#VirtualRitual – Each weekday our friends from Penn, including Students, Staff, Faculty, Penn Religious Communities Council and other voices from campus will be sharing the ways their spiritual rituals have adapted while staying at home and as they connect to their spiritual communities remotely.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

Today Kamal Suleiman C’22 studying psychology, Board Member of Penn MSA and Student Assistant for the Greenfield Intercultural Center shares:⠀⠀

When I got home in March, I rearranged my bedroom. That is, after a few weeks of simmering amongst the old high school demons and finally realizing I needed to reclaim the space. I got a floor-bed, I thrifted a “new” lamp, I laid my bookcase on its side cuz I was feeling experimental, and repainted the walls. One day, while I was excavating the closet, I found an old prayer rug I didn’t recognize. Apparently it belonged to one of my older sisters, but it immediately bonded with me. It was burgundy with gold and black detailing, and velvet smooth. But most importantly it was longer than most prayer rugs, less wide, and had a generally lanky vibe to it. Basically, me in prayer rug form. This little connection meant a lot to me as I attempted to recover from the spiritual hit I took after losing my campus routine. As a person who struggles with building habits, I’ve learned to rely heavily on the emotional bonds I build with particular places, objects, and people to maintain connection. This little rug with which I shared a piece of my identity, however silly, became one of my spiritual partners over the last few months. I look forward to unfolding it and seeing it layed out in front of me, just the right size, and letting it be my mosque. Letting it transform my old room into a place I feel connected with my new circumstances, and my new self.

Read more posts here: chaplain.upenn.edu⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀

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