When routines become rituals

Rituals are actions performed consistently. The word itself is associated with religion or spiritual practices. Our routines are actions we perform consistently and many times they do become our sacred rituals even if they have nothing to do with religion.

The small daily gestures that we repeat after understanding, even if just a little bit, who we are, where we are and where we want to go often follow a stream of consciousness. It is in these routines that we are thankful. Or it is in these routines that we escape the mental chatter and subconsciously ask for something. We do them with love...or as a request for love.

When life gets hectic and confusing, routines have a way grounding us to what we know. In routines, in our rituals, we become quiet and pensive. These are moments of meditation. Even the simplest act can become our ritual. After every shower I lather lotion on my skin. As I go over scars I remember how I got them, I reflect on what I have overcome, I am thankful for the renewal. Another ritual I perform each day is to smell the perfume on my wrists throughout the day. I think of my femininity. I come into the present moment. I honor my womanhood. My son has his routines too. He takes a bath when he is really tired. He meditates in hot water. It is his ritual. I have a friend who organizes her space when she gets too busy. She stops everything to perform this ritual. It is her way of reconnecting. Other people walk after dinner, read the paper before anyone else in the house wakes up, do the dishes with Donna Summer in the background or go for a drive when they need to make a decision.

Routines bring us closer to who we want to be. They are our point of reference. They reconnect us to our Source if we choose to do them in a meditative state of mind. Today is a good day to make any routine your meditation practice, to make it your sacred ritual.

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