December Book of the Month: The Joy of Ritual

In spirit of the the holiday season, Cosimo is thrilled to offer The Joy of Ritual by Barbara Biziou as our December Book of the Month. 

Rituals are fundamental elements to this time of year, and help to bring substance, meaning, and cheer to our lives. Rituals can enhance daily routines, enrich milestones, and guide us through difficult transitions. They help to release fear, bring deeper meaning to a family or community gathering, and bring greater enjoyment to an an important event. 

In this wonderful book, Barbara Biziou, one of America's foremost ritual experts, teaches us how to restore ritual to its rightful place---as food for the soul---through practical, easy-to-use recipes that are inspiring and enjoyable.


To see Barbara Biziou in action, see the below clip on modern holiday rituals:

 And another clip with a preview on Vision 2015, a workshop on how to start the New Year:
 

 

About the Author
Barbara Biziou is an interfaith minister, motivational speaker, and a life-strategy coach. She is the author of The Joy of Ritual & The Joy of Family Rituals, as well as a Huffington Post blogger, executive consultant, dynamic public speaker, and national TV personality. Biziou has a deep commitment to integrating practical spirituality into people's lives, both personally and professionally. She is a frequent guest on radio and television and has appeared in the New York Times, Body and Soul, Harper's Bazaar and Parent's Magazine.

Cosimo offers this title in paperback at leading online bookstores including Barnes & Noble and Amazon, and also as an eBook for Kindle, Nook, and Kobo.

Cosimo’s Classic of the Month: A book from the 19th Century Martha Stewart.

In the interest of spring cleaning Cosimo has chosen a classic that would make Martha Stewart proud: Mrs. Beeton's Cookery Book and Household Guide by Isabella Mary Beeton.  Mrs. Beeton was the 19th century's Martha Stewart, and she is responsible for organizing the rules of domestic life into the first easy-to-follow guide. She was a British writer who caused a sensation in 1861 when she published her guide to proper Victorian housekeeping, known under various unofficial titles, including Mrs. Beeton's Book of Household Management.

Though you may have your doubts this book is still highly useful today. Beeton's tome is a masterly compendium of practical information, and covers such essential topics as:

• recipes of cooking all manner of meat, fish, vegetable, pudding, and pastry
• hints on the proper arrangement of a functional kitchen
•  ideas for table decorations (including the correct way to fold napkins)
• tips for carving poultry
• charts on the seasons and prices (in the 1800s, of course) of all manner of edibles

This charming replica of the "new and greatly enlarged" 1890 edition features all of the original diagrams, illustrations, menus, lists, and other particulars and minutiae that made this work so beloved in its day, and continues to ensure its popularity today. Organizers, neat freaks, home makers, and Martha Stewart enthusiasts will love this easy to follow guide into Victorian home making.

Barbara Bizou’s Joy of Family Ritual is May’s Book of the Month

With mother’s day around the corner, it made sense for us to choose a book about families and celebrating families for our book of the month.  Every day families are performing rituals: eating dinner together, celebrating birthdays, taking walks, and more. Most activities families do together become rituals for how they grow and live as a family. 

The Joy of Family Rituals: Recipes for Everyday Living is a recipe book for families who want to further enrich their lives with rituals. By reflecting on the significance of the everyday rituals and making them a part of daily life, families can strengthen their bond. Rituals help a family communicate, foster spiritual connections, and provide a secure foundation for growth. Though rituals are probably already a part of your family life, The Joy of Family Ritual can help incorporate even more rituals into your daily life.

BARBARA BIZIOU is an internationally acclaimed teacher of practical spirituality and global rituals. She is a life coach, voice dialogue facilitator, interfaith minister, and motivational speaker. She has lectured and taught around the world. She currently resides in New York managing her company, Blue Lotus Productions. You can visit her online at www.joyofritual.com. 

April Fool's Day, what is it really all about?

 I'm sure you know what April Fools Day is. It's a day when you have an excuse to play all kinds of pranks on anyone and call it a holiday tradition. For instance, you could put a very large spider in your boss's drawer (its safer if its fake) and laugh out loud when they jump out of their chair and fly from their office. Make sure you take credit though, otherwise it's not as fun. But where did it all come from? And why April 1st?

The Romans celebrated Hilaria, which was one day in a week long festival, and was a day of joy and happiness. In The Canterbury tales, Geoffrey Chaucer mentions the 32nd of March, which would technically be the 1st of April, and on that day the rooster is tricked by the fox. During the Middle Ages, when New Years Day was March 25 many areas had a week long celebration that ended on April 1. The thought process being that those who celebrated New Years on January 1, thought those who celebrated a week long New Years festival that ended on April 1 were fools. Therefore the origins are sketchy. And so is the significance of April 1st.

So we don't exactly know why or where, but we certainly know how people celebrate! And it really does vary. In France and Italy they tape cut-out paper fish to each others backs. In England they give you until noon to pull off a prank. If you play a joke after noon you become the April Fool. The US celebrates without any rules, simply trick, lie, joke, and steal (just kidding about that last one stealing is wrong) and call the person afflicted by your actions an April Fool! Start thinking of your pranks now and happy fooling!