What is a ritual? It is a familiar activity, something we do repeatedly (although not always). Rituals are ordinary activities like brushing our teeth every morning or going to work every day or the cashier who greets us with, "How are you today?" And we respond with, "I'm fine, thank you." Or rituals can be done occasionally to mark special events like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings or graduations for example. I find rituals make my life simpler in the course of everyday life. I start my day with some energy work. This includes myself as well as family members. I love this ritual. I feels as though I have my ducks in a row and can start my day connected to source. Then I have rituals for the order that I do my morning tasks. I do Yoga, then check my emails, eat breakfast, clean up my kitchen, shower and then start my work day. I like knowing without thinking what comes next. It is comforting and I easily keep moving. The familiarity is like a hug from the universe to me.
I also use rituals to make beginnings, endings and changes in my life. I create rituals for a specific situations and probably will not do that same ritual again. I find marking change and transitions with a ritual, supports the change and keeps me on track with honouring it. Rituals are a tool for me to move through the easy and the tough that is my life.
Rituals can sometimes be spontaneous. When I feel the urge to celebrate a moment of joy or pleasure (I have so many of these with my grandkids) I will honour this with jumping up and down or squealing with delight. Ritual takes the form it takes. I am not stuck on any particular form.
I want to share another ritual with you. Friday night is pizza night for me. After the pizza has been lovingly eaten and enjoyed, I take a slow, leisurely after dinner walk (passegiata the Italian term for this). I look forward to this every week. I will sometimes text my kids, that it is Friday night Pizza night, and they probably roll their eyes. But the excitement is too much for me not to share it. And if the weather does not allow for a passegiata, my after dinner is taken up with exploring music. So yum!
Gratitude is one of the constant rituals in my life that keeps me grounded. Thank you my sweet universe.
As you take two minutes to consider peace for our world today, think about the rituals in your life that you treasure.
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