In Defense of Long, Meditative Rituals

How We Used to Be

In the past, people would do things like go to the market every day, set the table in a specific way with a table cloth that they would change daily, take things to a temple to be blessed, attend Latin Mass each and every day, wake during the small hours to pray, or even have a ritual each day. While we sometimes make time for those today, we don't really seem to put much focus on it. With so much going on in life, the idea of losing an hour or more a day to something can be ludicrous. But this kind of intentional slowing down of your day is something that our elders found great value in.

Even people who do yoga or meditate often find that they are cutting their practice short, that they want to mix it up, that the idea of doing something over and over again will drive them up the wall. Personally, I get this, because I too find myself wanting to do different things each day. I should be braiding and greasing my hair while I pray and smudge each morning, instead it's been in a messy bun after being brushed and thrown up for the fourth day in a row. I get it, I really do, but I'm trying to change and there is a huge reason for that change.

The Comfort Found in the Arcane

Most people find that they want to spend more time in the shower, they lose time to things they can't even explain why they like, and they feel a bit like something is missing. Every single day you see posts on social media about people who found something of their grandparents', remembered doing something with a family member, or have a desire to go back and do something they once did. This is because the arcane, or in this case, little rituals that are done for intensely personal reasons, are actually really comforting.

Every culture has rituals surrounding death, marriage, and other important parts of life. This is due to the feeling of importance, the ability to take it all down in memory, and the honoring of the people involved. But all of this and more can be yours in your everyday life. You don't have to spend hours meditating, or make everything from scratch like your grandmother did, while singing songs that have been lost to history; there are tons of little changes you can make.

Finding Time to Add More Ritual to Your Life

Many sites will say things like go to bed 15 minutes early if you want to meditate, get up and run early to start your day right, etc. But the best time to add more ritual into your life isn't likely to be when you first wake up or want to sleep. Instead, it will be right in the middle of your day, when you are finished with responsibilities, stress, and are heading for activities you told yourself you were going to cut back on.

When you get home from work, don't grab a beer, turn on the TV, your computer, or whatever your latest guilty pleasure is. Instead, go to a place that you have prepared, or that has been prepared by your religion or ethnic group. Start visiting the temple every night, pray in your room undisturbed, make a circle when you get home and ground yourself, just do something.

While it will seem like a lot of work at first, after a few weeks you won't believe you were able to go through life without adding a bit of personalized you time that connects you more deeply with your spirituality. Maybe not everything from the past is so out of date.

A Word From The Author

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