being human,  breath,  embodiment

My Life Is A Ritual

I happened upon this statement a few months ago. I’m not sure where, but it attached itself deep in my psyche … “my life is a ritual.” I placed those words on my message board so I could ponder them for a while and I’ve concluded for myself that the statement is true, but my thoughts around ritual are different now.

The dictionary defines ritual in this way: a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order

Essentially, what I believed ritual to be in the past: a long, elaborate set of rules and actions, has changed. The statement also made me ponder ritual vs. getting stuck in my ways, in life … going through the motions. This is something I wish least for myself.

As I ruminated on the statement, I thought about my daily morning ritual. I look forward to the morning more than any other time of day. The freshness, the possibility, the gift of ‘beginning again’ each day literally ignites my soul. I also love the idea of honoring the rhythm of the days and seasons and a morning ritual invites that.

My morning ritual consists of naturally rising at sunrise, slowly, mindfully making tea, standing before my altar giving thanks and praying, inviting guidance for the day using my oracle cards and writing. Sometimes I do additional things, but these are my mainstays, and if I don’t do these things my day is off. Flow is gone. I’m less grounded.

Other rituals are simple moments –– beautiful, mindful, embodied life moments that wouldn’t exist had I not invited them into my routine; they are not lengthy or elaborate. They are small gestures, an honoring, a pause. Rituals, to me, are about honoring the divinity within me.

A full deep breath.

A moment of embodiment.

The breeze on my skin.

Feeling my feet upon the earth.

Relaxing my jaw.

Settling my shoulders down.

A sip of the wonderful tea I made.

A kiss.

A hug.

In a world that wants us to rush, rituals remind us of our humanity. They remind us to slow down, take it all in, enjoy the wonderment of all that is here. And that, in itself, is cause for joy.

What about you? Do you see your life as a ritual, or parts of it anyway? How can you invite ritual into your life? How does it look the same or different from mine?