Hello spiritual friends!
Human life experience throughout history has always been marked by ritual and ceremony. Certain rituals were performed to bring rain for the crops, confirm youth into adulthood, mark important changes in the community, bless the union of two people or generate peace across the land. These rituals and celebrations have brought meaning and purpose into important aspects of life for as long as we can remember.
What is ritual?
Rituals help us create a symbolic ending, a new beginning and may be used to set our perspective and energy for a new way of being. With intention and symbolic behavior, we close a door behind us and open a new one. Performing a ritual becomes a vehicle for a shift in consciousness and a release of what no longer serves. We open the mind to allow mystery to happen within us. And when we embrace the mystery within, it begins to flow outward creating magic in the physical world.
Ritual may be deeply personal.
Rituals bring significance into a new path we choose in our personal growth and may be created in any way that calls to us. They may include affirmations, prayers or blessings. They give testimony to a new way of being, a reawakening or new presence we choose in life. Some rituals, involve the presence of God, spiritual guides, angels or other metaphysical connections. They may also be strictly secular and involve a connection with nature, such as embracing the energy and impact of the moon phases or the summer/winter solstice. Rituals may include sacred objects, emblems, spiritual tokens, herbs, essential oils or crystals that bring personal resonance.
Ritual brings meaning into intention.
We may use ritual when to seeking inquiry about a personal decision or concern at hand. These may include sitting with focus, prayer or remembrance. We may feel moved to hold a special crystal, write out an intention or question and/or use a mantra to activate energy within us. Sacred tokens and symbolic activities may open our hearts and mind to receive messages from within our higher self or other spiritual guidance. We acknowledge the presence of spirit within - and move intentions outward to be created in the physical experience of life.
For example, a ritual may involve the writing down of an old pattern or behavior we wish to release and burning the paper to symbolically let it go. Or smudging a new home as we create a personal relationship with the space. Rituals may be used to step into a new time or space by building an altar with symbolic mementos, keepsakes or images that invoke we wish to create or remember. Meditation is a sort of ritual as we find a quiet space to turn off the world and reaffirm our inner connection with spirit.
Rituals enhance the routine.
Even our common daily routines, such as meditation, yoga, or even a physical activity such as workout, jogging, walking or journaling may be seen as ritual. We bring mindfulness into our daily routines when recognize how they ground us and center us for the day. Expressing gratitude for our food, setting intention for the activities for the day, or washing away challenges with a shower or rejuvenating bath may be seen as ritual. These daily practices honor our intentions, express our creative energy, and bring stability into life. They bring continuity to the day or week and help sustain our emotional, physical and even our spiritual strengths.
Use ritual to ignite change.
A personal ritual may help us create powerful change and may be used in any time or space. We can energize our intentions simply by building out a ritual that inspires, energizes and motivates us. Were there reoccurring rituals over your life that made certain experiences more personal and meaningful for you? Perhaps you would like to create a new one or revise an existing one to your liking.
One of my spiritual rituals is a certain meditation prior to working with clients. I use crystals, essential oils with intention and prayer. I'm connecting with my higher guidance to provide my clients with exactly what their spirit calls for in a private session. My office has become a multi-dimensional space where it serves as a healing sanctuary, holds an altar for my personal intentions, provides a sacred space for my inner focus, as well as a place of creativity, where I write these letters to you and develop teaching curriculum. The space changes with my intention.
I have rituals to support my health, which include physical activity and cooking for health and vitality. Rituals where I meet with personal friends to reconnect, provide and receive support, and our rituals are as different as is our relationships. There are family rituals that include food and activities. My partner and I have our rituals of conversation, intimacy, and activities we enjoy doing together. We have groups of friends where our gatherings and activities have become like a ritual of connecting in a similar way. We all have rituals that have endured over time and my message today is to encourage you to recognize their importance.
Create meaningful holidays with ritual.
The holidays are a time when many of our spiritual or religious ceremonies come big into life. We may attend services, light candles, gather with family or friends, create special meals, enjoy music, remember our history and memories with loved ones. For many, gifts are part of the holiday traditions. Maybe we plan outdoor activities, go to the theater, travel, host or attend parties, or simply watch our favorite holiday movies. While we may not think of these activities as ritual, they are the traditions that call to us, create meaning and connect us with loved ones.
This holiday season, I invite you to consider the rituals you enjoy and hold them close to heart. Perhaps some rituals lost their meaning. Why not let them go. Decide if you would like to create new traditions that nurture your soul, create connection with friends and family, bring joy or help remember loved ones who have passed on.
Life is a creative journey and so much of our experience on the planet is generated from our thoughts, feelings and perspective. Let ritual bring your intentions to life with more purpose and meaning. We are almost at the end of the year.. What will your new year look like and how might you enhance your 2024 intentions with a personal ritual?
Use ritual to create intention and meaning:
- Acknowledge the rituals in your life.
- Hold close the ones that open your heart.
- Let go of the ones that do not.
- Set intentions from the heart with ritual and watch the mystery happen.
- Make your holiday rituals and traditions memorable.
Blessings to you on your spiritual journey!
Sue
