Rituals

I have faith in rituals. My faith is not in the having any control over anything with my performance of a ritual. What I have faith in, trust in, is the outcome. This outcome is not necessarily immediate, but it is cumulative. In rituals I find comfort, connection to Spirit, grounding, reorientation, gratitude and a sense of order resulting in my well-being. No matter what, I am well. I put faith in, I receive goodness, well-being, awareness, wisdom, knowledge and a-ha.

Throughout my day I participate and respond spontaneously as I need to, yet, all goes better when I honor my rituals – morning meditation, writing, reading. Sometimes I have to adjust, to say yes to something else. The adjustment helps. Forgoing my rituals does not. At night, I take time to reconnect, unwind and decompress with other smaller yet just-as-important rituals that help me relax, sleep and mend. These rituals are part of my health, productivity, peace of mind and joy. They recharge me. There's more to these rituals and there are more of them. Some are daily, some are not. They bring cohesion to all that I am. Rites right my thinking.

The word ritual has a religious connotation. Rituals need not be religious. They align our energy and our psyche to what we believe. They can be a form of meditation. They bring composure to our scatteredness and keep us connected to who we are and what is important to us. Rituals can be as simple as a ball player making the sign of the holy cross at the bat, drinking a cup of tea in the bathtub every morning, lighting a candle in memory of a loved one, reading a verse from scripture before bed or going for a three-mile-run in gratitude for good health. They can also be more intricate and involved, by ourselves or with others.

This Wednesday morning is part of my ritual. Maybe reading this is part of yours. Rituals are an honoring, an observance of ourselves and our lives. Today is a good day to observe yourself and your life in a special way. What will your ritual be?

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