Rituals and celebrations

Creativity and the arts Spirituality and transcendence

Altered states Drugs and psychedelics Mindfulness and meditation Prayer and contemplation Rituals and celebrations Sacred places Spirituality and religion Symbols and myth The irrational and uncanny Transcendent experience Visions and mysticism Wonder and the sublime

LatestPopular

Illustration of a closed café with a person sitting alone, chairs stacked, abstract art on walls, dimly lit interior.

Emotion regulation

idea

Solitude can be profoundly restorative. Here’s how to savour it

Time alone offers unique psychological benefits, once you learn to embrace these quiet moments rather than escape them

by Thuy-vy Nguyen

Bas-relief sculpture depicting the three most important figures of the Eleusianian Mysteries: the goddess of agriculture and abundance Demeter, her daughter Persephone, queen of the Underworld, and the Eleusinian hero Triptolemus, in what appears to be a rite. Triptolemus stands in the centre, the two goddesses stand either side.

Rituals and celebrations

idea

For Plato, rationalists and mystics can walk the same path

Why did such a keen proponent of reason turn to the Eleusinian Mysteries to explain his ideas about knowledge?

by Sam Woodward

Sepia-toned, blurred image of a woman in a dark dress with a white blouse, sitting outdoors on a cloudy day, hands clasped on her lap.

Grief

guide

How to express your grief

The initial shock might be over. But you need time and space to ‘ride the wave’ of grief if you are to find a sense of peace

by Sue Morris

Illustration of a blue-colored woman balancing on one leg surrounded by plants, flowers, a crab, berries, mushrooms, and a turtle.

Dance

film

Every culture dances. So why did humans evolve to get down?

Directed by Rosanna Wan and Andrew Khosravani

People dining at long tables adorned with blue tablecloths in a narrow, lantern-lit street lined with old buildings and blue-and-white flags.

Community

idea

Take a seat: the long table is an antidote to loneliness

While some consider the long, shared dining table outdated or inconvenient, it is actually a powerful social tool

by Antone Martinho-Truswell

Two traditional-style pagodas in a grassy field under a blue sky with scattered clouds, with mist and mountains in the background.

Rituals and celebrations

idea

Together forever: ‘at-home burial’ in southern Vietnam

What might a traveller along the Mekong Delta learn about the beliefs and traditions behind the country’s elevated tombs?

by Gina Elia

A young woman in her bedroom sits at her desk holding flowers and a letter and looks back at us over her shoulder and smiles

Poetry

guide

How to write a love poem

Flirtatious texts are soon forgotten. Learn to express your feelings in a beautiful way that will make a lasting impression

by Dan Simpson

Painting of an outdoor community gathering, with people dancing and playing music near a house with a thatched roof. Many onlookers are seated.

Rituals and celebrations

film

Come on this painterly journey to Madagascar’s ‘turning of the dead’

Directed by Bastien Dubois

The bone outline of a skull is seen in relief where excavated on a cave floor

Rituals and celebrations

idea

Digging for answers in a cave filled with Neanderthal skeletons

When a team of researchers returned to an Iraqi cave believed to be a Neanderthal burial site, here’s what they found

by Shayla Love

Archaeological dig showing three weathered stone head sculptures, partially buried in the ground.

Death and dying

idea

Why ancient Mesopotamians buried their dead beneath the floor

In an age before photos or audio recordings, people found other ways to stay sensorially connected to their deceased

by Nicola Laneri

Man in blue suit sitting on steps, holding a coffee cup and reading a book, with a brown leather bag beside him, in sunlight next to a white wall.

Rituals and celebrations

guide

How to set yourself free with ritual

For a life of harmonious ease, find the rhythm in the everyday: make your world your temple and submit to its sacred ritual

by Alan Jay Levinovitz

People in traditional costumes and masks dance while musicians play instruments in an outdoor setting.

Spirituality and religion

film

An ancient ritual is a window to Mayan culture’s deep past and vibrant present

Directed by Ricky Lopez Bruni