Between Mercury retrograde, the full moon in Pisces, and the anniversary of 9/11, I am once more reminded that ritual is one of the greatest spiritual technologies of the 21st century. Greater and small rituals anchor us and give us a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves. They add substance and meaning to our lives - enhancing daily routines, enriching milestones, and guiding us through life's inevitable transitions.
Rituals both support and honor the changes we experience, and they increase our capacity to embrace life fully whether we are overcoming adversity, strengthening our relationships, or enhancing our ability to experience joy and abundance.
Rituals can be as simple as transforming your morning cup of tea into a ceremony of connection or placing a coin in a success jar to mark your accomplishments. Or they can be as complex as organizing a wedding, fertility ceremony or memorial.
9/11, Covid and, in fact, every crisis humankind confronts—teaches us that comfort in the face of life’s challenges is not a luxury but a necessity. Comfort rituals are the universal lifelines that offer us deliverance from fears real and imagined; they resurrect us from the heart of despair and return us to wholeness.
As time passed, though, I noticed that many people began to bury their vulnerabilities and their need to be comforted and feel connected. They unwittingly deluded themselves into believing that they could substitute "cold comforts” like drinking, smoking, and drugging (legal and illegal), overeating or workaholism for genuine comfort.
Cold comforts numb us to the sometimes-overwhelming conditions that we cannot or chose not to face. For instance, I am reminded of a young student I saw in the park who struck an impressive yoga posture while smoking a cigarette, and the lawyer who wanted to meditate after three glasses of wine. Cold comforts devitalize us and ultimately drain us of our energy and resources.
These attempts are evidence of people’s longing to move beyond their formidable barriers to healing. But they fall short. In contrast, real comforts, which we extend to each other or to ourselves, are one of the most beautiful ways of curing what ails us.
How can we find positive sustainable comforts in our age of anxiety? A comfort that connects us to the Divine, regardless of our religion or spiritual tradition. In my work, a heart-centered ritual is the key that turns the lock and opens the mind and heart and shifts us from unconsciousness back into consciousness.
Through conscious rituals our blocked energy can be opened, and our vitality restored. No matter what form our unique comfort prescription takes, it is only when our energies are flowing that we are truly able to give and receive love and abundance.
They take us to an inner sanctuary where our inner resources can fuel our outer expression and they return us to our center, the surest place of comfort in our soul.
Work with Barbara:
I will be traveling in the month of October so if you'd like a session, please book now for September or November.
September is a month of reflection and renewal. This is the time to release the stories that keep you living an old story that does not support your expansion. Now and then live your own values. Connect to the dreams that are in alignment with your truest self. Then create a life that suits who you are. Let me guide you.
Readings: Get clarity of where you are right now, what needs to be healed and what forces are around you to move you forward. Book your reading >>
Rituals: for all of life’s transitions (healing, relationships, honoring milestones, fertility). Book a ritual >>
Coaching: Practical steps to tap into your natural genius and move you forward. Book a session or a coaching package >>
This is also a great time for a space clearing/blessing of your home.
Until next time,
Barbara