Why Ritual?: Paula Pryce (2026)

PLEASE NOTE: As this is a live recording, you may notice some audio variability and occasional background noise. This retreat was recorded on Novmeber 5th 2026, as an online retreat offered by The Contemplative Society. This purchase includes access to the video recording of Paula Pryce's teaching. This online retreat will explore how people everywhere have turned to ritual for renewal, but also as a less benign means of social control. Our focus will turn to how contemplative practices combine attention to the body, refinement of the senses, and a willingness to enter the unknown. With Divine consent, these disciplines can become the agents of human transformation. Dr. Paula Pryce is a cultural anthropologist whose research explores silence, ritual, and contemplative traditions across cultures. Her publications include The Monk’s Cell: Ritual and Knowledge in American Contemplative Christianity. Raised in an interreligious household, Paula has studied and practiced meditation and other contemplative rites since childhood. She lives in Vancouver, Canada where she leads retreats, facilitates contemplative prayer groups, and writes in a variety of genres. Paula regularly contributes reflections to The Contemplative Society website.