DAILY RITUALS

The new year in the West is a time for reflecting on the past year and considering what you want to manifest in the coming year. This often comes in the form of a resolution. Many people come up with resolutions that resolutely fail to come to fruition.

               Dr. Katy Milkman, professor at the University of Pennsylvania and expert on behavior change, calls New Years a good time for one-and-done goals. Take the increased energy and motivation you feel to do one thing to really make a difference. This could be scheduling a much-needed health screening or joining a gym or spiritual community. To create and maintain long-term goals throughout the year, though, you need scaffolding.

               Scaffolding is the framework and structure that supports your work. A daily ritual is a great way to start laying the foundation for this structure. Daily rituals are practices that will help you maintain the core of your energy body. This keeps your body, mind, and Soul functioning as effectively as possible. This exercise for the Soul helps you stay grounded, decisive, truthful to your path, and loving while maintaining your boundaries.

               What is a ritual? Repeated behaviors related to awe that connect you to powers greater than yourself. Rituals bring the numinous into your daily life. How? Let’s answer that by asking about the why, where, how, when, and who.

Why am I doing this? Your Helping Spirits goal and priority is to help you live your Soul’s purpose. They are non-egoic, so they want nothing in return. Connecting with them daily builds a strong and trusting relationship. My HS are wise, funny, crass, tough, truthful, yet sometimes hard to understand. The deeper our relationship, and the more often we converse, the better I am able to understand their messages and translate them into action.

               Where is an altar. This does not have to be big or elaborate. Just consider it a physical space for you to connect. It can be a shelf, table, or drawer. Inside or outside. The more you practice in a particular location, the easier it is for them to find you and for you to access them when needed.

What do you place on the altar? Pictures, incense, pinecones or twigs from around your home, objects of importance, or items representing Helping Spirits and/or Ancestors. A candle is often a good way to begin.

How do I work with this altar? Light the candle. Connect with Grandfather Fire. Ask to help you release what is not yours to hold onto and mold what may be disconnected within you. Fire also provides the light for your guides to come to you. Ask your guides for help, advice, energy, or even healing you need for the coming day.

               When to practice? The morning is typically best time to prime your day. This does not have to take hours. If you have only 10 seconds, that’s OK. You may have days you can spend more time. If you skip a day, that’s OK too. And if nighttime works better, or before you go to bed, do it. This is your practice. Make it work best for you.

               Who is doing this ritual? This is my favorite question. Do your best to show up as you are. Without filters or preconceived notions. Ask and connect with an open heart. You can also connect and embody your True Soul Self before connecting with your altar. Your guides know you and are here to help. Let them.

               John O’Donohue says, “…when we stand before crucial thresholds in our lives, we have no rituals to protect, encourage, and guide us as we cross over into the unknown.” Practicing a daily ritual can help you to prevent harm and illness and create more productive, purposeful, and heart-filled days.