Ritual Containment

One of the terms that we hear around here a lot is 'ritual containment.' One of its meanings is that if you are going to take people into an emotionally profound or intense place, you need to have a 'container,' or process, by which you lead them into it _and_ lead them out of it. This can be done through words, music, or even physical space or elements. It happens, or at least needs to happen a lot in worship. It is the creation of a space of trust, really.

If it doesn't happen, and you do want to get people into that emotionally deep well or space, either of two things may happen: it will 'explode,' and/or drown the people involved, leaking over and overwhelming lives and communities; or it will simply convince people to stay safely on the surface and 'not go there with you.'

After preaching class today, I remembered back to times when I've heard male preachers preach on domestic violence or abuse. I think they thought it was the progressive ministerial male thing to do. However, one ought not preach on something they don't want to be involved in later. I saw that when women would take their preaching seriously and approach them later, thinking 'this is a pastor who might actually understand and try to help me,' those preachers didn't help. They didn't even respond. They really could not have cared less, it seemed.

This was poor ritual containment.

It also occurred to me that I have a 'ritual containment' flow to my week, for which I am grateful. I love preaching class and laugh reasonably often, but I also usually leave kind of emotionally raw. We talk about hard things in there, not least of which is the text of the rape of Tamar a classmate is doing (she also works as a crisis counselor downtown). It can be for me the feeling of having my insides scraped out. So, in and of itself, it would be hard for me to leave this class and er, go forth in joy. But, afterwards, I have storytelling workshop, run by David Reese, and this can be a little cathartic--more laughter, more space to emote in whichever way we are led that particular session. It's been fun, although also a little roller-coaster-ish. Then I have a few hours before Theories of Change. This is good, because by that time in the day, I could use a little psychological technical talk about the bigger picture understanding how we respond to events in life. At the same time though, it is also rather cerebral--moreso than my beloved Psychopathology and Theology class last term (we got more real-life discussion crammed in then). Wednesday daytime is a pretty cerebral/detached day too, not much time to apply and process things, although with a break for Chapel and Community Lunch--both of which I find I really need. But, if I ended the day (and the school-week), I'd be kind of hurting.

So, I have found that the Systematics class I sit in on,(I had a year of systematics already, which I also enjoyed, at the Lutheran seminary) primary texts being the 'Institutes of the Christian Faith,' by John Calvin, to be absolutely essential for bringing the week to a close and pulling everything (and my own self) back together. We laugh a lot, despite/because of Calvin; and we also talk about big picture things that really matter, in ways that really connect. And I desperately need that. I sleep better afterwards. I feel less unhinged by the deadly seriousness of the topics at hand and their real implications for life. And sometimes I think it's even Calvin's own insanity that makes me put my own into better perspective.

This 'weekly crisis' resolved, several of us head over to the university pub afterwards. It's like the shabbat; peace and rest at the end of the work of the faithful.