What rituals do you have, and why are they important to you? (@EcoTrain Question of the Week)

Good morning Steemians!

Today is quite the early one for me, waking up well before the sun to get this written & posted before heading off to a 1-day Solsara immersion :-)

If you've been following my blog recently, then you've probably noticed how much I'm enjoying having prompts to get me started, including the @ecotrain QOTW (thanks to @eco-alex), the @tribesteemup bi-weekly question (thanks to @trucklife-family), and Freedom Friday (thanks to @eaglespirit & @freedomtribe).

This week's @ecotrain question is:

What rituals do you have, and why are they important to you?

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Over the past few years, as I have been living out of my backpack, traveling full-time, never really knowing where I was heading next, sleeping wherever there was a flat place to sleep, etc... There hasn't been a whole lot of space for ritual to the extent that I prefer.

Right now I'm landing back in Portland and renting a room, with one of my primary goals/intentions being to create more space for myself to have structure, ritual, and of course not always be in someone else's space. Here are a handful of my current rituals, as well as ones that I'm working on building into my life right now.

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My rituals

• Caring for my body - The first & most important ritual that comes to mind is actually a small collection of things that I do every day to maintain my physical health & wellness. For almost 5 years now, I've had a daily glass of kombucha, and I most often combine that with other probiotics like sauerkraut, pickles, cashew cheese, and yogurt. Every day I make a smoothie with Garden of Life Raw Meal, which is basically a liquid multi-vitamin. Finally, every day I walk at least a mile (about 6 yesterday, with some tree climbing in the middle of it)

• Filling my mind with goodness - The reprogramming of my brain is an ongoing (though so far wildly successful) process that has been quite important to me for some time. Every day, I listen to at least one recording of Abraham-Hicks or some teacher on the same frequency. When I started this practice, it was closer to an hour or more per day, but the more you practice something, the more it becomes integrated into you, and I no longer feel the need (all the time at least) for that level of immersion.

• Honoring the Earth's cycles - At least 4 times per year (2 solstices & 2 equinoxes), I spend a day setting intentions, giving gratitude, and marveling in love & awe for this amazing planet that supports us. I stress the "at least" there, because I try to keep up the same kind of practice around the full & new moons as well. Since I began this practice, I have seen absolutely astounding results in my life, and guiding my actions & energies based on the Earth's energies has made so many things easier.

• Sharing myself with the world - Since last November, I have posted on Steemit at least once per day (minus a few exceptions like clusterforks, when I'm deep in the forest, and the weeks I took off from the outside world in July). For the 37 months I've been on the STEEM blockchain, sharing my passions, curiosities, travels, and emotional breakdowns/throughs with this community has been amazingly cathartic & empowering for me.

• Weekly Sangha - Since starting my partnership with @TheLynx, I've found her weekly sangha (buddhist community circle) to be an important part of the patterns I'm building for myself. Every Sunday, we get together with about 10 people for an evening of silent meditation, discussing the Dharma, and more silent meditation.

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The power of ritual

Rituals are wildly important to an intentional life, to reprogramming ourselves, to being healthy, abundant, and joyful. I believe this is true for both definitions of the word:

A solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

and

A series of actions or type of behavior regularly and invariably followed by someone.

The first definition is powerful for when we have something we really need to release, some intention we want to put a lot of energy into, when we're starting a new partnership, and any other time that we want to mark an occasion (like a Solstice or Equinox). The second definition is all about how we live our daily lives. It's rare to meet anyone with rituals by that second definition, but unfortunately many are going through accidental rituals, daily activities that someone else has prescribed to them.

Just in case you're someone who is skeptical about the power & importance of ritual (which you can also frame as "habit" if that's easier), here are a few pieces on the science behind it, as well as a selection of TED Talks about the importance of rituals :-)

• https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/stronger-the-broken-places/201710/the-power-ritual
• https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-rituals

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Here are my previous @EcoTrain QOTW responses

• Who are the best people to lead or guide our world... Politicians, Parents, Academics, Philosophers, High Tech.. Or someone else?
• What was one of the happiest times in your life and what made it special?
• Bearing in mind the health and state of our western culture and society today, do you think we have too much freedom?

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If you enjoyed this, you may enjoy some of these highlights of my blog:

"Greatest Hits/Table of Contents" of my first 2 years on Steemit
You've Created Your Steemit Account and You're Ready to Get Started... What Now? [New Steemians Start-Up Guide]
The 8 Pillars of @TribeSteemUp: Clarification, Refinement, and Re-Casting the Spell
The Status, Vision, and Needs of Real Life: The Role-Playing Game

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