This week on Ritually we're sharing an episode from KQED's Rightnowish series, Adornment.

Having grown up in South San Francisco, perfumer Mauricio Garcia takes inspiration from flora and fauna that grows along the foggy coastline, golden grassland hills, and nearby redwood groves. Because of his deep reverence for nature’s fragrances, Garcia doesn’t use any plants that are endangered or threatened like vanilla or frankincense. Instead, he’ll craft similar scents using the modern perfumery technique of scent reconstruction.

His boutique fragrance studio, Herbcraft Perfumery, also celebrates his cultural roots, highlighting ingredients and plants native to Mexico, like cempasuchitl (marigold), cacao, and mezcal. Garcia’s fragrances are not only made for anointing the body but also filling the air in one’s living space, especially around altars, mirrors and candles. In this way, Garcia believes his fragrances help facilitate connection with the spirit world and ancestors. 

On this episode, Rightnowish host, Marisol Medina Cadena learns how perfume can help her set intentions for the day and connect her to memories of beloved places and ancestors.

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This week on Ritually we're bringing you an episode of another podcast, called ACCESS, that is all about having conversations about abortion.

There’s a common misconception that religious people don’t have abortions, or support abortion access. But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Meet the robust community of religious and spiritual people fighting for reproductive justice.

Guests: Anise Simon, Maleeha Aziz, and Nick, We Testify storytellers; Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary; Rafa Kidvai, director of the Repro Legal Defense Fund; Rabbi Salem Pearce, executive director of Carolina Jews for Justice and counselor for Faith Aloud; Lauren Morrissey, co-executive director and co-founder of Student Coalition for Reproductive Justice; Rev. Aaron Payson, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Worcester and former board member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice; Kristin Hady, clinic escort and community engagement coordinator for Abortion Access Front.

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If you loved Episode 5, join us for an extended conversation with tarot reader Jen Cownie, co-author of Wild Card: Let The Tarot Tell Your Story, and Laetitia Barbier, the author of Tarot and Divination Cards: A Visual Archive.

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Last year Nelufar had an abortion. The decision to terminate her pregnancy wasn’t difficult, but the process was. Though studies show abortion pills are safe and around 95-99% effective, in Nelufar’s case, they didn’t work. Shaken by her experiences seeking what should have been routine healthcare, Nelufar turns to full-spectrum doula Sara Bakr for rituals to help her heal from the trauma of medical gaslighting. At a farm and retreat center in the English countryside, Sara and the community who live and work there support Nelufar to process and move on from the experience.

If you're pregnant and want to talk with someone about your options, you can contact 1-888-493-0092 in the US and Canada, or the British Pregnancy Advisory Service at 03457 30 40 30. For more resources and a confidential talkline in the UK, check out abortiontalk.com/talk.

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Nelufar is facing some big decisions in her life and turns to a tarot reading from UK-based Jen Cownie for guidance. Will this centuries-old practice help her figure out what to do? With Jen’s help, Nelufar discovers tarot is less about telling the future, and more of a choose- your-own-adventure book where she gets to pick an ending that empowers her. 

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Nelufar is feeling burnt out and disconnected — especially from the earth, which fuels her sense of activism as a vegan and environmentalist. Will a ritual rooted in African traditions help her rekindle that connection with the natural world? All she needs is a cup of water, and a few tips from Black farmer and spiritual activist Leah Penniman. With her unwitting and let’s say… skeptical… boyfriend Matt along for the ride, Nelufar takes this ritual on a road trip to find out. 

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What makes a text sacred? And can our favorite secular books become as holy to us as the Quran or the Bible? With the help of Vanessa Zoltan, an atheist chaplain and co-creator of the podcast Harry Potter and the Sacred Text, Nelufar and Producer Sarah try out the ancient ritual of florilegia. It was used by medieval monks, and it’s a lot like keeping a quote journal. Will this practice help them create their own personalized sacred texts? 

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Nelufar and Producer Sarah sit down to explain how this big spiritual quest all began — and how Ritually got its start during London’s COVID lockdown. 

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When Nelufar is haunted by violent, terrifying dreams, her parents step in with a series of Afghan pagan rituals to cleanse her energy and ward off evil. With their help, and some added perspective from mystic Jewish priestess and dreamwork scholar Rabbi Jill Hammer, will Nelufar finally be able to tackle her nighttime demons? 

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As a progressive Muslim woman, Nelufar struggles with patriarchal interpretations of Islam and the constraints of organized religion. So with the help of feminist spiritual practitioner Sarah Zaltash, she tries a new ritual to deepen her connection to Islam: following the daily call to prayer. It’s a practice that unites 1.8 billion Muslims around the world. But this version is different — radical, actually! — because it’s in a woman’s voice. Will waking up at dawn every day to hear Beloved Sarah’s call help Nelufar feel more connected to Islam?

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