Secular Ritual – How Wondrous
Human beings have a great need for rituals. We go in for uniforms and pageant. Our rituals tend to be militaristic or religious. Dave Kingsbury (of the great blog – A nomad in cyberspace) thought that it would be a great idea to write some secular rituals that acknowledged the wonder of life; rituals that did not require belief, religion or celebrate violence.
It sent me thinking.
This is what came out. I’m not sure if it’s a poem or a secular psalm. I see it as part of a humanist ritual.
Secular Ritual – How Wondrous
Wondrous it is to open your eyes into this universe of beauty.
Wondrous it is to behold the splendour of the stars, sun, rocks and trees.
Wondrous is the ecstasy of life.
For with our eyes we see,
Our ears we hear,
As all our senses penetrate
The mysteries that surround us.
The wonder of moon and sun,
Of sunset over sea,
Of grass rippling in the breeze,
The splash of stars
Across a velvet heaven,
The sigh of love,
The thud of drums,
Vibration of strings,
The tinkle of water over rocks,
The crash of waves,
Skeletons of trees against an orange sky,
Shapes of clouds against an agonising blue;
The oranges, yellow, reds and greens
That flood the eyes with beauty –
The wonder of life.
Opher 14.3.2016 (For Dave)