Photo by Andy Arthur (www.flickr.com\/andyarthur)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\ntime, when we do this the same way each day, this will make the practice more effective by helping our conscious and unconscious minds know what\u2019s about to happen.<\/p>\n
I tend to do this simply: I light a candle and say a short prayer.\u00a0 I often also light a stick of incense; I only use a few kinds and tend to use one for several weeks at a time.\u00a0 I find scent especially evocative, and thus particularly useful in this context.<\/p>\n
If you have even less time, you can use going into the space where you practice as the delineation: approaching the altar or, if you\u2019re really pressed for time, closing the door of the bathroom for a couple of minutes!\u00a0 For practices that aren\u2019t explicitly magical, you can look for some action or prayer that feels a useful way to begin.\u00a0 I use my laptop for many things, but have a special program I use to do my writing practice that\u2019s different from what I use for professional work.<\/p>\n
If you have a very formal practice involving circle casting or other ritual ways of setting space, this is where they fit.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t, a space blessing is a lovely alternative.\u00a0 You can do this with intention alone or intention and words, or you can add a physical element like sprinkling salt water or burning incense.\u00a0 I often do both, which involves earth, air, fire, and water, and therefore appeals to my inner completist.<\/p>\n
Aside from formal practice, rituals of transition can be useful all kinds of places.\u00a0 Parents are probably used to using them with kids, warning them that it will be time to go in ten minutes, then five, two, one.\u00a0 At my job, my ritual is to spend the last half-hour of my day sorting out my task lists and following up on open questions so that I know what to start with the next morning.\u00a0 At bedtime, I warm up my hot pack for my bed, put lotion on my hands, read few pages, and then snuggle down.\u00a0 Engaging these transitions with intention means that I fully move from one thing to the next and avoid switching activities but leaving half my attention behind!<\/p>\n
Next up: honoring connections. \u00a0But until then, tell me about how you like to start!<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Stepping deliberately into our practice is a helpful way to cue ourselves that something special is going on. Over time, when we do this the same way each day, this will make the practice more effective by helping our conscious and unconscious minds know what\u2019s about to happen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1335,"featured_media":68,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,5],"tags":[20,21,22],"class_list":["post-67","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-formal-practice","category-how-to","tag-beginning","tag-space-blessing","tag-transitions"],"yoast_head":"\n
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