Life had become a boring routine to me as I lost my way in my mid fifties. My casual relationship with alcohol became not so casual. This led to me hitting rock bottom as I approached my 60th birthday. As my very life was crumbling around me I knew I needed to make a change. The first was to recognize and admit that I was an alcoholic and I needed to get help. The second was to create a life worth living longer for. That is where Rituals made there way into my daily life.
Rituals, in a sense, saved me and helped give meaning to my life as I began my journey down the Red Road to recovery.
Routines are concrete repetitive actions that help us develop skills while creating continuity and order.
Rituals on the other hand, differ from routines because they are Elevated by Creativity, Driven by Intention, and Imbued with Meaning with a sense of celebration, of self love and compassion.
Rituals ease us through transitions—birth, first day of school, moving from adolescence to adulthood, graduation, marriage, death—and for me…Recovery…Rituals create a code for handling these rites of passage.
I created a morning ritual of greeting each new day with enthusiasm and wonder. I spent time with the medicine wheel, in prayer and a from of breath work called SkyBreath. This was a non-negotiable. I had to get right with myself and my creator first establishing my priorities and responsibilities before I would step out into the world.
My afternoon ritual was a second round of Sahaj Samhadi meditation.
My evening ritual was taking inventory of the day and to celebrate every little win. Going to bed with a clear conscience and an attitude of gratitude.
I encourage you all to take a look at your own lives and see where you can create your own rituals based on your own traditions and values. Stay open and curious and allow your rituals to evolve with you and you them.
Be Fresh, Solid and Free my friends
David Johnston
No responses yet