The stone of silence
Place a heavy pause over words used to provoke, belittle, or intrude.
What you’ll need
- A flat dark stone
- White chalk
- A cloth pouch
The ritual
- Draw a closed mouth or a single horizontal line on the stone.
- Hold it between both palms and name the kind of speech you want stopped.
- Wrap the stone in the pouch and knot the cord once.
- Set it in a quiet drawer until the situation passes, then wash away the chalk under running water.