Hey Reader,
​

It's been a strange couple of weeks here in the UK - new prime minister; death of Queen Elizabeth II; massive queues to pay tribute to her as she lay in state; protesters being silenced, albeit in a slightly confused manner; witnessing a highly visible family navigate their grief and commitment to calling; and along with the good old English favourite of changeable weather - there has been lots to process and talk about.

I, like many people, have complex feelings and thoughts surrounding monarchy and leadership, personal autonomy v.s. public duty, pomp and ceremony, and the very nature of service - particularly from those with huge privilege
and who are in the public eye.

However, what I have noticed is that our country has visibly wanted and needed to engage in some form of collective ritual & liturgy.

At her state funeral yesterday, there was something very beautiful about the crown being returned with the coffin (effectively being laid to rest on the altar), a badge of office being returned to the source of all authority,
coupled with the beautiful line from Love Divine, All Loves Excelling -

" till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love and praise"

The image of our crowns not truly belonging to us, but being trusted loans, given for the purpose of stewardardship for a season, I found both deeply moving and a poignant reminder that we are only here for a brief while. Just as we come into this world with nothing but our spirit, heart and body, open to love - so when we depart, we can only offer our lives as they have become - taking nothing but our hearts and spirit and leaving behind all worldly honour, in the hope of meeting with the source of all love, and of a hearing a profound
​'well done, good and faithful servant'.

I am struck by how potent such imagery can be. Because whatever our faith journey - or none - we each can resonate with the truth of our mortality, and the desire to leave the world we were born into, more full of love than when we arrived.

Imagery matters, symbols matter.
They are not the thing itself, but windows drawing us into the deepest heart of the thing.

Because as humans we need and value rites of passage, rituals to close and open seasons, and phrases and observances that we can collectively engage in - whether that be in the formal ritual of a religious service, or in our own smaller but no less meaningful repetitions.

In times of great change, where the clarity of what was, moves into the uncertainty of what will be, we can find deep comfort and safety in having these rituals as an anchor point. They connect us to one another through shared present experience and the collective memory of long history
- they remind us of our story.

Because, we are not simply machines, moving through the world unaffected by collective and personal experience, but living breathing people who are affected, spirit, soul and body, by everything we come into contact with.

Therefore, even when our feelings and politics remain complex and at times conflicted, we are all united by our shared humanity and our need for comfort, hope, joy, connection and love.
Rather than berating ourselves for things which reveal our weakness and humanity, perhaps we can be kind enough to receive that deep and holy comfort that comes from meaningful symbol and ritual.

Maybe you can allow yourself a moment to pause and express gratitude for what you have.
Give yourself permission to really cry when the tears bubble up.
Simply sit and rest with a cuppa, contemplating a particularly beautiful piece of art of poetry that stirs your heart, or make your own - trusting that this need to connect to the infinite via the finite, is deeply embedded in the human heart. ​
​You are not alone.

So Reader ,what symbols or rituals help to anchor you and remind you of your story? Where can you lean in and engage with them this week?

With much love, Cassie x

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