Why I am all about rituals.

Intention and Actions in Sequence

I’ve been mentioning rituals for awhile now. Even sharing some of the gratitude and healing rituals I enjoy practicing. But I have never really talked about why I am all about rituals and ceremony. I love the word ritual. There is just something about it that excites me. And at the same time I like that anything can be a ritual. It doesn’t need to be beautiful or fancy or even require any objects. Like a cooking ritual, a bathroom ritual or a bedtime ritual. In this way a ritual is just a habit which makes it more accessible for everyone.

Ceremonies are something I have been practicing for about three years now since I have been learning the ways of curanderismo. Ceremony in the ways of curanderismo is a very specific traditional process. But not all ceremonies are that way. Some can look a lot more like a ritual. Even the self-massage ritual I shared with you last time could be called a ceremony. So in a lot of ways the two words may be used interchangeably. Use the word that resonates with you more. Whether it is a ritual or a ceremony the important thing is the intention behind it and doing some actions in sequence. I like the word ritual so I am going to use that word.

Why is this important? Rituals can help us be more clear and focused on our intentions. I think rituals can help us connect to something bigger than ourselves like nature or a higher power to help us with our intention. Rituals can help us create new habits. Rituals can help us be immersed in what we are doing; fully present without distraction. Finally creating rituals and ceremonies around these intentions elevates them giving them more importance.

Think about the rituals and/or ceremonies that you practice in your life. Think about the rituals and/or ceremonies that involve gratitude. Even if gratitude is just a small piece of the larger ritual it helps to recognize that we already have practice doing this. After exploring all of this, create a ritual or ceremony that you would like to practice with the intention of gratitude. Sometime this weekend try out your new ritual or ceremony. I’d love to hear how it goes if you’d like to share.

We don’t have too much ritual in our life anymore. And these life symbols which people rely on to keep their feeling of well being, that life is not too bad after all are required more and more.
~John Hench

What are you grateful to connect to when you do a gratitude ritual or ceremony?

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[su_note note_color=”#e7e7e7″ text_color=”#686767″ radius=”0″] My gratitude journey started in May 2011 and continues to this day. Thank you for being a part of it! A daily gratitude practice is simple. Write down three things you are grateful for each day. Download your free GratitudeGuide. My clients focus on gratitude and learn from their successes to make the positive changes they want in their lives. You can too. Call me to set up our first meeting 505.333.9336. [/su_note]