Rituals and Daily Magic
Rituals, ceremonies, traditions. However we name them, rituals have a way of elevating the mundane to be intentional and sacred. Rituals are about taking the normality of life and sprinkling it with magic. Creating rituals within our day doesn’t have to mean adding something else to our collectively busy schedule. In fact, by reframing an act you always perform during the day into a ritual (think making dinner, eating dinner, making a cup of tea), you will bring intention to a part of your life, making the ordinary seem special and the special seem extraordinary. And the more intention we live with, the more fulfilled we become. The significance of a ritual is the state of mind we enter into during the practice, where we see those moments as a break from the unremarkable, turned in to something extraordinary and deeply grounding. It’s an opportunity to remember the sacred and honor the experience we call life, adding layers of depth and distinction. A moment to satiate the desire for connection to something larger and more profound than us as individuals.
A ritual isn’t innately sacred, but the sacred element comes from the intention behind it. Preparing a cup of tea is not a sacred ritual unless we set an intention to honor the plants in the infusion, honor the wellness they bring into our bodies, and elevate that moment of our day by turning off the phone or the computer, and sitting down to enjoy it. There’s no intention behind mindlessly sipping a cup of tea while running from one chore to another, distracted by the schedule ahead. Instead, prepare yourself to tackle that schedule by collecting your energy and focusing on the quiet moments you can claim.
Anything really can become a ritual. Washing the dishes and reflecting on the food that was eaten and the people with whom the meal was shared. Feeding your dog and taking that moment to find joy in the friendship they bring to your daily life, see the serving of their food as your connection to sustaining the joy of companionship. Watering your houseplants and taking a moment to look at their new growth and reflect on the clean air and energy they add to your space.
Use compassionate self-awareness to consider your habits and examine which of them has the potential to bring more fulfillment and wellness to your life. Start there. Everyday rituals are mindful habits. Find one or two everyday rituals to focus with intention. When we turn off the noisy digital world and spend the time connecting to friends, family, our environment, or ourselves, we feel more connected, and those connections are imbued with purpose and meaning.
Once you are practicing some daily rituals, find seasonal rituals. The solstices have long been centered in ritual for the important cycles they parent. Planting that first tray of seeds in late winter, witnessing the first spring buds of new life, the first summer meal outside. Have you ever felt like seasons or holidays have crept up or passed by and there was no magic in it, you think, ‘oh well, there’s always next year to make it special’? I have been guilty of this too many times. I was waiting for someone else to bring the magic of those seasons to me. It was an awakening when I had a moment of clarity and comprehension that I was the only one who could create magic for myself, and the more magic I create, the more it will imbue the community around me. Make it your goal to seek magic, to create magic, through small celebrations. The stress of large celebrations, or the need to feel perfect and in control, are ways that we distance ourselves yet again from the real moments of grace. Connection, self-love, transformation, comfort, deep and satisfying joy. These are the things waiting for us behind intentional rituals.
What rituals do you practice?