Ceremony and Rituals

Recently,  I had the pleasure of attending the Florida Herbal Conference in Lake Whales, FL. It was a fun, inspiring weekend of herbal information and being one with nature and friends of like mind. Many classes I gravitated to related herbs to the body, mind and spirit.  This is the direction of my passion.  There also was a common theme of ceremony and ritual and various ways and levels to incorporate and honor. 

Closing Circle at the Florida Herbal Conference

Rituals
I invite you think about rituals you currently have such as your morning routine, going to a 'church' on a weekly or regular basis, your fitness schedule or meditation.  You may have a ritual with friends or family on a regular basis. Rituals can be something you do daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly. There is no right or wrong. Honor this special time or union within yourself or with others instead of just going through the motion.

Ceremonies
At the Herbal Conference, we had a Fire Circle! I've participated in the past but this one seemed to have more significance to me. Mz Imani led the Fire Circle and earlier in the day, I attended a class about building the fire circle and the significance. We walked around the circle and set the intention, viewed the circle from a far and visualized the evening events. People participated in the 'circle' in ways that felt right for them.  Some stood around the outside of the circle and 'took it all in', others danced around the circle feeling the vibration of the drums (me, me, me!) and others created the drum beat and music - all played an important and special role.  We also do the 'shaking and drumming'  in Qi Gong which I learned with Shifu Orlando of the Sadana Center.  This shaking and drumming was stimulating Mother Earth in a positive way.  She could feel the love, joy and gratitude.  Individually, we were all benefiting from the ceremony and ritual by releasing things into the fire and taking what we needed.  Collectively, we were giving thanks to Mother Earth raising the vibration.  How often do you go out in nature including the beach, park and mountains and give thanks!  We need to do this and take care of the planet for generations to come. I could literally feel Mother Earth smiling down on us. I thank everyone across the world, events, festivals that create ceremony to continue these kinds of traditions passed down from our ancestors.

Equinox's
A few times a year, we honor the change of the season such as the Spring and Fall Equinox, Summer and Winter Solstice just to name a few. These are good times to check in with yourself. They each contain their own rituals. The upcoming Spring equinox is a rebirth good for cleansing and planting (sounds like things you may do naturally).

Moon Cycles
The New Moon and Full Moon are times when people have ceremonies or rituals, individually and  collectively. Pay attention to your own rhythms and you'll be amazed such as emotions, physical changes including headaches or pain, chaos, goal setting and intention, cleansing and, for women, the menses.

Mother Earth gives us these ongoing gifts to create ceremony to honor ourselves, others and 'her'. Continue to be good to yourself and create special ways to celebrate and give thanks!  See and feel how exponential this is beginning with yourself, your sacred circle, community, state, country, continent and world. Make a positive impact.



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