Is Harry Potter a sacred text? According to our guest, Casper ter Kuile, Ministry Innovation Fellow at Harvard Divinity School and the co-founder of the Sacred Design Lab, it is if you bring that approach to the series. His study of the ways in which people find meaning through text, community, and tradition has opened up vibrant conversations that break down the walls of "religious" and "secular" by illuminating the human experiences that unite them. In his new book, The Power of Ritual, he explores the ways that ritual -- even when nominally secular -- can help us build community, find meaning, and connect our past with our future.

This conversation was recorded in late March of 2020.

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This podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism. Visit us at ReconstructingJudaism.org.

Special Guest: Casper ter Kuile.

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Links:

• The Power of Ritual: Turning Everyday Activities into Soulful Practices (Amazon) — Casper ter Kuile, a Harvard Divinity School fellow and cohost of the popular Harry Potter and the Sacred Text podcast, explores how we can nourish our souls by transforming common, everyday practices—yoga, reading, walking the dog—into sacred rituals that can heal our crisis of social isolation and struggle to find purpose—a message we need more than ever for our spiritual and emotional well-being in the age of COVID-19.
• Read the Introduction of The Power of Ritual
• Insights - Sacred Design Lab — The structures of community and spirituality are rapidly changing. Learn about the innovative ideas, creative solutions, and emerging trends that are shaping our culture. (Contains links to PDF monographs: Design for the Human Soul, How We Gather, Care of Souls, Something More, Faithful, and more.)
• How We Gather (PDF)
• Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (Website) — Reading Fiction Doesn’t Help Us Escape The World, It Helps Us Live In It
• ‎Harry Potter and the Sacred Text (Apple Podcasts) — It’s the English class you didn't know you missed and the meaningful conversations you didn't know you craved. Join Vanessa Zoltan and Casper ter Kuile as they bring thought, reflection and laughter to Harry Potter; not just as novels, but as instructive and inspirational texts that will teach us about our own lives