E135 Casper Ter Kuile - (rhymes with smile) - Ritual, relationship covenants and why we can practice sacred reading with any book

Summary:
 In a world of consumption & content this chat ponders which containers for connection are going to hold us in relationships that are strong enough to navigate sickness & health, vitality & misery & how we build bridges to thread our significant worlds into one place so we can be ‘whole’.  Over & above the individual, we ask ‘how do we build cultures where ‘welcome’ is the default & division is not normalised. 

Casper TerKuile  is an articulate, poetic communicator who believes that ritual holds the key for much of this transition work. Where we buck the system, going beyond the prioritising of comfort at the expense of belonging.  Casper lyrically leads us through making everyday things deeply intentional, shared moments of magic that change our attitude to the mundane & bring magic to the small threads of potential delight. 

In a desire to move beyond the morass of 'MEH' we consider that whatever the problem - community is the answer & how we might build bridges to connect everyone's efforts to create the necessary structures. What ever they are - you can’t treat community like a shopping centre - waiting to serve your every whim but with nothing offered in return.

In an unexpected twist we ask: How would someone farm humans? - a lot more singing & dancing & a lot less sitting behind a desk

We Chatted About:
Power of Ritual - Casper ter Kuille - rhymes with Smile
Nearness Project
The Overstory - Richard Powers
A Paradise Built in Hell - Rebecca Solnit

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Show Notes:
How are community & spirituality changing 
Less than half the population now consider themselves religious - lowest in history
How can we connect more deeply with the people who matter 
Exploring spirituality
Creating pathways to build deeper relationships & bonds 
Creating collaborative covenants - Professional relationships as defined by the way ‘we want to be together’. 
Sacred reading - one of the most profound reading practices - as much about how you are reading as what you are reading 
“I may not be guilty but we are all responsible”
Potluck dinners to build communities of warmth
Is your “place” where the trees look like they should?
Does placeless-ness contribute to a sense of cosmic loneliness?
Seeing the best of people in tough times - it calls for the best in people
We were once born into a ‘role’ and way of being 
Making our day to day decisions through the framework of regeneration that results in life.
Anti elite vitriol in rural USA emphasised and polarised by social media companies
Relational cohesion
Nose to tail eating…meat eaten with reverence. Honouring the beast that gave its life
The value of policy makers in our period of transition
I went to graduate school on divinity and public politics
Why change makers need to find homes at all tiers of system change 

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