Hello - to take part in Alongame, there are a few things we need to know: your email, your name, and that you are 18 or over. After signing up, you’ll receive a confirmation email with some further insights into Alongame.

Below is the first of Alongame’s games; the rest will be shared over four weeks, starting 28th May. You don't have to share what your personal ritual involves, but you are warmly invited to; the more that you share, the more you're likely to get out of the games.

The Alongame team
 

Hello.

I hope this message finds its way to someone; I know these magic things aren’t always straightforward. But I’ve performed my end of the ritual, so as long as I find someone else to perform it too, it shouldn’t be long before we have a meeting point between our worlds. Which would be nice.

From a Shelfkeeper, who's new to all this.

How to connect two worlds (a ritual in 10 minutes)

Part one: Notice the places where the worlds touch.

The meeting points between worlds are normally small, unexpected, peaceful things. Think of the last time you noticed something like this; if you can’t remember, look around you for what might match this description now.

It might be a new bloom, a still corner in a busy place, a pleasing sound faintly in the background. Take a moment with it - listen to it, watch it, hold it, take it in. Enjoying taking some time to do simply this.

Part two: Open up space to let the other world in.

Find a place close to you, your home, or your heart: a shelf, a beautiful box, the fork of your favourite tree. Make it welcoming: clean it if you must, make space in/around/on it for what’s to come.

Then, find a gift, that matches what you’ve noticed (a flower petal, a silent thought, a song). A gift doesn’t have to be an object, just something chosen with thought and readily given. Place the gift in your place, and wait. In a week or two, gifts and stories will come to fill the space.