Today, in our too-fast, information-overloaded society, we’ve lost much of our connection to the earth, to spirit, to nature’s cycles, to our own cycles. And yet, we still need things to feed us, to ground us, to give us courage and connection.
Good rituals are essential to our emotional, psychological, and spiritual health. To help reconnect us to the sacred aspects of our lives, we asked three experts on the subject to share everyday rituals that they’ve created or practice.
1. Welcome the Day
Greeting the new day is ingrained in our collective unconscious. Many ancient cultures had some form of morning ritual, and even now most people have a pattern for starting their day, even if it’s coffee from the same cafe. The intention is to put your mind into a positive frame and prepare your entire body for whatever stresses lie ahead.
2. Share a Family Meal
Virtually every culture has a tradition of blessing food, cooking and eating mindfully, and giving thanks for the gift of nourishment. Do this to create a setting for nurturing and togetherness.
3. Appreciation / Gratitude Ritual
For our ancestors, gratitude was a way of life, and as a result, every aspect of life presented an occasion for celebration. Offering gratitude is a way to open yourself up to giving and receiving more blessings. Sometimes it takes a simple ceremony to put us in touch with all we do have in our lives. Make this ritual a part of each day, each month, each year or whenever you feel it’s time to stop and give thanks. Thanking your Ex once in a while is a good way to start.
4. Sleep Well
Bedtime is a psychically charged time of the day, when we drop our defenses and become vulnerable. This is why most religions have a tradition of bedtime prayers. It is common to carry out a protection ritual to keep one psychically safe while asleep. Most insomnia and disturbed nights are caused by overactive minds mulling over the day’s problems.
5. Let Go
Aside from death ceremonies (like funerals), we have few traditional rituals to mark the sad endings we experience during the course of our lives. Develop a rite to provide closure. Read more about Divorce Transition Rituals and an Example of a Divorce Ritual
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Compiled from an article which appeared on www.wholeliving.com
Posted by Sinta Ebersohn (Creator of fairdivorce.co.za – Stellenbosch RSA)