Holding hands in a circle

I've had some more complaints from people - mostly men, I have to say - complaining about our "Blessing Circle" tradition of holding hands in a circle and exchanging holy looks of blessing at the ends of ceremonies.
The men say that it's not very manly. Which is, of course, exactly the point. If we had the men in the community going round being manly, what sort of place would it be? Not very holy, that's my point.

I've also had complaints about the Blessing Circle from Agila. She's convinced that Ardwulf is making sure he stands next to her every time a ceremony draws to an end. So now she skips round to the other side of Drayton (if he's considered the occasion to be sufficiently un-pagan), then realises her mistake and goes to stand between myself and Daphne Hnaef. I tell you, sometimes the end of our ceremonies can be more like a country dance than the still, silent centre of the bustling cosmos that they're supposed to be.

But I'm still not abolishing the process. If you're that concerned about bodily contact you can wear gloves. If you want to avoid eye contact, put on dark glasses. And if you're concerned that we're dragging your testosterone levels down, then just remember it's for your own good.  That is all.