{"id":2006,"date":"2025-07-09T01:00:54","date_gmt":"2025-07-09T05:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/amoderndayshair\/?p=2006"},"modified":"2025-06-28T18:44:47","modified_gmt":"2025-06-28T22:44:47","slug":"daily-spiritual-practices-of-a-modern-day-shair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/amoderndayshair\/2025\/07\/daily-spiritual-practices-of-a-modern-day-shair\/","title":{"rendered":"Daily Spiritual Practices of a Modern Day Sha’ir"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

As I go back to my basics for the millionth time<\/del>, there are daily practices that I keep returning to. Being a\u00a0Modern Day Sha\u2019ir<\/a> is not just claiming a historically charged title. It means doing the work, accepting the mistakes you\u2019ve made along the road, and learning from them.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere is really not a single reason not to put on the work and develop something that fits into our current life.\u201d Image by Pexels<\/a> from Pixabay<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than Thoughts and Prayers<\/a><\/h2>\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong. Praying is a part of my practice, it is important, it is benefitial, but I want to go beyond that<\/a>. 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<\/a> really is. Besides, having a solid spiritual practice can be highly benefitial for you and your body.<\/p>\n

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):<\/p>\n

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<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On a similar note, another reasearch (Kent, Henderson, Bradshaw, Ellison, and Wright, 2021, p. 27)<\/p>\n

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.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It has also been proven that a spiritual practice has a positive effect regarding\u00a0\u201cstress buffering, increased resilience, increased posttraumatic growth or meaning in the face of challenge, and reduced burnout, substance abuse, and addictive behaviors.\u201d (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.<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t have to be perfect. It just have to be effective.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFar from aiming for\u00a0 a perfect day where I can do all of these, I try to fit them as I can.\u201d Photo by nicollazzi xiong from Pexels<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ideas for a Daily Spiritual Practice<\/h2>\n

I have to admit that I don\u2019t do\u00a0everything<\/em> in this list\u00a0every day<\/em>. There are challenging and there are better days. Far from aiming for\u00a0 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<\/em> for me? You better believe it.<\/p>\n