Return to Ritual, Always

Rituals matter.

They celebrate. They commemorate. They delineate the before and after.

They mark time and call attention.

They bring us together.

Simple. Grand.

Loud. Quiet.

Necessary.

Everyday Rituals

I contemplated doing a Day in the Life of a Witch, but in pandemic time, it’s not that exciting. However, one of the first things I did was to find a structure for my days with their strange timelines and unknowable movements.

• Wake up
• Coffee
• Walk
• Work
• Break
• Work / teach
• Eat a snack
• Write this blog
• Free time / talk to friends on Zoom or phone / teach

Repeat.

It doesn’t sound very magickal. It doesn’t even sound all that interesting. But when I step back and look at what I’ve written, here’s what I see: a direction. In a time where it seems there is no up or down or left or right, at least I know I will do certain things. I will get to talk to people. I will have time to move my body.

I will have coffee. Probably more than once.

When things are unknown, create a foundation. Create a structure upon which to hang your attention and intention. Find a place where certain things you love (and need to do) go. Set them there, follow them, and repeat.

They say that rituals get strong with repetition.

Signals and Starts

I also work on small rituals in my day to remind me that I need to start a certain activity or transition from one thing to the next. My favorite rituals for shifting and staying motivated are:

• Brushing my teeth
• Washing the dishes
• Taking a shower

When I do these things, I know I’m leaving the previous activity and moving to the next. Instead of having to summon the energy or motivation to do something, my body knows that it’s going to do something next.

And then I do.

Reassurance and Resilience

Before you keep reading, I know: this isn’t very sexy. It’s not very interesting, perhaps. It sounds, well, boring. What about the cauldrons and the wands and the smoky, smoky incense?

First of all, I love setting up a space and creating a ritual for the season or a deity or a class or another purpose. I want the smoke to be heavy, the trance to be deep, and the presence of the godds to be intense.

But aren’t the godds in the everyday too? Do I have to whip out the witch box of toys to create a ritual? To call attention to something important? To call attention the sacredness of the mundane? I hope not. Because I’ve definitely been doing that wrong.

It’s similar to the conversation around self care. Self care isn’t the fancy things you buy and post on social media. It’s not (always) the bubble baths and face masks and smoothies.

• Sometimes it’s the ten minutes to take to look at your week and make space for free time to breathe.
• Sometimes it’s remembering to wash the dishes before bed so you can wake up to a clean space.
• Sometimes it’s the preparation of food so you can eat well during a busy week.

Sometimes rituals are boring.

Always rituals are necessary.

Tracking Everyday Magick

Just for a day or two, track the things you do every day, even if they don’t seem all that important. What do you repeat again and again? Why are these things important? What do they create for you? Can you hold these moments or minutes as rituals too?

• Feeding and caring for animals
• Making the bed
• Lighting a candle or an incense on an altar
• Journaling

If magick is the act of changing consciousness at will, then whenever you shift into a space of intentionality and you become aware, you are making magick.

Yes, you.