Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: openings before meals

[Eris Weaver (erisw]

At FrogSong, we have some kind of blessing before every meal; it's up to
the cook to decide what it might be. Often it is a poem or other
inspirational reading; it might be a moment of silence; a song,
participatory or not. This follows any announcements, acknowledgement of
the cooks, etc.

I hadn't realized how much I have internalized and enjoy this opening
ritual until I was recently visiting another cohousing community for
dinner. I sat down at the table and waited, while everyone else just
started digging into the food...the folks at my table kind of looked at
me, wondering why I wasn't eating...while I sat there wondering why they
weren't, well, paying attention and noting the specialness of all
sitting down together to eat. We had a nice discussion about the whole
issue, and several folks asked if there wasn't any resistance to this
ritual being too religious or something.

That's never been an issue here...folks' personal religious/spiritual
orientations run from non-observant Jews & lapsed Catholics to active
Unitarians and Buddhists and pagans and everything in between.  (I,when
pressed, label myself a Recovering Catholic Atheist with Strong
Neo-Pagan tendencies) There is much respect here for each other's paths,
recogniction that truth comes in many packages, and a belief that making
space for small intentional rituals is part of the glue that binds us
together.

Eris
FrogSong, a Cohousing Community in Cotati, CA

*******************************************
Eris Weaver
Facilitation & Group Process Consultant
707-338-8589
eris [at] erisweaver.info