm)