Daily Spiritual Practices Of A Modern Day Sha’ir

As I go back to my basics ~~for the millionth time~~, there are daily practices that I keep returning to. Being a Modern Day Sha’ir is not just claiming a historically charged title. It means doing the work, accepting the mistakes you’ve made along the road, and learning from them.

“There is really not a single reason not to put on the work and develop something that fits into our current life.” Image by Pexels from Pixabay.

More than Thoughts and Prayers

Don’t get me wrong. Praying is a part of my practice, it is important, it is benefitial, but I want to go beyond that. For me, a real practice is that which gives back to the world. Mat Auryn talked about it when he explained what the greatest offering to a deity really is. Besides, having a solid spiritual practice can be highly benefitial for you and your body.

As a Pagan and a Witch, my body is a temple that I have ignored for a good chunk of my life. I am getting back into mindful eating, getting a better sleeping schedule, and so on. However, a daily spiritul practice can also have a significant impact in your body, especially in the long term, as explained by Idler (2008, p. 4):

Religiousness and spirituality have a cumulative effect on health across the life course that we may see most clearly only later in life. Studies of mortality rates among Seventh Day Adventists, for example, show that the earlier the age at entry into the religious practice, the lower the mortality rate from cardiovascular disease

On a similar note, another reasearch (Kent, Henderson, Bradshaw, Ellison, and Wright, 2021, p. 27)

indicate[d] robust associations between stressors, daily spiritual experiences, and depressive symptoms and flourishing. They also indicate substantial support for the moderating role of daily spiritual experiences on the relationships between stressful life events, depressive symptoms, and flourishing at both the state and trait levels.

It has also been proven that a spiritual practice has a positive effect regarding “stress buffering, increased resilience, increased posttraumatic growth or meaning in the face of challenge, and reduced burnout, substance abuse, and addictive behaviors.” (Underwood and Vagnini, 2022). With all of this considered, there is really not a single reason not to put on the work and develop something that fits into our current life.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It just have to be effective.

“Far from aiming for a perfect day where I can do all of these, I try to fit them as I can.” Photo by nicollazzi xiong from Pexels.

Ideas for a Daily Spiritual Practice

I have to admit that I don’t do everything in this list every day. There are challenging and there are better days. Far from aiming for a perfect day where I can do all of these, I try to fit them as I can. Is it disorganized? Sure it is. Is it working for now for me? You better believe it.

Meditating and praying twice a day: I try to do it at the beginning and the end of my day so I can start and finish in a state of calm as much as possible. Now that I have a praying corner in my bedroom, I’m giving it more use, but even when I cannot I still have some minutes for myself. This is especially useful when witchcraft doesn’t work. I tend to use music, which helps a lot with visualizations, relaxing, and focusing. About this, I also got interested in reading Poetry as Spiritual Practice by Robert McDowell.
Writing Poetry: Writing is already a fundamental part of my life, not to mention the benefits it comes with. However, I’m doing what I can so I can also include poetry along with my fiction and non-fiction.
Tend to my Ancestors’ Altar: Ever since I had it for the first time, I pay attention to my ancestors’ altar. Heritage is an important aspect of who I am as a person, and writing poetry I discovered I care too much about where I come from. I also include reading into my ancestral veneration practice so I can keep learning about my roots: folklore, history, culture, and so on. Although I haven’t been able to do it as much as I wish, it still gives me that sense of connection.
Cleansing my house with water: Ever since I read it in the Arabian Nights, I realized that my family has preserved a cleansing method with water that I naturally incorporated in my practice. Every time that I can, I sprinkle some water in the walls, windows, and doors around my home to cleanse it from unwanted and residual energies.
Learning Arabic: I am happy to report that my Arabic is much better than when I started this process. I have improved a lot with my speaking and listening skills, and have basic reading skills. I am proud of the progress I have made because it hasn’t been easy, but the results are rewarding beyond meassure.