DAILY RITUALS GIVE BALANCE

 In “Ritual as Remedy: Embodied Practice for Soul Care,” Mara Branscombe writes “The need for ritual is a primal and human instinct, a compelling impulse to unite with something beyond the mundane world towards the infinite… When we awaken the power to self-guide through ritual, we get intimate with the great mystery that life brings. A door opens beyond the mundane of everyday life to the sacredness that exists.”

 

Branscombe asserts that rituals serve as sanctuaries. “Mindful, intentional, and ceremonial experiences can reflect back to us both the ‘truths’ and the ‘untruths.’ This is the power of ritual: to engage and infuse life with present moment awareness, gain inspiration from our current experiences, and align with a deeper connection towards the sacred, individually and collectively.”

 

Usually when people think of rituals, they picture a church service. However, standing and singing the National Anthem is a ritual. Having high tea with a friend is another ritual. In fact, a ritual can be anything that is done with intention and attention.

 

Mindful of the potency of rituals, it is important to establish liminal spaces between humans and the Gods (Note on Altars). During a ritual, a sacred alchemy happens between the human and the Cosmos. This is because a person pays attention and holds space where the Unknown can enter. This action allows a space for the multiplicity of life.

 

More than formal activities, whose steps are etched in stone, are the daily rituals of morning coffee and other mundane activities. Daily rituals are a part of the rhythms of daily life. The threads of the tapestry of life, they weave the woof of humans with the weft of the Sacred.

 

A daily devotional practice brings balance to our lives. It is the pause in the day that establishes a rhythm and steadiness in life. The daily devotions tether people to the here and now. They act as the axis mundi between the mundane and the sacred. Through daily rituals, people align themselves to the cosmic and natural rhythms of the Worlds. These devotions give the power to the person to pause and feel any presence that may be there. By allowing ourselves to sit with the Unknown, we can feel the Gods unfolding.

 

Five Steps for a Daily Ritual

By Mara Branscombe

 

Choose a simple intention: “Today, I am praying to gracious Venus.”

Start with a simple step: List three attributes of Venus.

Have something inspire you: It could be an image of the Goddess.

Honor the ritual: To do this, set time aside to do it daily.

Release the outcome of the ritual: Allow your inner mystic to shine forth.

A Note on Altars:

An altar is a place of magic because it exists in our world and in the others. Altars are liminal spaces where the Gods and Ancestors reach out to us. An altar needs to be attended to and kept clean regularly. The more we care for our altars and have our daily rituals at them, the greater the connection between this world and the others.

 

Suggested Reading:

Mara Branscombe, “Ritual as Remedy, Embodied Practices for Soul Care.”

Julia Paulette Hollenbery, “The Healing Power of Pleasure.”

Christian Valters Paintner, “Birthing the Holy.”