Ceremony

Humans are meaning making machines. We attach meaning to objects and happenings. Using narrative we stitch events together to stave off chaos.

This week two of my friends have ended a significant chapter in their careers. And another pair of friends are getting married.

Both call for meaning-making through ceremony. We are ceremonial creatures. And it is the primary way by which we drive our stories forward. Baptisms, weddings, and initiations are necessary for us to enter into new stages of life. By making our stories visible through ceremony we create our own sacraments.

We create meaning through ceremony. We do this without thinking, piling rocks, crumpling an old letter, cleaning the house, or buying a new bed after a divorce.

But when we engage in ceremony intentionally it becomes immensely powerful in moving us forward. This is why weddings still matter, and why we need rituals to end chapters (even in our careers). To remove ceremonies in the name of modernity is a fatal move.

My invitation to you. Notice how you've created ceremonies in the past and think about ceremonies you need to end a chapter or start a new one.

And have a great weekend, I'll be swing dancing at a wedding.

pierre