Americans, we are told, have never been lonelier. We have fewer friends. We spend more time at home and less time out of the house, socializing face-to-face with other people. And when we interact with other people, it’s often mediated through a device, blunting the stress of the situation.

If only there were some magic elixir that could make social interaction less overwhelming and more fun. Not something new and unproven, but rather something that has been around for literally millennia, weaving itself into religious and cultural traditions.