Being a contemplative and ritual orientated group, I really enjoyed these stories of other groups practices and rituals from the Bede Griffiths Sanga newsletter. I would love to hear other stories of how you meet, live and celebrate the mystery together.

Shirley du Boulay wrote:
Our group is held at my flat, which is quite small so we cannot easily have more than eight people. Before they arrive I light a candle and some incense, switch off the telephone and put some music on. I leave the door on the latch so there is no need to ring the bell and people can arrive quietly to an atmosphere that is already peaceful. We try not to engage in conversation yet,though, as we have become good friends, this is sometimes hard!

At 5 o’clock one of us strikes a bell and we sing the Gayatri Mantra and settle down for 30 minutes meditation, each of us following our own practice. This is the heart of our meeting and themain reason why we are there together, but after the meditation we also read sacred texts such asthe Upanishads. At about 6.15 we stop talking and end with ten moreminutes of meditation, so that our discussion is framed by silence.

Thérèse O'Neill wrote:
We started getting together nearly five years ago, we are a small group, our numbers have fluctuated and there are now five of us; living in the country we are all rather far apart. We meet once a month at 12.30 and usually begin by celebrating a "Kiddush" (sharing bread and wine after the jewish tradition). It includes a reading (chosen by one of us in turn) and reflection on the text, and bidding prayers or intercessions. After the Kiddush we enjoy a meal and the opportunity for sharing our problems, joys, family events or "putting the world
to right". We end with a period of silence and meditation.

Once during the summer, we have a picnic outside an old and beautiful small church, an idyllic setting, and this has become a sort of tradition!"