Aging and Rituals

 

My life is a ritual. This is not something religious.

It's only recently that I've come to realise that ritual is about practicing presence and making the ordinary special. Practicing presence was something new to me. I spent most of my life being unaware of "the moment", always preparing for what's coming next, what to do next, tomorrow, next week. I had to-do lists, notes on pieces of paper and calendars marking off events by the minute, or the hour, a day at a time, for next year.

I was born in a Christian home, and having a ritual sounded like some voodoo taboo thing, but that was my own belief system back then. 

Everything we do can be elevated to ritual status. Washing the dishes can be a ritual, hanging the laundry, pouring a cup of tea and getting dressed can be a ritual ... I believe we have fallen out of touch with the sacredness of our lives, we have become detached from community and nature. We are just going through the motions and not living fully. We barely take time to even digest an experience let alone our emotions. We are burned out, stressed out and so busy that we forget to take a breath and make the ordinary beautiful and meaningful. 

This is what ritual is for me, bringing gratitude, joy, love and presence to the ordinary. 

It’s all about intent to make it precious and to be with it in the present moment. It’s truly a celebration of what is alive right now!

Namaste.

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Building the new

Going through some of my photographs on my laptop, I came upon this shot of a Masked Weaver  (Ploceus velatus) building a new nest for his lady. Now, there was nothing wrong with last season's nest, it still hung in the tree, almost as good as new. But he was working full out on this new nest and the ladies were starting to gather round, taking note of the enthusiasm he was putting into this task.

We could do this same at any age in our lives - put all our energy and effort into building the NEW, letting go of the OLD. Time to embrace new habits, a new identity, new thinking, new being. There is no need to resist during the creation process - because you are NEW, you are allowed to experiment and explore what works and what doesn't.

So be a creator, seek new ideas often. Don't confine yourself to a box.

Get creative and inspire change!

Namaste.

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Plant a seed and see what grows

 

No matter where or at what age you find yourself in life, the old saying of "It's never too late" really does still stand strong. At the age of 79 I have discovered there's always room for something new. There's still time to start a new garden, to change your eating habits, to change your dress code, to pick up a camera, to change how you think. Even change how you feel.

And, at the same time, it's also never too late to throw out old habits, old ways of thinking, old ways of doing things, old memories. Our memories are precious to us, but let's face it, some of them do not deserve the space they take up in our lives. Why hang onto an old hurt, that long-standing grudge, a worry that's been festering for far too long? 

So today, let's plant a seed and see what grows! Say to yourself, I'm starting over! I have new patterns of thoughts! I have new waves of emotions! I have a new connection to the world and a new belief system in myself!

Let's see where that takes us.

Namaste.

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