The Joy of Ritual: Recipes to Celebrate Milestones, Transitions, and Everyday Events in Our Lives

I had this book in my chaotic early 20s. I had some great habits developed from this book, including 1 that I still do all these years later. Coming back to this book in midlife, it feels like home. She starts with an overview and what you may need for rituals. The next chapters cover everyday rituals and rites of passage. This is what I think of as the first half of the book. The second half contain rituals to pull out as needed.

I am a psychologist, and I sometimes talk to my clients about creating rituals as a therapeutic tool. Most often, I use rituals as a means to help clients cope with traumatic events and/or difficult emotional experiences. In this book, however, author Barbara Biziou covers a wider range for the utility of rituals, from true "everyday" rituals to simple celebratory rituals to more profound rituals of healing. She explains how rituals can foster connection, provide structure and stability, and bring meaning and focus into our lives. Biziou considers the rituals which she offers in her book to be basic recipes which readers can build on and adapt to fit their own lives. Overall, I think she strikes a nice balance between providing structured information and encouraging readers to engage in self-expression.

Ritual is a part of our everyday lives, from the morning rituals we perform preparing for the new day, to the communal rituals we participate in as family, friends and community members. In The Joy of Ritual Barbara Biziou allows us to look at ritual from a more personal perspective. Her book takes you from the what to the how, in this wonderfully arranged "cookbook" of ritual. Barbara begins with an introduction to the concept of ritual, why it is important and the general composition. She then provides details on the "what" and "why", exploring the meaning of colors, scents, food and drink, crystals and more in the context of the ritual space. She also discusses creating sacred space, alters and preparing yourself for ritual. The remainder of the book is a well organized reference of rituals to support you in defining ritual for every day, milestone rituals, personal transformation and men's and women's rituals. She provides in each section the Intention, Timing, Ingredients and Recipe along with stories of how these rituals have been used by others. This book concludes with suggested music and readings to support your work. This book offers an accessible way to start creating sacred space and ritual in your life.

I have read the book and found it to be extremely creative and easy to read. The author gave plenty of suggestions that I have used to mark specific occasions of our family. It has enhanced the impact and memory of those occasions. I totally recommend it.

I love to read for pleasure, but there's nothing better than being able to put the reading into practice. I've used several of the rituals in Barbara Biziou's book and shared them with friends, and the results have been pretty extraordinary, especially with the release ones. With the help of her rituals, I achieved closure on an old relationship and attracted a new one that took us to the altar! I also recently experienced the power of letting go and making room in my life for a new project; within weeks, I manifested what I wanted to do for a long time. The tools are very powerful, and Barbara does a great job of demystifying the "out there" aspects of ritual. The structure and language of the book are user friendly, so you can just look up a recipe for what you need in your life the way you would use a cookbook to plan your family dinner.At the risk of sounding like a commercial, I highly recommend THE JOY OF RITUAL and think it makes a wonderful gift for friends and family.

"The Joy of Ritual" is simply a beautiful and uplifting medium of empowerment. Barbara Biziou shares herself, her fears, her longings, and then shares her knowledge. This book is elegant and quickly becomes a friend in your house. A friend you will want to "talk" to frequently. There is something for everyone in "Joy." Of the many people I know who have read the book each one is drawn to a different aspect of the rituals. This book, I think, will become like an old and trusted cookbook. It will have it's trusty place on your bookshelf. It will be there for you to pickup when you are in need of a good recipe.