Ritual is as old as human community itself, and comes in innumerable forms – from singing carols at Christmas to brushing our teeth. However, I’ve noticed that many of us feel that we don’t have the authority or permission to build the rituals we need and deserve in our lives. But in my experience, creating rituals which honour and reflect the life you have can be a deeply nourishing experience, and one I’d like to invite you to consider for your own life.
What is a ritual?
This is a question that has filled many books, but for our purposes, a ritual is a collection of actions we take to connect with ourselves, others, and/or the divine (whatever that means to us), and mark moments of transition in life. Examples might include saying a prayer, meditating, sending flowers to someone who is bereaved, or getting married. Though rituals vary hugely in purpose and form, they share the characteristic of repeating the same words or actions each time they are performed.
Why are rituals important?
Rituals invite us to step out of our usual busy lives for a moment and reflect, celebrate and acknowledge important moments in life, be that a big life change or simply the start of a new day, with all the opportunity that holds.
Why call it a ritual?
- It denotes a sense of sanctity. Of moving from ‘normal’ time to ‘sacred’ time
- It recognises the importance of the act. Though structured religion has inspired many beautiful rituals, it does not have a monopoly on the creation of meaningful rituals. You deserve to create rituals which help you connect with yourself and others, and mark moments of transition in your life. Call them what they are, and let the practice of ritual transform you.
- It encourages repetition and the forming of a new habit. Repetition can allow us to build something into our lives. And, over time, you may find you ‘drop into’ a more reflective, open frame of mind more easily as your body, mind and spirit become familiar with your new ritual.
Where to start?
Here are just a few of the spaces in your life into which you could weave some of the magic of ritual:
- Your morning routine
It is possible to go through an entire day and never really check in with yourself at all. In this state of auto-pilot, it is much easier to ignore the many subtle but real ways in which our body and mind try to communicate how we’re really feeling. A morning ritual can help you enter the day more mindfully.
Aim to create a time and space which gives you a moment to slow down and tune in. It might start with some meditation, some form of gentle movement or a few minutes of writing. Personally, I take a moment to write an affirmation for the day, starting with the phrase ‘may I approach today with ____’, tailoring it to whatever I feel I need that day. Consider how to introduce a sense of ritual to the actions, such as lighting a candle which you only burn at this time. - Count daily gratitudes
Counting your blessings is scientifically proven to improve many facets of your health, but in particular, gratitude’s ability to connect us to the bigger picture is what makes it so beautifully nourishing for the soul.
Simply take a moment to write down or notice three things for which you can feel grateful each day. Start small – they doesn’t have to be huge miracles or achievements – in fact, better if they aren’t. If you start to find yourself listing the same things every day, challenge yourself to consider new things for which you are grateful. - Observe a weekly rest or Sabbath
Give your heart, body and spirit the permission to abstain from work and creativity each week. It is a really powerful medicine and a wonderful form of self-care, and how you practice this ritual is up to you. More on this here! - Mark moments of transition
This is where the magic of ritual really starts to make itself felt. Every community marks different milestones in life. Some of them are widespread, such as births, deaths and marriages. Other moments that are no less pivotal or important often don’t receive the same treatment. Examples might include professional achievements, a significant point in a therapy journey, or the end of a relationship. Or perhaps, the rituals that you have experienced in your religious and cultural background don’t resonate with you. I encourage you to mark all these liminal spaces in ways which feel safe and sacred for you. You might light a candle and take a moment alone, to simply acknowledge what has passed, and welcome something new into your life. You might open a bottle and dance around the kitchen table to a favourite song with a person you trust. You might gather your friends and family around you to share a meal, and invite them to share their blessings and reflections as you cross a new threshold in your life. You might use a sharing circle as a way to catch up meaningfully with friends you wish you saw more (more on sharing circles here). When you create a safe and sacred setting, it is pretty magical how it enables connection and the sharing of loving truth. Sometimes, all you need to do is to create the physical and spiritual space.
The blessings which ritual can offer to us as we navigate life, from the doldrums of the day-to-day to the major milestones, is one of the insights I wanted to share when I started writing this blog. Your life and its milestones deserve reflection, celebration and acknowledgement, and if your cultural and spiritual background doesn’t offer rituals which feel safe and sacred, it’s time to start building your own. You don’t need anyone’s permission – but if it helps, here’s me giving you mine! Get creating…
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4 prompts for creating the spiritual life you want in 2021 - The Religion Beat
January 13, 2021 at 1:06 pm[…] Explore ritualRitual has been a part of human community since the earliest societies. It simply means a practice or behaviour that has certain repetitive elements and which seek to achieve a particular (often shared) purpose. For example, the singing of happy birthday over a candlelit cake seeks to make a fuss of the birthday person (whether they want that or not…). The repetition of the Lord’s Prayer reinforces a shared creed and also gets the whole room praying in concert. Celebration of the new year with partying and festivities it has been suggested, allows us to reconnect with the dawning of time itself. When acts are ritualised, it helps us to arrive and recognise the sacredness of any given moment. According to historian of religion Mircea Eliade, rituals create a ‘time out of time’. You can gift that to yourself – a time away from chores, obligations and the mundane realities of life, to connect with what truly matters. But again, it’s easy to think that only religions or established groups get to define what rituals are meaningful or valid. But this isn’t true. Actually, it’s simpler than it sounds. For instance, at the end of my daily morning meditation, I always bring my hands together in a prayerful gesture and simply count three things I’m grateful for. I light a candle before I write creatively. Sometimes, I burn dried mugwort (a European variant of the more widely known sage) to cleanse a space or invite in something new to my life. There’s a particular tree stump I pat on my morning walks, to remind myself that the woodland has a life and power of its own that I must respect. Take a moment to consider any rituals you have with family, friends or by yourself. Now consider how you might use the tools of ritual – to create special time in your own day or week. For more inspiration, read Casper Ter Kuile’s beautiful and practical book ‘The Power of Ritual’ or take a look at my post ‘4 rituals for meaningful moments‘. […]