“Rituals make the invisible connections that make life meaningful, visible.” — Casper ter Kuile

Growing up, the rituals in my life were mostly connected to religious practices. For example, in October, for Sukkot, we’d build a temporary structure (a Sukkah) in our backyard and enjoy meals and each other's company outside.

It’s been decades since I’ve participated in a Sukkah building ritual, though I still appreciate the sentiments behind this practice: enjoying nature, the feeling of togetherness, and so much more.

So, for the past five years, my wife and I have made a point to go camping in October. It’s among the most spiritually fulfilling things we do each year. But what makes it so?

In his book, The Power of Ritual, author and Harvard Divinity School Fellow Casper ter Kuile suggests that “just about anything can become a spiritual practice—gardening, painting, singing, snuggling, sitting.” He continues, “We just need to be clear about our intention (what are we inviting into this moment?), bring it our attention (coming back to being present in this moment), and make space for repetition (coming back to this practice time and again). In this way, rituals make the invisible connections that make life meaningful, visible.”

Casper’s words made it clear to me why our simple annual camping trip has become such a rich source of joy for our family.

Casper’s research and writing on rituals, and the power they have to bring deeper meaning to our lives, really struck a chord with me and the Holstee team. So much so, in fact, that we have spent the last few months collaborating with Casper on developing a new tool to help people live with meaning: the Ritual Life Planner.

The Ritual Life Planner is designed to help you identify, organize, and embrace the rituals in your life. We are still in the final phases of production and sampling, but we are too excited not to share a sneak peek! :-)

If you would like to be kept in the loop about this product, please let us know by signing up on this early interest page!

Here’s to finding and embracing meaning in all areas of life,

Mike Radparvar
Co-Founder, Holstee