Reflection Ten: RITUALS

Having both routines and rituals are important in our daily lives. Although they have similarities, the words have slightly different meanings.

Writer, Maria Popova explains the difference by saying,

‘While routine aims to make the chaos of everyday life more containable and controllable, ritual aims to imbue the mundane with an element of the magical. The structure of routine comforts us, and the specialness of ritual vitalizes us’

Rituals are essentially actions that we do often that hold sacred value. What makes a ritual sacred is the intentthat lies beneath it. The word, 'Sacred' stems from the Latin word sacrum which relates to power and strength.

 In this sense, a sacred ritual is an action that you do with intent and meaning, which therefore gives it power! Everyday we have the opportunity to create rituals in our lives by transforming the mundane into sacred and meaningful activities.

For you, creating a ritual might be as simple as consciously turning your current morning routine- your morning coffee/tea, your shower etc- into a time of self reflection and meditation. The important thing is that you tune into yourself each time. By turning everyday routines into rituals you allow yourself to choose how you want to feel and both visualise and connect with your highest self.

Your bedtime ritual similarly could focus on reflection and celebration for the day that has passed- regardless of how much you have achieved in the day, you have the opportunity to spend time giving power to your thoughts and manifesting the life you want to live.

TAKE-HOME MESSAGE:

To reach our desired goals in life it is important to have rituals that we do daily with correct intent. Rituals are important as they not only keep us grounded and focused but they also increase confidence, sense of self and they boost happiness levels!