I find I am a creature of ritual rather than habit and this distinction has really helped me take ownership of my mornings. Habits are rote routines but ritual is sacred time when nothing is forced, planned, or done the same exact way twice. It is a place where we can be in deeper flow and connection to the mysterious workings of the universe and our own creative fire. My mornings begin with candles and quiet, sage and spaciousness, and of course writing. Mornings are spent unraveling life’s offerings from the day before after all that’s happened and what it means to me has had a chance to marinate overnight. Dreams come, insight and inspiration comes and the fresh start of each morning is where I get a chance to integrate some of these ideas, be grateful, and give something back.

Usually a sentence or a snippet comes up that makes sense out of something that’s had me baffled and this jumpstarts the writing. A phrase or title might show up to point me in the direction of a new possibility or overlooked connection. And always there is a chance to re-evaluate and rethink what I thought I knew for sure. It’s the time to be in my own natural rhythm, just following what comes up in whatever order it arrives and seeing where it takes me. Some mornings start with brewing tea and standing out on the deck to welcome the dawn. There is yoga and meditation, sometimes a walk, a small bonfire, or planting something in the garden and all of these things combined, in one way or another, creates the flow of my morning. But whatever it is that comes it is my truth, and it brings with it a feeling of aliveness, an authenticity, and deep appreciation.

There is time for introspection, ease, and reverence for all that’s still unknown and all that is making it’s way to the surface to be lived. It’s a time of puttering and putting things together without really knowing what will come of it. Sincere desire for growth and transformation underpins the things I do and the feelings that come during my mornings of ritual and writing and this magical synergy is what creates a springboard for the way I live the rest of my life.

The truth is the morning is when I am most like myself, before the masks I wear or the rules I play by have a chance to creep back in. I am stripped bare in the mornings, no pretense, no hiding, no making do. Who I am and the possibilities of who I will become are most alive in the mornings, ready to be seen and seized. I am in the process of creation and there are no boundaries and definitely no faking. That’s the truth at the center of my ceremony of mornings.

I suppose it is really the ceremony of Self. The time to unravel and unwrap and come closer to those authentic pieces of myself that play hide and seek with me during the day or that get lost in all the work that needs doing. The morning time is when I get to test these parts of myself out, wade around in them, see how they fit and discover how I can live them more and more in the rest of my life. Writing and ritual is the process by which I become more of myself.

And how about you? What does your sacred ceremony of Self look like? What does ritual mean to you? Do you create time and space to engage with what’s most important to you? What rests deep inside of you that wants to be seen and lived and how do you create a bridge to be more of your authentic self in your daily life?

kb

P.S. This is going to be a thread that runs through the ritual kits, cards, and classes I’m developing. If you’d like to share your ceremonies of Self I’d love to hear all about them! Please email me at seedingthesoul@gmail.com.