{"id":2318,"date":"2023-12-03T19:09:23","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T00:09:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/spiritualnaturalist\/?p=2318"},"modified":"2023-12-03T19:09:23","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T00:09:23","slug":"falling-flower-a-simple-memorial-ritual","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/spiritualnaturalist\/2023\/12\/falling-flower-a-simple-memorial-ritual\/","title":{"rendered":"Falling Flower: a Simple Memorial Ritual"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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(Today\u2019s article is by guest writer Tony Wolf. For a brief bio, see below.)<\/p>\n

Oh, that sweet fragrance of falling petals\u2026.
\nWith kind words, it is ended. Farewell.
\nThe time to go is now.
\n\u2013 Lee Hyong-Ki [1963]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It may be that \u2013 during times of grief \u2013 the people who would most benefit from symbolic ritual are those who are least likely to partake in it. The inclination towards formal, poetic gestures in moments of truth may very much depend on who you were when you first read a book that changed everything, or whether you have an intuitive understanding of \u201cserious play\u201d, or what happened when you first stepped into terra incognita.<\/div>\n

If you feel a need for permission or encouragement to take that step, though, please consider this post to be that. I know the immediate and lasting values of personal memorial rites; undertaking your own ritual for the dead is a strong step towards comfort and closure. In the longer term, these rites also form enduring, positive memories in association with the end of life.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re there, one way or the other \u2013 if, in the words of C.W. Nicol, your soul demands a dramatic gesture \u2013 I offer the following prescription for a very simple memorial rite. All you need is a river (or a high place, if there are no nearby rivers), a poem, a flower or handful of flower petals and a small jar of honey. I keep a bowl of dried petals and a glass jar of honey on my shrine, for these occasions.<\/p>\n

Step 1: Select your poem. There are no hard and fast criteria here; if it feels right, it\u2019s right.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Travel to the river or to the high place. Find an appropriate spot and time; this may mean at sunset, crouched on a riverbank with no signs of industry, or standing at mid-day on the center of a bridge in the heart of London, or at midnight perched on a tree branch overhanging a quiet country stream. It may mean the top of a windy hill at dawn.<\/p>\n

Step 3: Take a moment and bring to mind the person you wish to memorialize. Breathe. Smell the flower\u2019s scent. Listen.<\/p>\n

Step 4: Look at the flower\/petals and speak the poem.<\/p>\n

Step 5: Release the flower\/petals. If you wish, you can open your hand into the\u00a0memento mori mudra<\/a>; if so, complete the gesture with the carpe diem mudra.<\/p>\n

Step 6: If you wish, watch the flower\/petals being carried away by wind or water, or as they fall to the earth.<\/p>\n

Step 7: Taste the honey as a reminder of the sweetness of life, then do as you will. Consider starting a new, creative project in honor of the deceased; transmuting grief into art is powerful alchemy.<\/p>\n

Repeat as and when it may be necessary.<\/p>\n

__________<\/em><\/strong>
\nLearn about Membership in the Spiritual Naturalist Society<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Spiritual Naturalist Society works to spread awareness of spiritual naturalism as a way of life, develop its thought and practice, and help bring together like-minded practitioners in fellowship.<\/em><\/p>\n

SNS strives to include diverse voices within the spectrum of naturalistic spirituality. Authors will vary in their opinions, terms, and outlook. The views of no single author therefore necessarily reflect those of all Spiritual Naturalists or of SNS.<\/em>**
**\n__________<\/em><\/p>\n

Bio:\u00a0Tony Wolf<\/strong>\u00a0(Council Member) is New Zealand citizen and US resident.\u00a0 Tony is an author, producer, teacher, antiquarian and creator. A born and raised atheist, he developed a strong intellectual interest in the phenomenon of belief as a young teenager and began creating experimental, artistic \u201cpoetic faiths\u201d during the late 1980s. Tony served as the Cultural Fighting Styles Designer for the\u00a0Lord of the Rings<\/i>\u00a0feature film trilogy (2001-2003) and has taught performance masterclasses throughout Europe, North America and Australasia. His novels include the popular\u00a0Suffrajitsu<\/i>\u00a0trilogy (2015) and\u00a0The Life and Fantastical \u201cCrimes\u201d of Spring Heeled Jack<\/i>\u00a0(2020) and he co-produced and directed the independent documentaries\u00a0Bartitsu: the Lost Martial Art of Sherlock Holmes<\/i>\u00a0(2011) and\u00a0No Man Shall Protect Us: The Hidden History of the Suffragette Bodyguards<\/i>\u00a0(2018). \u00a0In recent years, Tony\u2019s essays, lectures and online courses on the themes of poetic faith, secular ritual and \u201chidden history\u201d have been featured via Morbid Anatomy, Atlas Obscura, OnlySky Media and Reimagine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Today\u2019s article is by guest writer Tony Wolf. For a brief bio, see below.) Oh, that sweet fragrance of falling petals\u2026. With kind words, it is ended. Farewell. The time to go is now. \u2013 Lee Hyong-Ki [1963] It may be that \u2013 during times of grief \u2013 the people who would most benefit from […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1269,"featured_media":2321,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-2318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-poetry"],"yoast_head":"\nFalling Flower: a Simple Memorial Ritual<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"(Today\u2019s article is by guest writer Tony Wolf. For a brief bio, see below.) Oh, that sweet fragrance of falling petals\u2026. 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