Rites to a Good Life

Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation

By: Frederick Marx

Narrated by: Frederick Marx

Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

What if we could understand our lives in deeper ways, maximizing meaning and fulfillment even during times of crisis?

Every normal human lifespan contains passages that deserve attention, intention, and ritual. This book shows us how we can do that with minimal disruption to our normal lives and without the need for teachers, ministers, or gurus. This isn't a religious book. All beliefs and non-beliefs are welcome. Listeners will leave with practical suggestions for living a more meaningful life each and every moment. Chapters end with a list on "what you need to do now".

Interspersed throughout are reflections from a multicultural assembly of some of the most well-respected minds in human transformation:

• Robert Bly
• Michael Meade
• Meredith Little
• Starhawk
• Orland Bishop
• Robert Moore
• Bill Plotkin
• Clarissa Pinkola-Estes
• Angeles Arrien
• Aqeela Sherrills
• Luis Rodriguez
• David Blumenkrantz
• Andy Mecca
• Ed Tick
• Sobonfu Somé

©2021 Frederick Marx (P)2021 Warrior Films

Transformative, galvanizing, and action-oriented

In this profoundly personal, yet informative book, Frederick Marx (filmmaker of "Hoop Dreams" and other movies of social change) details the history, nature, and practices behind rites of passage, monumental moments of a human's life that can be marked by ritual and filled with meaning.

Marx details the urgent need for society to mark these moments of initiation, for example, of how children move out of childhood into adolescence and adulthood, hopefully bearing with alacrity the additional responsibility that pairs with fresh freedoms.

He also discusses the impact of his father suddenly dying at age 41 and the deep trauma that left on his 9-year old self, his siblings, and his mother. He movingly describes the celebration of life he organized for his dying beloved wife, who was to pass away 12 days later. Humbly describing his own searching, his moments of anxiety, questioning and self-doubt, Marx opens himself up, courageous in laying bare his own vulnerable humanity.

The audiobook is laced with audio interviews, which adds authenticity, purity, and spirit to the experience.

Marx has devoted his life to bringing the sacred to the every day, the practice of mature masculinity, advocating for the bi-directional benefits of mentorship, and consequential need for the initiation of our youth. Part non-fiction, part memoir, part how-to, this book forges a fascinating and compelling call to action, to have ourselves come alive by making a difference in the lives of others, no matter where we are in the web of life.

Beautiful, challenging and inspiring!

Such a basic and essential topic. This book resonated with me deeply. It’s full of ideas for healing and inspiring reminders of community’s function. It’s a smack in the face and a loving wind and it’s medicine we all need right now.

Rites to a Good Life is Right On

Frederick Marx synthesizes a lifetime of ‘Rite of Passage’ work into an encouraging & empowering journey that I strongly recommend. He brings the coherence from his in-depth research into initiatory best practices and combines this ancient wisdom with a confidence & clarity that only comes from direct experience, right here & right now.

This is a must read for those who find themselves becoming a guiding light to those who are navigating transitions from one stage of life into another. Children growing into adulthood, young adults choosing vocations & deepening commitments with their relationships, householders moving into elder-hood, and especially elders as they prepare themselves to become ancestors.

Let Frederick’s passion & compassion show you & yours what to look for as you embark on your own journey into the core of your Being & becoming. When you do, you will eventually come to know joy & contentment… no matter what!

Beautifully woven and complex

Marx pulls together a wide array of experts and wisdom holders to tell a story of possibility and hope. This book invites me to look more deeply at what I’m creating and supporting in the world, and to challenge myself to stretch further into building real community.

A roadmap for life’s journey

I recently completed Frederick Marx’s very timely and important book, Rites to a Good Life: Everyday Rituals of Healing and Transformation. Not only has the author brought forth elements of the ancient past into the present, but has also translated indigenous wisdom practices as they relate to the urgent needs that we have today to solve our real world problems.

Marx interweaves throughout the chapters the voices of those he has interviewed over the years as they express valuable insights that thread together the significance of rites of passage rituals and initiatory traditions and practices for the health and viability of the village, our community.

A community without traditions and rituals is “as shaky as a fiddler on the roof.” The fiddler, as Tevye in the musical production of the same name tells the audience, represents the fragile balance of life in the village. Marx warns that a world deprived of the rites of passage that maintain the traditions of our history is bereft of the foundation stones that maintain purpose and meaning to our very existence.

I found this book to be energizing and engaging in a powerfully poignant way that emphasizes how crucial it is today to reawaken the voices of our ancestors. As a person who has facilitated “men’s work” gatherings for the past 40 years, including rites of passage experiences for males of all ages, I recommend Frederick’s book as a primer for the path to mindful manhood. Consider it a valuable resource companion that serves as a roadmap for anyone on the journey to conscious awakening.

Stephen J. Johnson, Ph.D. - Author of The Sacred Path: The Way of the Spiritual Warrior (The Journey to Mindful Manhood)