“The sacred lore of tradition is a living, moving thing, flowing like water from one age to another, reforming itself from one generation to the next, adapting to the needs of the new…What beneficial traditions have you inherited? How do they work best now?” – Caitlin Matthews, The Celtic Spirit, p. 245.
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One of the great gifts we can give ourselves and our loved ones is to re-sacralize our lives. With every advertisement, we are invited into triteness. We are cajoled and tricked into sacrificing a worldview of sacrality for one of banality. We tread on the surface of sales and bargains and deals. We get excited waiting for the package to arrive – somehow forgetting the thousand other times we’ve felt this same passing thrill of the buy.
A sad effect of our consumer culture is that everything that does not involve buying and selling gets pushed aside. Every moment that you are not making money or spending money is wasted time. It is no accident that the sacred lore of our holiday traditions have been intruded upon by magnificent sales – too good to pass up.
Matthews is correct, the sacred lore of tradition is not static and changeless; it must be flowing, reforming, adapting – but it also asks for space and time. Folk tales abound wherein the hero falls into some land where the space-time continuum is broken, some sacred space “where time stands still.” Tradition requires such spaces – devoted to family and friends; to ritual, good food, and togetherness; to not giving a hoot about sales, bargains, or deals. Tradition desires presence and story.
You may have, in the mix of your memories, numerous worthy traditions that can be revived, adapted, and renewed. You may have a past so overflowing with pain, that there are few, if any, worthwhile traditions that might be resurrected. And perhaps most of us hold a mixed bag of both unhealthy traditions that should be discarded and left behind, along with nourishing ones that can be modified to feed our souls, as well as the spirits of our loved ones. And we are creative – we can develop new ways, explore new models, try new rituals that may grow into tradition as they are repeated again and again.
Whether you revive old traditions or create fresh, original ones, do not be surprised if you find your worthy traditions imbued with story. When the space-time continuum is broken, when we create places for ritual and togetherness with family or friends, when we break bread together and forget our roles as money makers and consumers, then rich storytelling, deep story listening, and new tales emerge. Tradition re-sacralizes our lives.
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What comes to mind as you think of “traditions”? Can you identify three traditions from your childhood or younger days that fed your spirit? If so, what were they? Think of a friend that you admire and enjoy. Ask her or him about the traditions they grew up with. Can they name three good ones?
Are there traditions alive in your life right now that are worth continuing? Are there ones that should be dropped? Fresh traditions develop over time – often slowly – as we explore new possibilities or play with new ways of doing things and then decide to make some things seasonal or annual events. Do you have any thoughts on new activities that you would like to try as you spend time together with family or friends?
(Music: Courtesy of Adrian von Ziegler, “Sacred Earth.” )