The holiday season is here. During this busy, social period of time, we tend to move away from our usual rituals and routines for a moment. It’s a beautiful thing to take the time and space to re-evaluate how our rituals affect our lives, and adjust and set new intentions for the new year.
Rituals motivate and move us. Through rituals we build families and community, we make transitions and mark important events in our lives, we express ourselves in joy and sorrow, and perhaps, most importantly, we create and sustain identity.
People engage in rituals with the intention of achieving a wide set of desired outcomes, from reducing their anxiety to boosting their confidence, alleviating their grief to performing well in a competition – or even making it rain.
Unlike habits which are often mindless, rituals are generally mindful – a series of actions carried out for a specific purpose and with a specific intention.
Rituals are as diverse as there are human beings. They can come in every shape and colour.
From shamanic rites of passage to modern-day self-help rituals.
From dancing around the fire to meditating or praying daily.
From retreating into nature for a period of time alone to participating in festivals and celebrations for a specific purpose.
There are likely many rituals in your life that you have set without realising. Maybe it’s that midday cup of tea, encouraging you to slow down, sip, and take a breath. Maybe it’s your morning walk, or taking time to cook dinner each evening.
Our lives are filled with rituals – which ones serve you best?
Self-Care Rituals
Daily self-care rituals are activities or routines that you do regularly to support your health and wellbeing.
Rituals may or may not be spiritual in nature, but what they do have in common is that they have a positive impact on your wellbeing.
Simply put, self-care rituals are healthy habits with intention.
What do you do on a daily, monthly, and yearly basis to support your wellbeing?
Do you look after your diet? Exercise regularly? Meditate or do yoga? Read or watch inspiring content?
Daily self-care rituals help you stay focused on how you would like your day to flow and what qualities you want to bring forth in your life.
Evening self-care rituals to help you unwind from your busy day:
- Soaking in the tub with essential oils, epsom salts, herbs…
- Restorative movement practises and stretching
- Reading
- Journaling
- Practising gratitude
Intention Setting & Rituals
We can use rituals to amplify an intention we would like to focus on.
Your intention might be to let go of someone or something in your life, so you can ask yourself how a ritual could support this process.
You may want to burn or burry something, or let go of something symbolic. The power of creating your own ritual is infinite and organic at the same time. There is no right or wrong, only your intention, creativity, and imagination.
Nature as the catalyst for Rituals
Mother Nature is a beautiful catalyst and spaceholder for rituals.
She teaches us how to let go of things and how to bring new life into being.
You can let go of habits/beliefs as you are sending leaves down a stream. You can sit around a fire and burn old ways of being. Or you can collect symbols that represent the new – qualities, habits, and routines you would like to implement into your life more.
Do you feel grounded on a daily basis?
‘Grounding’ or ‘Earthing’ is the simple act of walking on grass (or sand, moss, soil…) barefoot.
Walking without shoes and taking a moment to connect with Mother Earth will take you back to your childhood and the simple joy of being outdoors.
Grounding will help you reconnect and centre yourself.
You can combine rituals with the cycles of nature.
I love to set intentions during the New Moon phase for the new moon cycle, and to celebrate life and abundance during Full Moon.
Another beautiful way to integrate rituals in your life are linking them with the seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter.
Each of these seasons have a different smell, feel, and quality to them. They can guide us to call in the qualities we might need in order to feel grounded, well, and clear.
What sort of rituals do you want to implement in the new year?
Your new year’s resolution doesn’t have to be overwhelming, life shattering or far reaching.
It can be as simple as: feeling better each day. Finding ways to reduce anxiety. Creating more time to just breathe.
