Ritual as Reminder
Yesterday, the ever delightful and inspiring Jamie Ridler (@starshyne on Twitter) tweeted this:
It’s Money Monday. This is the day of the week I check in with my money, do my budget, etc. It’s my weekly honouring abundance ritual.”
Now, I do my bookkeeping on Mondays too. But I do not have a weekly honouring abundance ritual.
And I want one.
I want morning rituals and evening rituals. Week-ending rituals, sabbath rituals, week-starting rituals. Lunch rituals. Dinner rituals. Housecleaning rituals. Bathing rituals. Seasonal rituals.
The first level of changing one’s relationship with time seems to be about learning to make choices – what you do, how, when – and finding ways to stay awake to your experience.
The second level of changing one’s relationship with time seems to be about deepening that mindfulness – as in: now that I’m doing what I want to be doing, I don’t want to just be awake to it, I want to get into it.
We are months away from winter when I truly crave ritual, yet something always tips sometime after summer solstice and there is already that spark of yearning for ceremony, for slower observation, for more stillness.
I am wanting spaces in which to be reminded.
The intriguing challenge before me? Learning ways to create that space.
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1024 days ago,
randomling said:
Oh how interesting! I want rituals too! Because they are so cool and useful for reminding you to be in the place where you want to be.
What a lovely post. I hope you keep us updated with what you decide on. :D
1024 days ago,
Cairene said:
@randomling
Thanks! I’m really into Waverly Fitzgerald‘s stuff right now – which relates to rituals – so the plan in my head is to share what comes from working through her material… we’ll see how it turns out and if/when it makes it onto the blog. ;-)
1024 days ago,
jamieridlerstudios said:
What a delicious post and a beautiful conversation. I’m a ritual lovebug too and a part of it for me is celebration, a deep celebration of life and of the moment.
I’ll be excited to see what you create :)
1024 days ago,
mellyhocking said:
i used to think rituals would make me a boring, predictable person (which is a huge fear of mine). now I love the thought of them.
introducing some into my day has been fun and the process of finding ones that work for me, is exciting. Right now, I am trying a night time ritual as a way of moving into the next day (per the phone call we had last week). i find it comforting & a really good way to look at my next steps more proactive and not from a state of pushy and panicked.
i’m eager to see where this journey takes you, cairene…
Waverly Fitzgerald stuff is way cool. I like her thoughts about seasons. Intriguing.
1024 days ago,
Cairene said:
@Jamie
Celebration! That’s it. That’s what I was reaching for with “get into it.” Darling, you are no end of inspiration! Thank you again.
1024 days ago,
Cairene said:
@Melly
I love that you’ve found a way to be grounded (which is not at all the same as being boring and predictable). Inspired by your example!
1024 days ago,
Hiro Boga said:
Cairene, thanks for this lovely reminder of “that spark of yearning for ceremony, for slower observation, for more stillness.”
I seem to need stillness, ceremony, slow observation even more in the summer than in the winter. Maybe it helps balance these long, lovely, outward-leaning days. The bright ballooning of heat and sun.
Morning and evening rituals in the summer remind me to open and close, rather than just open and keep on opening! :-)
Love, Hiro
1024 days ago,
Cairene said:
@Hiro
First, I adore you and your writing – such beauty in just this little comment. Thank you for sharing it.
A reminder to “open and close, rather than just open and keep on opening!” Well, that’s spring and summer isn’t it? Maybe that’s why I don’t think to do rituals in the first half of the year? I mean, I need them just as much, I’m just so caught up in opening I forget about them. Which just brings us back to wanting reminders… Hoping the rituals I’m inspired to create and practice in the second half of the year will continue to be used and serve me in the next first half…