Blips
Summertime… and the ritualizing is easy!
For some reason, when I sat down to write this, it became a long-winded, drawn-out struggle. How ironic is that?! Writing about ritual, a subject I know deeply and love passionately, should be a piece of cake. I often call ritual “sacred play” and I certainly wasn’t feeling very playful. I think it’s because I’ve written and taught SO much about transformative ritual over the years that I was finding it impossible to distill all of that fabulous brilliance <groan> into a short, sweet piece. How often do we do that to ourselves? I don’t need to give you a full synopsis of my Master’s thesis. All I need to do is give you the basics and your natural, divinely feminine wisdom will fill in the rest.
So, here are the simple ingredients:
1) Clear intention. What is the purpose of the ritual? What do you want to accomplish? The more focused we are, the more powerful and evocative the ritual is.
2) Creating sacred time and space. How do we set this enactment apart from our everyday lives? We must physically create the time and place away from the bustle of our daily routine -- in effect, constructing the "container" within which we may encounter the quieter, deeper parts of ourselves.
3) Use of symbols. Symbols are the language of the unconscious. If our intention is to make a shift in some area of our lives, superficial band-aids won't work. We must begin at the source, somewhere deep in our psyches, and tickle the core issues to the surface. Symbols serve to focalize our attention on the work of the ritual and to evoke powerful memories and emotions.
4) Stimulating all five senses. Some of us resonate strongly with visual symbols while others respond more to auditory or kinesthetic stimuli, like music and dancing. Ingesting special "brews" or ritual food activates our sense of taste, while scented candles and incense tickles our olfactory sense and directly triggers our limbic system, the emotional center of our brain. By integrating all of these modalities into our ritual, each of us can find meaning, regardless of our sensory strengths or weaknesses.
Just to get you started, let’s take an occasion that’s a favorite event for lots of us – celebrating a birthday. How might you add a little deeper intention to the standard party/cake/presents routine? I’ve hosted parties for friends and asked the guests to bring a beautiful bead. At some point in the party, we sit in a circle and everyone shares what’s special about the birthday girl as they add their bead to a necklace. Then we toast the birthday goddess with her favorite wine, sing one of my favorite non-traditional birthday songs (call me and I’ll sing it for you!) and pig out on cake. So simple, but so lovely and meaningful.
I’ve given you some more magical ideas in the Rite-Minded Moments below and hope you’ll discover lots of new ones as you explore ways to effortlessly incorporate more sacred play into your life. Please do let me know what you come up with!
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RITE-MINDED MOMENTS
Candle magic – this one is truly multi-purpose. I’ve used it with my wedding couples, at First Night celebrations for the New Year, in baby showers for new mothers, and even with my son’s fifth grade class years ago! Simply find a pillar candle (at least 3” diameter) and create sacred space with some lovely music. Using a pen or big nail, carve into it all of your dreams/wishes/goals and sweeten those wishes with a little taste of honey. Then, anoint the candle with essential oils and lots of glitter. See how easily you can incorporate all of those ritual ingredients? Check out my article at: www.spiritedwomen.net/pdf/candlemagic.pdf for more details and for the magical meaning of different colors and oil. Definitely fun for all ages.
Create an amulet – here’s another you can adapt for any purpose. Is your intention to focus more on self care, empowerment, or slowing down? Create sacred space by lighting a candle, then write down or state your intention out loud. Pick a special object – a piece of jewelry, a crystal, a beautiful shell – and meditate with it to imbue it with your intention. Toast yourself with some favorite food or drink to seal the deal, then place your newly charged talisman somewhere to remind you of your intention regularly… maybe on your desk, or in your coat pocket so it’s always nearby to see or touch.
Rite-Minded Women is brought to you by Deborah Roth