From small to those bigger ones, we perform rituals every day. They are in our daily lives and not only in the spiritual from but the business and leisure one too. Some are even habitual and we do not think about them. Let's do that now. Let's talk about our rituals and why are or aren't they important to us.
CC0 licence, Pixabay, author: Myriams-Fotos , adapted by me
Sometimes we are eager to proclaim how someone is a creature of habit and say how someone else is completely unpredictable. Where do you see yourself on that scale? As for me, it all depends on what part of my life we are talking about. There are areas where rituals are important to me and those where doing something the same way over and over again seems like a nightmare. It just proves that we are multilayered beings and labeling or putting us in little boxes is never a good thing to do.
My mornings are always the same, except when there is hardfork happening that is lol. When I get up, the first thing I do is put some water on the stove for my coffee and while the water is heating up, I do everything I have to in the bathroom. When I am done, so is the water and I can make myself that magical cup that turns me from hater to lover of things. I was never a morning person. I need at least an hour (sometimes much more) to become normal.
Coffee is magic...
I need my cup of magical liquid to get into my happy zone. I meditate, do yoga and exercise but coffee comes first. People who know me are smart enough to realize there is no use in trying to talk to me before I have had my first cup. Back when I was not allowed the drink coffee due to stomach problems, I was having tea but that quiet time with the cup was equally important. It was actually never about the type of liquid. It is about that ritualistic getting to know myself and the world each day and restarting my brain. I need that time. It is like my body gets up but my mind needs a bit more time to join the party.
I have mentioned brain synapses in my posts before and how they are responsible for our ability to learn new things. Let's shortly recap what we have talked about. Whenever you repeat a certain action, it becomes easier to do that action in the future. This works not only for your actions but for your thoughts and opinions too. First, you were having trouble tying your shoes but it became easier and easier until it was normal for you to do it.
Repetitio est mater studiorum.
We are learning and growing by repeating things. We are repeating action and thoughts until they become habits or natural subconscious knowledge that we do not have to think about, we just do it automatically. Ritualistic behavior can help with that. Just try to think about why do you think like you do or do things like you do. It is because you have convinced yourself that is the way to go and it has nothing to do with it being right or wrong. It is right and or natural to you because you have learned it that way. Strong synapses are hard to break, not impossible but hard and whenever you see in yourself or others troubles to change certain things, it is because the repeating process of new things is yet to come while those things you are familiar with are easier, we already have them in our knowledge.
Change does not need to be hard.
We often hear how change is hard and learning new things is even harder. Some even reject the notion of expanding their horizons and learning. Even being stubborn is a learned and repeated behavior. Change does not need to be like that, it can be fun if we make our rituals fun. Imagination and strong determination help. Make rituals work for you and not the other way around.
Every religion and every spiritual path has some kind of ritualistic practice. Some are rigid and strict and some more easy going, but rituals are there. There is a reason for that. Rituals not only help with remembering things and putting them in our subconscious, they strengthen our focus too.
Repeat a thought or action enough times
and it becomes the truth to you.
Many religions are well aware of this brain thingy and they have been exploiting it since the beginning of time. There is nothing wrong with you having an opinion or a habit as long as you are in control of it and aware of how it got there in the first place. Your strong opinions once started as ideas or observations and gradually grew into your character traits. Rituals in spiritual practice can be beautiful and beneficial but they can also be harmful if you are not thinking and paying attention. Remember what I always say?
Follow your heart,
but take your brain with you.
There is a reason for you having both those organs, do not favor one over the other. We need both. We need our emotions and spiritual growth just as we need our rational thinking. They are not opposites. We have turned them into opposites because saying no is often easier than saying yes. Think about that for a moment. How many times have you discarded something just because you are trained to discard things? How many times has our conditioned behavior stopped us from developing and growing? Ritualistic behavior just like anything other in life can be good or bad. It is extremely powerful. Nothing is just black or just white, it all depends on what we do with it. Life is about color, so much color and about including, not excluding things. Do your rituals help you with including or excluding?
Until next time,
KEEP YOUR SMILE ON!
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I am so bad at rituals and routines. I do try to listen to a positive meditation when I first wake up, but I don't always wake up early enough. I usually drink coffee in the morning, but then will randomly stop drinking it for months on end.
I guess the closest ritual thing I have at the moment is brewing my kombucha. I find the process soothing and relaxing for some reason. I do a big 'second ferment process every Monday and Tuesday (although I'm trying to hone it down to one day a week in case I need to start working outside the home.)
Kombucha is amazing, really healthy for you. I used to have her too and enjoyed brewing her then I switched to kefir fungus, they can be fun too. Thank you for your lovely comment 💚
I am a morning person, and my coffee is vital to what I do the rest of the day. I have altered the base coffee ritual slightly so that I now drink a half liter of water before I even have a taste of coffee.
Generally speaking I sit in the dark for something over an hour. I meditate some (not much, just brain engagement stuff) then go over my day, and what I want to accomplish and such. And it's pretty consistent. Even when I'm travelling I get that 'quiet time' in.
I have other rituals that I process every day. I put my left sock on first every time. Goes back to my baseball days and a superstition. It still works, no sense changing it!
With the exception of the morning time I try to not let my life become bogged down with rituals. I think it is important for me to change things on a regular basis.
Thanks for a great post Petra. I'm glad we're done forking around and back to mostly normal. Your post makes up part of my normal.
Oh I am glad the forking is over too, some of my routines were messed up while there was no steemit :D
The title of this post leapt out of me even before I saw who wrote it! Rituals are so important, because they're one of the few ways that we can communicate with the subconscious. I'm fascinated by this idea, especially having read Bruce Lipton's amazing book, The Biology of Belief.
I have the morning coffee ritual - heaven help anyone who tries to talk to me before my strong black coffee! I have a yoga ritual - not first thing in the morning, but before I go to the climbing centre. I have a checking keys ritual before I leave home. I have some daft ones, like giving my car a gentle pat after a long journey. It's really a reminder that this is a valuable possession that should be carefully looked after.
And I often catch myself, if I've made a mistake, saying to myself, "You idiot!" If I'm aware of it, I say "No I'm not! I'm very clever!" - because that is how the subconscious learns things. It takes these small messages seriously.
Tapping your car sounds adorable 💚 and you correcting yourself when you catch yourself being negative is very important, good for you to be aware of it, keep it up!
I. LOVE. THIS. POST.
First of all, I am also not a morning person. I soooooo get it. Second, every other thing you said here makes sense and reminds me of the importance of getting clear on what I want, and choosing thoughts/responses/rituals that create that reality. Now if I only knew what I wanted, I'd be golden. ;)
As for rituals, I always do at least 15 minutes of yoga in the morning. My body craves it, and my spirit needs the chance to ground into the earth again. Instead of coffee, I drink herbs mixed by my TCM to help me ground my energy. I tend to get lost in my head, but it's so helpful to recognize the patterns, and realize that they can be changed.
This was the first thing that made me smile today, thank you! :D
You have lovely mornings honey, much love 💚
If I'm going to tell you about all my crazy rituals it wouldn't be just another very long post, but the story in a few extensions that would overflow over the cover of the book.
But I can tell you this. When it comes to a morning cup of coffee, I can relate a lot to you. Although, I have to say I'm not that grumpy until I got it, and it takes only one sip and one smoke of the cigarette to make me feel better. Yeah, in my world the coffee goes with the cigarette as an unavoidable part. 😜
Never the less, your post reminded me on some (I could even say) our family habit of which I wasn't even aware (although I initiated it) until my kids (my daughter, to be precise) didn't draw my attention to it.
In other words, you just gave me the idea for one of my next posts. 😉👍😊
Mine too 😜
I am glad I provided you with the idea or gently pushed you into the right direction and am looking forward to reading all about it 💚
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I get the dog out at 5:35am to go potty, fix his bowl of food , get some ice tea, and wake up my youngest to take a shower. The older one does it night before .
Thanks for your post zen-art :)
That sounds like a fun morning, especially the part where you have to wake up your daughters. To see their faces must brighten up your entire day.
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The morning coffee ritual for me is the green tea but I do skip it at times, specially if I happen to wake up late :-) Well what you say is very true while you use the heart let the brain also be involved to an extent. Love and Hugs to you my dear :-)
Oh, I hate waking up late, it only happened a couple of times in my life and it was terrible, for me and for people around me lol. Hugs to you to honey 💚
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I have to wake and bake if you know what I mean. When I'm doing that I say my gratitudes and then just let the day be because if it starts amazing then it will be amazing.
Sometimes I drink coffee too.
Oh yes, everything starts with a good morning and a big smile and follows to be amazing 💚
I go through rituals every day, they help me to get things done
They can be very helpful yes and control us to be more efficient.
I am not a morning person either
The kids have trained to become one out of necessity...haha
Loved that last bit about following your heart but bringing your brain along 😊
I was never a morning person, not even as a kid :D People hated that about me :D
Completely agree that coffee is magic! LOL! It's definitely part of my morning ritual as well. This is an awesome idea for a blog post, @zen-art - thanks for sharing it with us!
I'll leave you with this thought about coffee... 😊
via GIPHY
Awwww, it really is like a hug in a cup 💚💚💚
via GIPHY
Wonderful post @zen-art and spot on. In education, it is said that it takes doing the same activity 1k for a kindergartner to retain what they are being taught. In our regular lives, it's the repetition and consistency that we learn a new process or adding an activity to our lives.
The only pitfall is not to be so rigidly stuck in that routine, that you become unable to function. Spontaneity once in a while is an incredible thing.
I think there needs to be a healthy balance between routine and spontaneity for life to both fun and educational at the same time ;)
Completely agree. I took this time to reflect a little. I had gotten so caught up in trying to get a routine going when the HF happened it messed it up. It took me a day to say 'oh well' we'll still keep chugging away as best as we can and to diversify just a little bit just as a back up.
Love this @zen-art :)
My mornings start with coffee, too and most of my other rituals are under construction right now lol <333 :D
Hihihi, some of mine are under construction too :D
<333 awesomeness :)
As always, a thoughtful and well-written post.
You wrote:
That is so incredibly true, and a big part of the reason why parents always caution their children about who they hang out with. People come to believe in the things they are doing, even if they didn't at first. Simple repetition and exposure are powerful factors. Choose your friends wisely folks!
Oh yes, those really are powerful factors and we sometimes learn stuff without even being aware of it, well, most of the times we learn like that hihi. Thank you for your lovely comment
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My morning starts with thanking my consciousness for all life experience. I feel gratitude first...then give me caffeine! Great post.
That is an awesome way to start your day! Gratitude is a very high emotion on the frequency scale 💚
really cool post, love me some coffee and don't want to be boxed in ever, I don't like labels and appreciate this really fantastic post :)
Thank you for your kind words. Your feedback is very much appreciated 💚
my pleasure, I will follow for more cool stuff 💚
I don't think of it as a ritual, but I guess it is. I get up, water the porcelain garden and swish around some mouthwash, feed the potbelly pig, Lady Montague, and make the coffee. Then I sit down to read my email and prepare to start working. Same routine every day. It ensures I don't miss anything important.
Ritualistic behavior or routines are very helpful when it comes to forgetting things. You pig has a lovely name 💚
Thanks! Shakespeare has been a big help to my family. :-)
- Thought for the day...!!!
I am happy you like it 💚
There is comfort in rituals of all kinds, and I have concocted a large variety of them throughout the years. Some stay with me, and some disappear when they cease serving their purpose. But much comfort is there with them, no doubt!
Things change. We let go of some things and keep the others, that is healthy. Thank you for your lovely words honey. Oh and, Aligning the image right in the comment really looks awesome!
Good Morning from India, that's very interesting and important as our rituals are our most integral part of daily life and we always send a strong message to others how persistent and linked with our rituals.
As if now I am in New Delhi so it's always less time here for myself as I am a Stockbroker and most of the time busy with my clients and trades, so Start with my day at 9:00 am with the Stock market is my 10 years consistent ritual.
When I am in my hometown I love to take bath in the early morning in the river Ganges.
God bless you, dear mam, as of now I am your full-time follower.
Thank you for sharing your mornings and for your lovely support, it is very much appreciated 💚
i like the coffee part ... don't we all .. well many of us do. LOL
the HF20 part was an added funny. hope you had a great weekend away with g'ma! yay welcome back to the fairly not yet updated Steemit. more to come my friend. do you exercise every morning?
I do yoga after my coffee, exercising comes later, most often in the evenings. Forking disrupted my routine a bit since my morning coffee includes being on steemit :D I am glad it is behind us 💚
wow, you must be super fit! yeah the forking was tough on most of us. some people went about their business as usual and had issues with their account. i dunno, i let it be and took a break.
I do love my morning cuppa. I have times when I can tolerate coffee and times I can't. But as you say it's not the liquid.. it's just that time to get your head together. X
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Yes, it is not about the liquid. It can be tea or cocoa. For me, it is important that it is a warm liquid in the morning. Thank you for your words 💚
My morning ritual, cup of coffee and a dip of snuff. Best way to start every day.
Best way indeed 💚
This is such a timely post for me, because I am right in the middle of changing my daily rituals. When I am home, I have morning and evening rituals I follow. Now that I am traveling more and more, I am finding it really hard to find a balance. I feel like I need a specific traveling rituals that gives me time to be social, while still taking time for myself to do the things I feel are important for both my personal wellness and my business success.
Change can be hard but it can be fun too, I am sure you will take the best from it and thrive 💚
That is the best we can hope for everyone!
I can relate to needing that time to boot up in the morning. Our house is quite silent for the first hour of the day and I allow myself to wake up. I used to hate those days where I didn't have time to wake up first before engaging with people. Having to rush out of the house and drive to work was physically agonizing and it messed up my whole day.
I really enjoyed reading this and agree that we should always be thinking, paying attention and wide awake when it comes to making decisions.
Oh, waking up and having to leave the house right away seems like a nightmare to me, it only happened a couple of times for me and it was horrible :D I am glad you enjoyed the post, thank you for your support 💚
Hello @zen-art, thank for your support
It was my pleasure 💚
I have many rituals, not sure how much of that I want to specifically get into, though I definitely have been looking at my unconscious habits more and more and I really enjoyed your article! I had someone tell me recently that they think pretty much all habits are bad cause we should always be in the "now", yet.. To me it seems like habits can be incredibly helpful and even save your life.. So it's nice to hear you also say that you think it can go both ways! That there can be good and bad habits per se, I think more and more though that it's sooo important to look at these aspects of ourselves, cause we tend to put ourselves on auto pilot mode and it's not always the best idea by any means! If we go on auto pilot with bad programming, the results can be disastrous, I think actually that that is one of the big problems in the world, too many people are running on faulty scripts and aren't looking close enough at the script to change it. Anyways.. I could probably go on for a while, but thanks for sharing the article I really enjoyed it!
We need a healthy balance I think. Balance is always the key. Thank you for your lovely words 💚