Ceremonial Time – John Hanson Mitchell

Ceremonial time is the moment when past, present, and future can be perceived simultaneously. Usually experienced only during ancient dances or rituals, this escape from time is the theme of this book, which traces the life on a single spot in New England from the last ice age through years of Indians, shamans, and bears, to the colonists, witches and farmers, and now the encroaching parks.

John Hanson Mitchell is the author of six books dealing with the experience of place and natural history. His most recent book is The Paradise of All These Parts: A natural history of Boston (Beacon Press 2008).