In this episode, Erik is joined by his good friend Anna Raithel, an emotional intelligence coach and ritual arts specialist in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. They discuss the potency of ritual to create rhythm and spaciousness in our lives, to engender authentic relationship with a wide range of 'others,' and to foster a deeper sense of embodiment in one's spiritual practice. They also discuss the power of ritual to transform our perception of simple and mundane things into something sacred and deeply enchanting, allowing us to recover a sense of wonder and what it means to be human (in a more-than-human world).

Anna Raithel lived and worked for many years at Tara Mandala, a residential Tibetan Buddhist retreat centre in Colorado, where she trained in ritual arts under Khenpo Ugyen Wangchuk and numerous other lamas and chöpöns (ritual masters). She currently serves as Tara Mandala's head chöpön, leading ritual activity and teaching the wider community how to hold the form-realm of practice. Anna is also an emotional intelligence coach, working with clients and organisations to develop mindfulness and self-awareness.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Background

02:38 - The Complexity of Ritual Arts

08:03 - Anna's Journey into Ritual Arts

20:35 - Ritual as Embodied Practice

23:25 - Ritual as Enchantment and Magic

32:13 - Breaking the Duality of Mind and Body

40:50 - Finding Enchantment in the Material World

45:27 - The Importance of Relationality and Ritual in Engaging with Nature

48:10 - The Significance of Mundane Rituals in Buddhist Practice

49:08 - The Relational Paradigm and the Rights of Non-Human Beings

54:30 - Rituals as a Means of Engaging with the Environment and Non-Human Beings

56:23 - The Need for Reciprocity and Relationship in the Anthropocene

01:04:06 - Recognising Humans as an Aspect of Nature

01:08:44 - Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence in the Modern World

01:14:07 - Anna's work as an Emotional Intelligence Coach

More info about Anna's Emotional Intelligence work: https://www.beyondei.inc