Text Box: THE POWER AND PURPOSE OF RITUAL Our ancient ancestors understood the importance of daily rituals, for daily traditions have long been used to deeply penetrate the psyche and infuse the soul with our divine inheritance through mundane activities. Our world is changing at an unprecedented rate and unfortunately much of the change has been precipitated by wars, upheaval and chaos. Yet in the midst of turbulence, we can center ourselves through the act of ritual and discover, once more, our inner peace and calm. Ritual impacts our sense of belonging, and often increases our measure of safety. Most rituals are designed to inculcate feelings of devotion for Spirit and to remind us of the presence of Divinity in our everyday lives. Regularly practiced, our rituals become our bridge to the unseen worlds, and keep us anchored to our faith, hope and compassion. Our rituals help us to define our family structure, solidify our relationships, identify our core beliefs, and augment the intrinsic spiritual meaning of our lives. Our life ceremonies can be quite simple, yet will yield great power in the lives of everyone who participates. For example, the ritual of baking a birthday cake and topping it with candles to commemorate the blessings of our life, is a yearly ritual most of us take for granted. Yet, this birthday ritual brings us comfort and a sense of assured continuity. Christmas parties, trick or treating of Halloween, dying Easter eggs and watching the big red ball fall on New Year’s Eve are all life ceremonies that we enjoy in order to celebrate the wonder of Spirit and the passage of time around the circle of life. In our family, the daily rituals are many and varied. We always say a prayer of thanksgiving before share our meals, we take time to acknowledge the sunrise and sunset, and we count our blessings as the day comes to an end. Each day we are mindful of making someone else’s life a little happier, or someone’s burden a little lighter. In our household, daily life is rich with opportunities to pay homage and display our love of Spirit. Life is the ultimate ceremony, if we choose to live it that way. Over the next month, recognize and honor your life rituals, for they hold great power and purpose. Kathryn’s Strategies for Positive Living