We perform rituals everyday, everything that we do with intention is a ritual. From brushing our teeth, to preparing a meal, to the more personal moments that we engage in and give our full attention to. They are comforting and rewarding and yet so many go about their day, not even recognizing that they are performing rituals, they are just so engrained.
My Daughters Naming Ceremony!
But that in itself, goes to show how integral they are within our daily lives. We perform them without even knowing, because rituals are, a part of life.
But even more than that, they give us the opportunity to celebrate our lives, to celebrate each transition and mark the passing of each season. Helping us to connect with our inner self and to connect with our spiritual path.
Rituals help me to live in harmony with the earth, to deepen my understanding and awareness, so that I can let go, of this us and them mentality and embrace the idea of community, of moving forward as a collective. So that I see myself as part of the solution. So that I see the potential that lies in wait, as we come together to celebrate who we have become.
As I celebrate the seasons, acknowledging the turning of the wheel and the affect that each of those have on my well being, I gain so much insight in to what it means to be alive! To truly live. To slow down in the winter and journey within, to hive myself this time to really dream and manifest. To connect with all that I have within. So that come the spring, I am ready to venture outwards and embrace my renewed life force, just as the trees and the plants do.
Naming Ceremony
My life a reflection of the natural world, living in sync, allowing all to flow!
Each ritual is a journey, a journey of connection, a journey of empowerment. Giving myself the time to reflect and learn. We live in a world that moves so fast, that we can easily become overwhelmed, become lost in a reality that pits us against one another. Instead of bringing us together.
Rituals for me, are all about bringing us together. Most of the rituals I do, I do within my community, involving them in the journey in the celebration. Reminding us why we are here! They can be so simple, just a word to acknowledge the passing of time and the chance to share what we have learnt or they can be more intricate, forming a circle, where we take the time to call in the elements, calling on each one to help us set our intention.
I always like to do an activity that includes giving back, that encourages us to show our thanks to the natural world, from making bird feeders, to singing our thanks, to returning crystals to the earth and planting trees. If we really want to change things, we need to change the way in which we interact with the natural world, because once we do that, we then change the way with interact with other living beings too.
Spring Equinoxn and My Birthday!
Rituals, are an opportunity to open up other people's eyes to the way in which our relationship with nature, is a direct reflection of our relationship to self and to everyone in our lives. If you wish to understand who you are, that look at how you treat the earth! Rituals give us this opportunity, because they call on us to reflect and connect. To look beyond what we have been taught and to find our own answers, our own way.
I have performed hand fasting rituals, naming ceremonies, mother blessings and family blessings. Rituals that help us release our love ones that no long walk this earth and rituals for lives that were lost within the womb. Each of these allow us to honour those moments and to honour how they have made us feel. To allow ourselves to express and let go, so that we can move forward. Whilst drawing strength from the earth, allowing it to nurture us, reminding us that we are never alone.
Rituals are so important in acknowledging our rites of passage. Something, that so many miss out in, in today's society. Where we are just expected to deal with whatever comes up, to just carry on. Leaving so many disconnected and lost, searching for a way in which to mark this events and in the end, choosing what is most readily available, alcohol and drugs. Celebrating these sacred events in a destructive way, rather that connecting with our inner power and having our community around us to strengthen us even more.
Winter Solstice.
I missed out on some of those rituals, instead going down the more familiar route of alcohol and drugs, which in the end just drove me further away from who I was, weakening who I am!
Now, because of the rituals I perform, I see who I am, I see how I am a part of nature and that my life is intertwined with the seasons. Each one an opportunity to reconnect and deepen my understanding and awareness. To further me on my life journey. Because each time, I am different, I am constantly changing and evolving. Allowing myself to surrender to the natural flow of life. To trust in the universe and open my heart up, to the magic that flows.
To live simply, so that others can thrive. To see that my actions ripple out into the world, because we are all connected and there in lies our power!