7.1.21 Ritual and the Wishing trees 1
.I recognise that the Wishing trees were probably so successful partly because of the elements of ritual involved. I have written more about ritual generally here. Ritual is an important part of being human.
'Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behaviour exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.' (Penner, 2016)
It's also a way for people to connect with others through a shared ritual. Referring back to my previous reflections on ritual, it feels to me as if the places I chose as the sites for the Wishing trees became what Mary Douglas describes as the frame for the ritual. She says that 'ritual is about focussing: ' a ritual provides a frame. The marked off time or place alerts a special kind of expectancy, just as the oft repeated 'Once upon a time' creates a mood receptive to fantastic tales... the least action is capable of carrying significance. Framing and boxing limit experience, shut in the desired themes or shut out intruding ones.' (Douglas, 1966, p78)
My Wishing trees were definitely about focussing, in an extremely difficult time, at the start of the first lockdown in England in March 2020. Douglas mentions 'time' and 'place' as two significant factors in creating a frame for ritual. The timing of the Wishing trees was perfect, in terms of the availability and receptiveness of an audience. People were in lockdown, denied their normal distractions and comfort but also afraid, anxious, desperate for connection and hope. Also, I think that the time put aside to visit it was significant, a commitment, from me to the Wishing trees, but also to keeping them alive, tending them and the largely unseen community.
The placing of the Wishing trees also seems significant now, especially the situation of the two hawthorns. It's almost as if they became sacred sites. Some people visited one tree many times, to add something or to see what other people had added, or maybe just to have a destination in a rather aimless time? Or maybe to feel some kind of connection to a community? Maybe for all of these reasons. Some visited them all. One person visited the Wishing tree on the Downs very early every morning for several months. It becomes a place of pilgrimage. Even now, a couple of months after we unravelled the Wishing trees, people are still visiting the hawthorns. Some people have posted photos of the rewilded tree on social media, some people have added new messages and tokens. It's as if the trees or sites themselves now have significance, even though they are technically no longer functioning as Wishing trees. It's like a memory, or ghost of what has been.
Douglas, M (1966) Purity and Danger. An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
Pines, M., (1981) The Frame of Reference of Group Psychotherapy, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 31:3, 275-285, DOI: 10.1080/00207284.1981.11491707
Penner, H (2016) Ritual Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ritual (Accessed: 11 November 2020)
'Ritual is a specific, observable mode of behaviour exhibited by all known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a way of defining or describing humans.' (Penner, 2016)
It's also a way for people to connect with others through a shared ritual. Referring back to my previous reflections on ritual, it feels to me as if the places I chose as the sites for the Wishing trees became what Mary Douglas describes as the frame for the ritual. She says that 'ritual is about focussing: ' a ritual provides a frame. The marked off time or place alerts a special kind of expectancy, just as the oft repeated 'Once upon a time' creates a mood receptive to fantastic tales... the least action is capable of carrying significance. Framing and boxing limit experience, shut in the desired themes or shut out intruding ones.' (Douglas, 1966, p78)
My Wishing trees were definitely about focussing, in an extremely difficult time, at the start of the first lockdown in England in March 2020. Douglas mentions 'time' and 'place' as two significant factors in creating a frame for ritual. The timing of the Wishing trees was perfect, in terms of the availability and receptiveness of an audience. People were in lockdown, denied their normal distractions and comfort but also afraid, anxious, desperate for connection and hope. Also, I think that the time put aside to visit it was significant, a commitment, from me to the Wishing trees, but also to keeping them alive, tending them and the largely unseen community.
The placing of the Wishing trees also seems significant now, especially the situation of the two hawthorns. It's almost as if they became sacred sites. Some people visited one tree many times, to add something or to see what other people had added, or maybe just to have a destination in a rather aimless time? Or maybe to feel some kind of connection to a community? Maybe for all of these reasons. Some visited them all. One person visited the Wishing tree on the Downs very early every morning for several months. It becomes a place of pilgrimage. Even now, a couple of months after we unravelled the Wishing trees, people are still visiting the hawthorns. Some people have posted photos of the rewilded tree on social media, some people have added new messages and tokens. It's as if the trees or sites themselves now have significance, even though they are technically no longer functioning as Wishing trees. It's like a memory, or ghost of what has been.
Douglas, M (1966) Purity and Danger. An Analysis of Concepts of Pollution and Taboo. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul
Pines, M., (1981) The Frame of Reference of Group Psychotherapy, International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 31:3, 275-285, DOI: 10.1080/00207284.1981.11491707
Penner, H (2016) Ritual Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/ritual (Accessed: 11 November 2020)