Ritual is a wonderful way to appreciate the moments and passages of your life. Rituals can be quite brief and simple, or more elaborate.
A ritual is a pause. It gives you the message that your life is worthy of honor, worthy of pausing and noticing, as you take a step away from the pace of daily life. It also helps to create a memory, because it’s out of the ordinary!
There are so many types of rituals! They can be extremely simple; as simple as lighting a candle and taking a breath, with an intention to focus on something.
Here are some thoughts on ritual for you to consider, and perhaps you can imagine a type of ritual that you’d like to do for some area of your life.
What is Ritual?*
Ritual can be stopping to bless what we have.
Ritual can bring a sacred feeling to ordinary events, mark significant times, ease us through transitions, & bring stability.
“Ritual is recognizing a life change, and doing something to honor and support the change…Transitions matter, and rituals support our journey from one state of being to the next.”
Ritual creates a way to “fit things together again.” The greater meaning of life comes to witness this present moment.
A ritual has a beginning and an end, but that could be as simple as lighting a candle to begin, pausing with your intention for a few moments (even if your intention is just to pause!) and taking a deep breath to end.
You’ve brought a bit of beauty into your day.
Different things that Ritual can include:
Altar
We tend to think of an altar as having a religious significance, but it’s also defined as a place of focus, where you can put things that have meaning for you.
Of course, those things can change depending on the intention for your Ritual.
If you have a permanent Altar space in your home, with things you love to see, you can change them according to the season, for example.
Waldorf Schools have what they call a Nature Table, which changes according to the season.
On your Altar you could have:
Something for the senses:
Scent – aromatherapy.
Touch – a wonderful fabric. Maybe a bit of scented lotion for your hands. (For scent and touch!)
Sight – an art card or a beautiful color.
Sound – a chime or bell. A song, or you singing?
Taste – bring a bit of fruit, tea or chocolate!
A bit more about color:
Blue for peace, clarity
Green for healing, balance, prosperity
Gold for prosperity, courage, self-confidence
Orange for joy, vitality
Purple for spirituality, leadership, inspiration
Red for boldness, passion, vitality, creativity
Ritual vs Routine?
Routine is something you do regularly, maybe every day, but you can turn it into more of a ritual by slowing down, being undistracted, and appreciating the moment.
Morning Coffee
A woman turned her morning coffee from routine to ritual by savoring every aspect of it for a few moments, with full attention! She tuned in to the sound as it poured, the warmth of the mug in her hands, the rich aroma of the steam as it arose, and the sharp flavor of that first sip.
This brought a lot of pleasure and fulfillment to those moments, instead of the habitual distraction of always being one step ahead, or elsewhere, in her thoughts.
Evening Candle
My friend Dixie began the practice of lighting a candle as she completed her time in the kitchen each day. After the final clean-up, and turning out the lights, she would pause and light the tall glass-enclosed candle that sat on the windowsill.
She’d pause as the image of Mary of Guadalupe on the glass became illuminated; feeling gratitude for her day, and asking a blessing for her efforts, her family, and her home.
Activity
What is one thing you might want to do a ritual about?
- A simple part of your day you could ritualize by slowing down for a moment (like morning coffee or evening candle)
- How you could do more to ritualize a passage that occurs in your life or your family life
- What an Altar could look like, with your special things.
Where would you put it?
“When you go sit there, you are in that presence which is true to you.” Jonita Dsouza
I wish for you to find small moments of pause and beauty as you go about your days, and also ways to mark the larger passages of your life, to honor yourself and your own seasons.
Resources:
Day Schildkret; Morning Altars (beautiful outdoor designs, in the shape of Mandalas).
Joy of Ritual, by Barbara Bijou
*Some of these thoughts are collected from Joy of Ritual, pages 10-13.
Flower image from geoffreyandgrace.com.