The creation of rituals is a key component of providing spiritual care to self and others. Spiritual care providers create rituals that are personal and spiritual and that guide care seekers towards peace, health, well-being, and acceptance. Casper Ter Kuile (2021) tells readers in his book The Power of Ritual that in the past people would discover and practice sacred rituals at a church, synagogue or other place of worship but now people, especially eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds, are shifting both where and how they engage spiritually. I would also argue from my own experiences that people who are older also experience practicing sacred rituals differently. I belong to two synagogues, B’nai Jeshurun New York City and Temple Beth Zion in Brookline, Massachusetts, and attend both virtually except for a few Shabbatot a year. I also learn and practice sacred rituals and form new friendships participating in Jewish Theological Seminary’s hybrid Spiritual Care and Counseling program as well as from taking online courses through Beit Kohenet. The practice of engaging in a variety of valuable, sacred practices is called unbundling (Ter Kuile p. 19). These Jewish spaces have guided me in piecing together a ritual practice for amulet making that resonates with me.

I consult books and craft amulets in the afternoon because I find reciting and responding to the Mincha service in my siddur to be the most important part of my liturgical day. The Mincha prayer service can be traced back to the sacrifices brought by Kayin and Hevel and Yitshak’s going out to converse/meditate in the field. I do light incense and recite the Ketoret collection of Biblical and Talmudic texts found in my siddur, beginning with Attah Hu Adonai Elohenu, Shehiktiru avotenu lefanekha et ketoret/You are the one Adonai, our Elohim to whom our ancestors incended. I use a clay prayer bowl I bought on Etsy from a Jewish Artisan, adding flour, olive oil, and frankincense to it. I light a candle. I also put out an offering of fresh fruit or vegetables. Then, I recite Ashre and Amidah. I end reciting one or several Tehinot. Reciting Tehinot is of primary importance for me because I want to hold myself accountable before Hashem and repent for all the ways in which I have erred.

After Mincha, I consult academic sources and acts of divination, most notably bibliomancy and tarot. I set an intention, or Kavana, for my process. I also choose my medium. I often will use a combination of my own handwriting and rubber stamps. The rubber stamps of the Hebrew and English alphabets, as well as of the tree of life, the Hamsa, fish, angel wings, waves, wells, gates, angelic seals, body parts and organs, angel wings, and geometric shapes.  I will also sometimes use clay. I like to experiment with a variety of mediums including drawing tools and surfaces.

After I consult a books, I engage in Hitbonenut. The shoresh of Hitbonenut is bet-yud-nun, which means to have discernment, insight, or understanding. Binah, which has the same root as Hitbonenut, is the sefirot that represents understanding. This is the method I also use to teach reading and writing to my students because it invokes mindfulness towards process and product.

 Hitbonenut can be understood as part of a learning process that unfolds in stages. The process begins with Kriah, the basic act of reading a sacred text, such as Torah or a Chassidic teaching, in order to become familiar with its language and ideas. Kriah sets the foundation for deeper learning and reflection. This leads to Iyun which involves close, analytical study—asking questions, comparing interpretations, and working through commentaries, often with a study partner. While Kriah and Iyun develop understanding at the intellectual level, Hitbonenut moves beyond analysis. In Hitbonenut, a student chooses a single idea from the text and sits with it attentively, returning to it again and again until it begins to shape not only what they think, but how they feel and see themselves in relation to the world and to God. Prayer (Tefilla) then grows out of this process, becoming a more personal and emotionally grounded response rather than a routine recitation of words.

I expand this traditional sequence to include a creative stage called Ketivah or Yetzira, meaning writing or making. After contemplation has led to some inner shift, the learner gives that insight concrete form through journaling, poetry, drawing, music, ritual design, or another creative medium. This step is not about analysis or emotional release; it is about making meaning visible and durable. What is expressed creatively is easier to remember, revisit, and share with others. The practice can be understood either as a straight line—reading, studying, contemplating, creating, and praying—or as a cycle. What you create becomes a new “text” that can be read and reflected on again, by yourself or by others. This reflects a core Jewish idea: learning is not only about receiving tradition, but also about contributing to it through thoughtful interpretation and creative response.