Author

Focus on Contemporary Ritual Practice

Ritual as Strategy

Ritual arises from our human need to respond to life’s challenges. Ritualising is an innate reaction to contrasting experiences—birth and death, joy and loss, loneliness and togetherness, peace and war. Although often viewed as a religious artifact, ritual is better understood as a versatile, strategic way of acting that shapes our lives, enhances meaning, and brings us together. In essence, ritualising helps us find safety, connection, and well-being amid uncertainty through a wide range of behaviors.

While regular religious practice is a satisfying strategy for many, others see it as irrelevant but doubt their ability to create rituals on their own. Consumerist culture reinforces the belief that our essential needs must be met externally. Yet, like fast food, ready-made rituals often fail to provide true nourishment. Today’s ritualmakers need practical tools to support them as they design their strategy and craft bespoke rituals that meet their needs. My guidebooks offer both accompaniment and structure, featuring resources like the Inventory for Ritual Profile and various checklists. They have also proven valuable for mental health professionals, paraprofessionals, and educators who craft strategies with their clients for the group’s rituals.

*My work with ritual practice has been influenced by that of Catherine M. Bell, Stephen W. Porges, Ellen Dissanayake, and J. David Knottnerus.

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Write. Leave behind some kind of monument to prove you’ve lived.

~ Pliny the Younger (ca. 62-105 CE)

Crafting Secular
Ritual

«A decisive step in the right direction.»
- Ronald L. Grimes

Cover du Livre Crafting Secular<br> Ritual

A Practical Guide

Author

Jeltje Gordon-Lennox. Foreword by Isabel Russo

Description

Addressing the origins, history and function of rituals, this book looks at how we can create non-religious rituals to mark important life stages and events. The book offers readers the tools, tempered and tested by the author, to craft their own meaningful rituals for life events such as weddings, births and deaths.

Answering the call for new rituals in our secular age, this book recognises the essential importance of rituals to the psychological, physical and spiritual health of individuals, families, organisations, and society as a whole. The book examines and explains the history, function and place of emerging rituals in different cultures, as well as providing practical guidance for creating your own secular rituals. The author includes examples, risk factors and checklists for the stages of planning new rituals for life events such as birth, marriage, and death, as well as for public occasions such as graduation and protest marches.

Book Reviews

“This work provides a succinct introduction to the basic concepts of ritual and offers ideas and tips as to how the reader can craft one for themselves. It is relevant to anyone interested in either experiencing or studying ritual-making.”
- Journal of the Anthropological Society of Oxford, UK

Advanced Praise

“Outside of religious institutions there has not been much published guidance on how to create rituals. Beginning in the mid-20th century though, wedding planners, along with celebrant, humanist, and funeral societies, began to fill the void. Half a century later, DIY rituals can still be awkward, embarrassing, or meaningless. This book takes a decisive step in the right direction. It gives practical advice to readers for crafting rites of passage thoughtfully and creatively.”
- Ronald L. Grimes, author of The Craft of Ritual Studies

“Human beings show an enduring need for ritual. We need ritual, Jeltje Gordon-Lennox suggests, to pause in the frantic whirl of modern life, reflect on our past and approach our future with creativity. In this itself beautifully crafted book, the author lays the theoretical building blocks for understanding what ritual is and why and when we need it, before offering a practical guide to creating and 'crafting' rituals which are deeply personalised but connected to the universal rhythms of life. Taking God out of the equation, may, she acknowledges, leave some people feeling lost, until they discover within themselves the capacity through ritual to connect with their deepest needs and wishes. Built on a lifetime of exploring and creating ritual, Jeltje Gordon-Lennox shares her wisdom and experience in a book which is both deeply reflective and intensely practical. It has something to say for everyone.”
- Margaret Holloway, Emeritus Professor, University of Hull UK and Principal Investigator, ‘Remember Me. The Changing Face of Memorialisation’

“Crafting Secular Ritual draws on Jeltje Gordon-Lennox's wealth of experience and her gentle, compassionate nature. This practical handbook will be enormously helpful to all those interested in carving out unique, meaningful, relevant, and profound secular rituals for life events of all kinds.”
- Lindy Mechefske, journalist and author (Sir John's Table, 2015, and A Taste of Wintergreen, 2011), lindymechefske.com

“This book addresses all aspects of contemporary ritualmaking. The author speaks to her reader's heart and mind. The language is clear and concrete. This book is interesting for scholars, celebrants and everyone looking for ways to meaningfully ritualize life-transitions.”
- Joanna Wojtkowiak, PhD Cultural psychologist and assistant professor, University of Humanistic Studies, The Netherlands

“A fascinating and erudite work on a rich subject that manages to bridge the practical and the theoretical, the broad brush stroke and the minutest detail, in a way that is enjoyable to read and easy to understand. As an independent celebrant, I found it both informative and inspiring, filled with ideas that cover a breadth of rituals that our secular society so clearly needs. Whether you are a professional maker of ritual, wishing to deepen the understanding of how and why human beings ritualise their experiences, or an individual driven by an interest in creating secular ritual to help cross a life threshold, this book will provide the reader with a rich foundation for the creation of meaningful experiences.”
- Tiu de Haan, Celebrant, Facilitator and Speaker, http://tiudehaan.com

“We have forgotten how to make rituals; the lack of ritual in our lives today leads to alienation and loneliness. By neglecting ritual we lose out on an aspect of life that human beings once gave their utmost attention. This book appeals to all, secular and religious. It allows us to reconsider one of the greatest human needs: our ritual life.”
- Gianpiero Vincenzo, Author of New Ritual Society: Consumerism and Culture in Contemporary Society and Sociologist at the Fine Art Academy of Catania, Sicily, Italy

“The time has certainly come for a book like this, which carefully, thoroughly, and skilfully describes why ritual is important, how ritual can be created and realized in secular society with people who are either distanced from their root religious traditions, or who have a secular mind set, or little meaningful relationship with any traditional religion. This book contains helpful graphs, lists, and directions for creating ritual, and describes the role and duties of presiders or celebrants of secular ritual. This is a handbook and reference book which can be used in many ways in a huge variety of circumstances, and I personally want very much to have it in my library. It is rich with scholarship, careful thought, clear explanations, and inspired wisdom.”
- The Reverend Marchiene Rienstra, Interfaith and Unity Minister, Sedona Arizona

“Crafting Secular Ritual is perfectly written to meet the need of contemporary people for meaningful ritual in their lives without necessarily turning to religious traditions that may not resonate with them or their loved ones. Jeltje Gordon-Lennox provides a blending of historical context with modern tools and checklists that provides the scaffolding needed for those who will create rituals for themselves or on behalf of others. As a Unitarian Universalist minister, I often create personalized rituals for a wide range of people who are religious, spiritual and/or completely secular. This new addition to the body of work supporting the need for ritual to mark major life passages and events combined with a detailed methodology for crafting these rituals is most welcome.”
- Margaret Beckman, Minister, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Castine Castine, Maine

The three guides in English build on the approach first presented in the books published in French but they are not translations of these earlier guides.

Book Excerpt