rit·u·al
/?riCH(o?o)?l/
noun

1. a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.
   “the role of ritual in religion”
   adjective

1. relating to or done as a religious or solemn rite.
   “ritual burial”

A ritual, for me, is the act of many of my mundane tasks that I take great care and enjoyment doing.

We All Have Rituals

The majority of my rituals aren’t “religious”. They are solemn. For example, I look forward to my nightly bedtime routine with my children. I enjoy cuddling up and reading their favorite nighttime book after a warm bath, singing their songs and tucking each of them in bed. They treasure that ritual as much as I do. It’s vital to our family. Those mundane tasks are what keeps this family healthy and functioning with as much peace and contentment as possible. But the word “task” or “routine” is what threw me off for so many years…. Using those words seemed to have made those things “forced” or unenjoyable. It was only after my New Moon “ritual” where I realized that there are so many other things that are a ritual….and therefore, should be given that title and respect.

Common rituals for me are:

• drinking functional botanical teas that help with mood, pain and health.
• waking up and stretching, doing my morning yoga routine (My Morning Routine is a ritual).
• the bedtime routine for my kids as well as the one strictly for myself once the kids are asleep.
• the new moon and full moon rituals I do.
• the spiritual rituals I do where I strengthen my faith and pray/meditate.

Enjoying our rituals is a thing that needs to happen more. We need to respect those mundane tasks and realize how beneficial they are. Because they aren’t looked at as rituals, people see them precisely as “tasks”, exhausting unfulfilling tasks. They feel they lack importance or they keep focusing on that vacation or days when the kids will move out, or retirement. When you forget to treasure the now, your mind can play tricks on you, and things like depression, stress and moodiness can take hold.

The rituals I do every day help in strengthening my mental state, body, mood, mindset, and relationships with myself and others. I share with you my rituals so you can see a different outlook on the same things many of us do. I share with you the natural things God has provided to us here on earth that have been used for centuries to help us get through anything. Subscribe, follow along, and return. Thanks for visiting!