Rituals

In making this project, I wanted to challenge myself to find stillness in the midst of my internal flurry of multitasking and need for productivity. This open field below Lovik is tranquil, undisturbed, and felt like the perfect blend of peace and lack of overstimulation that I sought out for this practice. My steps for this ritual went like this: 

 1. For five days in a row, during any time of day, I would set aside half an hour or so to ensure that I wouldn't be in a hurry. 

 2. Walk down to the field, following the same path. I would walk to the tennis courts, then down the left dirt path, and follow it until I came to an old tree with a rope swing and a bench. 

3. Set a timer for 10 minutes on my phone, and leave it on the bench. 

4. Clamber down the shallow dirt slope and walk about 20 paces to the same spot near the middle of the field. 

5. Stand still. Don't think about your anxieties, what you had for lunch, or what to do until the timer goes off. Don't fidget, crack your back, or pick at your cuticles. Just stand still and be present. 

6. When the timer goes off, walk back, stop the alarm, and walk back up the path. 

7. The ritual is over. 

When I first envisioned this project, I wondered what sort of action would be personally challenging; perhaps I should choreograph a dance depending on my mood that day, or create some sort of performance inspired by the environment. However, once I arrived in the field, I felt that it would be innapropriate or disrespectful to make a clamor in such a still environment. I accordingly decided that it would be most in line to embrace the stillness and silence, and become one with the field. 

During these rituals, I stood still and upright, and felt the warmth of sun and coolness of the breeze on my skin, and listened to birdsongs and the faint sounds of cars. These moments of stillness marked a space in my days where I was not pressured to perform or mark off something on a to-do list, and helped me cultivate an inner sense of calm where I could simply exist.