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Re-Enchanting the Forest
A compelling exploration of the lost yet crucial role of ritual in our increasingly secular lives. Today, in the West, we hold neither adequate rites of passage for our youth, nor initiations for our growing number of elders. We have neither healing rituals for the loss of an unborn child, nor ways to mark the severing of a twenty-year relationship. This can leave us feeling alienated and bereft. Re-enchanting the Forest is written for that part in us that yearns for living ritual, that seeks to bring an embodied sense of solace and belonging back into our modern lives. Drawing on his own experience, and on the ritual cultures of the indigenous world, William Ayot demonstrates the value and power of ritual to revive and 're-wire' our sometimes confused and disconnected spirits. With a foreword by Mark Rylance. Praise for Re-enchanting the Forest In today's Western world, we are richer than we have ever been. The array of technologies, foodstuffs and consumer goods available to most of us would have rendered our ancestors speechless. We are told almost daily how lucky we are. So what is this huge hole at the centre of our culture? What is this grief that lurks beneath the surface? What is this thing we are missing, that so many of us can sense, but few can put their finger on? It is, I think, a lack of understanding of our place in time and history, our loss of a deeper place in the natural order of things, a dim sense of our broken connections with the world beyond the human. A rediscovery of ritual is part of the necessary work to bind up this wound, and this book is a powerful part of the remedy.
Paul Kingsnorth, activist and author of The Wake and Real England By introducing people to the ways of ritual, William Ayot helps people towards a wiser, richer, more connected life. Sobonfu Somé, initiated teacher, activist and author of The Spirit of Intimacy This is the most compelling book I know on the vital but lost role of ritual in our lives. Neither an academic treatise nor a theological tract, Re-enchanting the Forest is about life as it is and might be lived in a secular world, a book that honoured my mind but reached directly into my heart and soul. I cannot recommend it highly enough, with only one reading it might change your life as it changed mine.
Parker J. Palmer, author of A Hidden Wholeness and Healing the Heart of Democracy In this remarkable book, William Ayot reclaims the beauty of practical ritual to enhance our lives, to heal, to inspire and to reveal personal insights otherwise beyond our ken. Ritual comes home. We can welcome it back and hold it close to our hearts.
Professor Brian Bates, author of The Way of Wyrd I love the way William Ayot's book combines the story of his life with an exploration of the value and purpose of ritual. By weaving the accounts of his own challenges, described with such heartfelt honesty, with discussions of how to work with ritual, the whole subject comes alive. I found I couldn't stop reading.
Philip Carr-Gomm, author of Druidcraft and Sacred Places One of the most important and inspiring books I have ever read in the field of ritual practice. William Ayot shows us that ritual is nothing to be scared of. It is instead a vital aspect of an integrating psyche, as relevant and essential today as ever, and a true ally to well-being, perspective and purpose.
Ben Walden, Founding Director, Contender Charlie This is a powerful book, a handy source to rediscover the lost art of rituals.
Satish Kumar, Editor-in-Chief of Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine
Paul Kingsnorth, activist and author of The Wake and Real England By introducing people to the ways of ritual, William Ayot helps people towards a wiser, richer, more connected life. Sobonfu Somé, initiated teacher, activist and author of The Spirit of Intimacy This is the most compelling book I know on the vital but lost role of ritual in our lives. Neither an academic treatise nor a theological tract, Re-enchanting the Forest is about life as it is and might be lived in a secular world, a book that honoured my mind but reached directly into my heart and soul. I cannot recommend it highly enough, with only one reading it might change your life as it changed mine.
Parker J. Palmer, author of A Hidden Wholeness and Healing the Heart of Democracy In this remarkable book, William Ayot reclaims the beauty of practical ritual to enhance our lives, to heal, to inspire and to reveal personal insights otherwise beyond our ken. Ritual comes home. We can welcome it back and hold it close to our hearts.
Professor Brian Bates, author of The Way of Wyrd I love the way William Ayot's book combines the story of his life with an exploration of the value and purpose of ritual. By weaving the accounts of his own challenges, described with such heartfelt honesty, with discussions of how to work with ritual, the whole subject comes alive. I found I couldn't stop reading.
Philip Carr-Gomm, author of Druidcraft and Sacred Places One of the most important and inspiring books I have ever read in the field of ritual practice. William Ayot shows us that ritual is nothing to be scared of. It is instead a vital aspect of an integrating psyche, as relevant and essential today as ever, and a true ally to well-being, perspective and purpose.
Ben Walden, Founding Director, Contender Charlie This is a powerful book, a handy source to rediscover the lost art of rituals.
Satish Kumar, Editor-in-Chief of Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine
192 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 1814
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 17, 2019
Loved loved loved this book. Took my time with this one. Savored it page by page reading it slowly so I had time to reflect on it because I honestly believe the subject matter is of crucial importance. As humans, we're still just barely figuring out consciously all the many facets that compose our social-oriented minds. One aspect that is not fully appreciated is that the unconscious part of our minds still communicates in imagery and symbols hence dreams. To the conscious mind this imagery and symbolism can appear intimidating, but what if it wasn't as complicated as we are led to believe. What if it is a language that can not only be learned but one that can be mastered and spoken to.
Moving ritual is more than art it is the very language of the unconscious, it bypasses the rational part of our minds and communicates directly with that deeper, emotional and primal center of our being. For eons ritual was a crucial aspect of every humans life as it helped them have psychological mile markers guiding them towards maturity and grounding in the presence of their situation in life.
Ritual apparently has tremendous power for healing. In ages past it was one of the primary means humans used for overcoming trauma. Recent research is beginning to support this and find that 'communities' and belonging are instrumental in recovery and healing. Rituals of cleansing, of acceptance, of support all enable and create the space for the suffering individual to contextualize their pain into a larger group narrative of love and comradery.
It hurts to think how much beneficial ritual has either been ruined or completely thrown away to the detriment of those who stand to benefit the most from it. The skeptic will always struggle with accepting ritual as anything more than superstition until there's empirical evidence by which time they will have wasted most of their life away in desperate cynicism.
Anyone who dreams, who sense and feels connected to and through art to something deeper will appreciate just how truly potent ritual can be and where it fits. This author succinctly ties it all together. Ritual is advanced story telling of the high-magnitude, the unconscious, the seat and root of our being as well as our hurt and trauma.
Moving ritual is more than art it is the very language of the unconscious, it bypasses the rational part of our minds and communicates directly with that deeper, emotional and primal center of our being. For eons ritual was a crucial aspect of every humans life as it helped them have psychological mile markers guiding them towards maturity and grounding in the presence of their situation in life.
Ritual apparently has tremendous power for healing. In ages past it was one of the primary means humans used for overcoming trauma. Recent research is beginning to support this and find that 'communities' and belonging are instrumental in recovery and healing. Rituals of cleansing, of acceptance, of support all enable and create the space for the suffering individual to contextualize their pain into a larger group narrative of love and comradery.
It hurts to think how much beneficial ritual has either been ruined or completely thrown away to the detriment of those who stand to benefit the most from it. The skeptic will always struggle with accepting ritual as anything more than superstition until there's empirical evidence by which time they will have wasted most of their life away in desperate cynicism.
Anyone who dreams, who sense and feels connected to and through art to something deeper will appreciate just how truly potent ritual can be and where it fits. This author succinctly ties it all together. Ritual is advanced story telling of the high-magnitude, the unconscious, the seat and root of our being as well as our hurt and trauma.
June 1, 2019
Really loved reading this book! I learned a lot about ritual and what makes it work, and particularly enjoyed it because of the heart that was so evident in this writing. William Ayot is a poet indeed, even when writing prose!
December 14, 2016
Stunning book. Beautifully written. William takes the reader on a real journey, showing his own vulnerability and compassion. You learn about rituals, both every day and the larger ones. This is a really important read for anyone interested in humanity. Authentic and real, this book should definitely be on your list to read. I have also read all of his poetry books (three to date) and love them all too - so I advise readers to seek those out. William is a superb writer, clear, lucid, compelling and permission giving.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews