What to do after a ritual

The hours after a ritual are part of the ritual. The body has been warmed, fed through the skin, and slowed; what it wants next is not much.

Eat lightly and warmly. Drink warm water. Keep the evening small: no long drives if you can help it, no cold air, nothing that asks the shoulders to climb back up. If the oil is still in your hair, let it stay until a warm rinse.

Most of all, resist the urge to be productive with how good you feel. That looseness is not spare capacity. It is the point.