Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Importance of Ritual, Part 2

By Mary on September 27, 2010

Last week I talked about the difference between ritual and routine, and that intention plays a big part.  This week, I’m going to talk about why I would want to make more of my routines into rituals.

Several of you left comments last week about how the shift in perspective from routine to ritual helped make those things flow more easily.  I’ve certainly noticed that in my life. For example, each night before bed I prepare my raw breakfast for the morning.  I pour the filtered water in the bowl, and put the seeds and oats in to soak.  For me, this ritual is about nourishing my body in a healthy way and starting my day off right.  I end the day preparing for the next day, telling the Universe I plan to wake up in the morning, and creating a circular flow to my days.  And so flow is a big reason to focus on ritual.

One of my core beliefs is that I am a soul having a human experience.  My soul is an extension of the Creator.  I am made of Divine Source energy, and so is everyone and everything in my experience.  When I am coming from a place of ritual, I am recognizing and honoring the Divine in all aspects of my life.  I feel my experiences are more meaningful to me when I approach them with a sense of the Sacred operating in me and through me.

Ritual is a great way to signal your mind that you are moving into a different space.  I have a ritual of writing in my journal, drawing cards from a couple of different oracle decks, and meditating.  I gather all the things I will need on my bed, sit cross-legged up by my pillow and tuck the blankets on my lap.  I feel cozy, and I have cued my mind that we’re going to be here for a while.  My mind moves into meditation easier sitting there after writing than it does if I just sit down and decide to journal.

Another reason to change a routine into a ritual is for those tasks that I just don’t enjoy.  I can usually think of about a hundred other things I could be doing than folding the laundry.  On the days where it is just part of the routine, I often get distracted, and it takes me four times as long to finish, because I really don’t want to be doing it.  It gets done a lot faster and easier when I look at the chore as a way to serve my family.  It is an expression of my love for my children that I sort and fold their laundry (they still have to put it away ;) ). It also is a perfect time to practice mindfulness meditation!

Thank you for all your comments last week!  Please leave more comments below and let me know what routines you are turning into rituals.

Blessings,

Mary

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The Importance of Ritual, Part 1

By Mary on September 20, 2010

What do you think of when you see the word “ritual”?  Do you picture candles and chanting?  Or do you visualize all the things you do when you first wake up in the morning?

Okay, okay.  The things you do when you wake up in the morning are probably just a routine.  Or are they?

Let’s start by figuring out the difference between a ritual and a routine. Wikipedia says…

A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers, or dictated purely by logic, chance, necessity, etc.

Routine is a course of normative, standardized actions or procedures that are followed regularly, often repetitiously.

For me, a routine is something I do from habit.  It is a program I have created in my life, much like one would craft a computer program, something that runs without having to think about it.  It’s the route I take to get to work in the morning, or to drive home at night.

A ritual on the other hand, is a series of actions I take mindfully, that prepare me to transition into another frame of mind.

Using our example of getting up in the morning, let’s say I wake up, drink some water, have breakfast and get dressed. If I do all of these things every day without thinking about it, because it’s what I’ve done every day for the last several years, then it is just a routine.

However, if I drink the glass of water because I understand that it gently starts my digestion process and moves my body from fasting to eating while hydrating my body; if I eat breakfast and get dressed mindfully, knowing that these actions are transitioning me from sleepiness to wakefulness, and as preparation to go to work, now I have made my morning routine into a ritual.

In my case, on work days, it is more of a ritual.  On my weekends, it is routine.  It happens a little more haphazardly over a much longer period of time.

Another thing that helps me distinguish between routine and ritual is my intention.  A sense of sacredness and purpose turns a routine into a ritual.

Next week I’ll talk more about why I would want to have more ritual and less routine in my life.  See you then!

Blessings,

Mary

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Golden Firefly Bubbles

By Mary on September 13, 2010

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been reading on several different topics, including manifestation and abundance.  One of my daily practices has been the 40 Day Prosperity Plan, from The Abundance Book.  Each day there is a statement to read and meditate on.  After my meditation yesterday, I was feeling tired, so I decided to rest for a bit.

And then the magic happened.  With my eyes closed, I saw little golden specks coming towards me.  They were like little fireflies, or the sparks rising from a fire.  At the same time as I could see them, I could feel them rising inside me, like effervescent bubbles from a bath bomb, or when you open a bottle of carbonated drink that has been shaken just a little bit.

It started out as just a small amountof “firefly bubbles”, then there were hundreds and thousands flowing to me and through me.  I felt I was undergoing a transformation.  It was exciting and tickly and refreshing and it lasted only a second or two, though it felt like quite a while.  After the rush had past, I was left with a feeling of peace and joy, bliss even. I also knew in my bones that wherever it was that I was holding myself back, whatever blockage I had put in place for myself had been cleared away, and that I was know fully in the flow of abundance.

I drifted through the rest of the day, taking care of life’s details, but I reflected on my experience again before going to sleep. By thinking about it, I could brnig the feeling back. I was really struck by the thought that I could feel the firefly bubbles inside me, and I could see them coming from outside me.  I realized that this was the experience of manifestation.  I create my reality from within, through feeling (preferably good feelings!), and then I see that coming back to me from outside.  The results are visible,  though the feeling is the important initiator.

I’ve read about the process of manifestation, and I know I have manifested different experiences and things in my life, but for the first time I really feel like I “get” it now!  That momentary experience explained it to me clearer than any book or lecture.  And I am extremely grateful!

I’d love to hear about profound “aha” moments from your life!  Leave a comment and share with me.

Blessings,

Mary

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Back to School and Technical Difficulties

By Mary on September 6, 2010

Yes, it’s that time of year again…back to school.  I’m not one of your typical parents who rejoices at sending my kids away for hours of the day.  Sure, it has its benefits, but it also has its negative aspects as well.  Like children becoming more oriented to their peers than their parents.  But I’ll save the homeschooling argument for another day.

I’ve decided to take some classes as well.  My church has some courses that it offers online, and relatively inexpensively, too.  I know that I am more disciplined if I have others relying on me, so I’ve gathered a group of my friends to form a study group, and we’re all going to take the classes together. I’m also debating taking a meditation course online, though I may wait until I have completed the other course to begin that. I’m quite excited, but I don’t want to over do it!

One of the components is an online classroom, and when I installed the software the other evening, I discovered that my computer is too old and slow.  I need more RAM and a newer graphics card.  It’s a long weekend, though, so I have to wait until the computer stores are open tomorrow to see about the upgrades I need.  Because my computer is so old, I can’t find the parts at Staples, or Future Shop.  I even spent much of the weekend attempting to get other old hardware to work in my machine!

One of the quotes my husband and I live by is, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”  My computer has not been growing, so it has been slowly becoming quite outdated.  Just like me, when I don’t keep learning and keep my mind active.  Whether it is improving my parenting skills, my financial literacy, or learning the process of manifestation (or all of the above at the same time!), I like to keep my mind quite active.

What are you learning about right now?  Please leave a comment and let me know.  I may want to learn with you!

Blessings,

Mary

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