let’s talk ritual.

ritual is necessary component of spiritual health and maintenance.

the word “ritual” evokes emotion in our very core and it’s oftentimes a few competing emotions—fear, comfort, curiosity, overwhelm. ritual has layers of meaning around it that we’ve acquired through religious conditioning, distancing from the mystic, and the stigmatizing of reclaiming our own indigenous practices.

with the loss of indigineity, our mother tongues, our plant wisdom, our homelands, we’ve lost our rituals. and so now, as we allow ourselves space to unravel our own layers, we allow in the space to create rituals of our own.

without our movements of comfort, our tools of protection, or our consistent practices, we are left vulnerable.

what does ritual look like?

ritual has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  it holds space, invites in spirit, and leaves from for ancestors to speak and be spoken to. ritual is a vital key that we oftentimes live our whole lives missing. it is a progression of acts and the use of tools that speaks to us in a language our bones speak. it is remembering the steps to a dance your body so desperately seeks to complete.

how do you create ritual?

first and foremost, you listen. you listen to your inner inclinations, longings, and forms of expression. you begin somewhere you feel compelled to begin. even if the movements, the words, or the tools feel unfamiliar, stick with it and begin. you can learn from elders, from teachers, or from nature. i want to note that ritual used without given permission from indigenous culture that are not your own will lack potency. if you’re working with medicines, songs, teaching, without asking, you’re missing out on the whole point of ritual in the first place.

can ritual change?

yes. there are traditions that have preserved ritual by remaining untouched by time but that doesn’t mean your ritual has to be the same way. your rituals can change with time of day, your emotions, or even your environment. this is why listening to the inner voice and trusting your desires is crucial in developing ritual.

incorporating ritual in our day-to-day lives requires simplicity. keep your rituals accessible to what calls to you, how much time you have, and what you feel called to do. don’t let overwhelm of ritual prevent you from participating. something is better than nothing.

ritual is a topic i can go on and on and on about…and i plan to. look out for a workshop offering next month that helps us dive into accessible, practical ritual.