In a reality where chaos, war and folly is the leading news, where pictures of violence, war & killing are constantly there in the news before our very eyes, it can be hard to appreciate the gentle beauty of the world around us. People, as a whole, have become hardened to suffering and desensitized to the plight of those around us.
Guess what? Spirituality is no more about Sabbat rituals than Christianity is about displaying your new Easter finery on the one day of year you attend church. Most people desire a more fulfilling spiritual journey but few are prepared to walk the extra mile it takes to achieve such balance within our lives. We make it hard for ourselves by planning sunrise meditations, smudging the house every time someone makes a negative remark, and either zealously guarding our beliefs from prying eyes or wholeheartedly launching into the "I'm a Pagan so don't oppress me" speech. We're all just as guilty as the next person when it comes to making big plans and not always following through. So let's just stop. Stop making big plans because when we don't live up to our grandiose ideas of religious expression, we feel like failures.
Besides, spirituality is not a goal that can be achieved. The word -spirituality- is wrongly used as a noun when it really should be a verb. We all remember "action words" from grammar school. Spirituality is not something you have, it's something you do. It is a process, a journey and one that we all have, wrongly, elevated from daily living and placed squarely in the higher realms. Sure meditation and ritual and divination all have their place and are a part of it but the act of living itself, carrying on day to day and finding ways to incorporate the Goddess into your life, is a much more potent way to live a magical life.
So what, on a daily basis, can we do? That depends solely upon the practitioner but I believe there are common elements that we can all embrace. A couple of the milder, and more obvious daily ritual items are:-
Meditation - It is no secret that meditating for at least 20 minutes a day is beneficial physically and mentally. If you have the time to work this into your morning ritual, then even better! However, most people don't realize that chanting is another form of meditation in that it quiets our conscience mind and allows us to enter a state of heightened perception.
Ritual bathing - Whether we take a quick shower in the mornings or a long, relaxing soak, the act of physically cleansing ourselves is the perfect time for clearing out a little psychic gunk, as well. Imagine the negativity flowing out of you and washing down the drain. Emerge from the water refreshed and renewed.
In a reality where chaos, war and folly is the leading news, where pictures of violence, war & killing are constantly there in the news before our very eyes, it can be hard to appreciate the gentle beauty of the world around us. People, as a whole, have become hardened to suffering and desensitized to the plight of those around us. 