How to Use the Power of Ritual on Your Self Care Adventure

In preparation for hosting the Self Care Mastery Jumpstart, I created an Inner Child Ritual and practiced it regularly for 42 days. I decided to drop any idea of how I should do this Inner Child Activation. It called to my being as a prerequisite to lead this adventure of conscious co-creators.

So I did what I always do before I launch one of these consciousness events. I relaxed and trusted the force that lives within me to guide me. I came up with a ritual that served me for the duration of my activation and I practiced it regularly.

I'll share the two essential elements for creating your own unique self care ritual below. And I urge you to create your own ritual for this adventure. But first let's explore the power of rituals …

It’s a simple act, but doing it the same way each [day] habitualizes it – makes it repeatable, easy to do. It reduces the chance that I [will] skip it or do it differently . . . when you [follow daily rituals], they impel you to get started. Whether it’s the act of carrying a hot coffee mug to an outdoor porch, or the rock’n’roll that gets a painter revved up to splash color on a canvas, or the stillness of an herb garden that puts a chef in a culinary trance, moving inside each of these routines gives you no choice but to do something. It’s Pavlovian: follow the routine, get a creative payoff.
 
~ Twyla Tharp

5 Benefits of Rituals

Why perform rituals? Because they work.

Francesca Gino and Michael I. Norton, behavioral scientists and professors at Harvard Business School, wrote an article for Scientific American, Why Rituals Work. They conclude that, “Performing rituals with the intention of producing a certain result appears to be sufficient for that result to come true.” In other words, rituals work.

Here are 5 Reasons You Should Include Ritual on Your Self Care Jumpstart:

1. Rituals invoke intentional, sacred space. Whether it's reciting the rosary or diving into your morning pages, rituals invite you to explore your higher nature, your sacred substance.

2. Rituals connect you to your power source. Whether you believe in God, the Universe or some other highly organized intelligence, rituals connect you to the ephemeral world of energy and nonphysical reality.

3. Rituals create certainty in uncertain times. They create a framework within which to experience the ever changing world in a balanced way. Rituals bring order to the chaos of the unknown.

4. Rituals clarify what's meaningful. They help us define what matters most and brings our energy and attention to it so that it can have a more active role in our lives.

5. Rituals activate your power to make your dream come true. The more you energize what you envision the more you are likely to take action on bringing your vision to life. It's a self fulfilling prophecy.

How to Create Your Own Self Care Ritual

Ready to create your own self care ritual? Here are 3 elements to include, and I also share how they looked for me in the Inner Child Activation I referred to above:

• Set up your sacred space. I set up a sacred space for my Inner Child Activation Ritual on the nightstand in my bedroom. It included: (1) a picture of me as a child in a beautiful frame, (2&3) a chain and statue of Ganesh who is very personally meaningful to me, (4) incense with incense holder, (5) a candle, (6) a pendulum, and (7) flowers. I also have a Buddha lamp in the background. Be guided by what opens you up and frees your energy. Those will be the right elements for your sacred space.
• Create your ritual. Here's what I did. I lit my candle and incense and invoked my power source (you may call it God, Universe, etc.). I partnered with the energy of Life to move through me, reveal and realign my inner resources. I used a pendulum as a tool during this portion. I would then pick a Goddess Card (since my feminine aspect calls for more activation too) and write in my journal, free flowing style. Your ritual should anchor and expand you so that you can open to the clarity in the moment. Let yourself be guided by what feels true.
• Practice your ritual every day. Every day, usually upon arising, I would go to my sacred space and practice my ritual. There were some days that wasn't possible so I made sure to hold the energy of my practice for a moment and then came back to it later in the day. There were 2 or 3 days that I didn't actually complete the physical practice but it did not detract from my experience or the results I experienced. So, set a time for your ritual practice but also cut yourself some slack if you come up short on some days.

A ritual becomes the match that lights the kindred celebration candle of sacred moments long ago… tantalizing these entombed spirits to surface again.

~ Wes Adamson

I gleaned many insights from the 42 days of practice and I feel both feet solidly in both worlds now – the inner and the outer. I'm ready for the self care adventure. How about you?