May 27 2006
Daily Ritual - Part One

Last month I had the honor of being present at the rededication
ceremony at Harmony Grove. In that ceremony, I rededicated
myself to not only the church, but also to my Spiritual path as a
minister and as a Spiritual being. I started thinking about my
daily interaction with Spirit. I am blessed more than most to be
reminded of how Spirit works in my life on a daily basis
through my store. But, that doesn't mean that I don't falter in
my trust, in my seeking of joy. How many times in the last
week, month or year have you gotten caught up in the drama of
life, gossip, frustration, ego?

Just before that ceremony I had a reminder of my human nature when a friendship desolved, not in peace, but in accusation and anger, hurt and ego on both sides. Here I am"Rev. Rainy, medium and healer," sharing my frustration of a friend with another friend who knew us both. Something I shouldn't have done, as I knew as soon as it came out of my mouth, that it would get back to her. I knew something was going on with her and her feelings toward me, but instead of calling her and talking about it, I went to a third party. I got someone else involved in our drama. By doing so, I not only hurt this friend by talking about her behind her back, but I also lost credibility of friendship to that third person. Worse than all of that is the fact that I knew better. I know of the Spiritual repercussions of sending out that negativity, even if it was only to ease my own confusion and not with malevolent intent. I had to work on forgiveness quick for my own actions and all those involved in the situation. I could not continue the negative spiral.

That started me thinking about one of my favorite talks with my
students. Daily Rituals. What we do on a one-time basis could
become habit. What do you do every morning? Are you late
every day? Do you take time to meditate or pray, even if it is in
the shower? Do you set your intention for the day? When I first
opened my store almost 2-years ago, I would sing the Lord's
prayer every morning. I would set my intent that all those who
entered the store would receive a healing.  I would pray for
guidance, abundance and to feel Spirit in every moment. It was
a wonderful ritual and made my day go so much smoother. I
trusted Spirit to take care of the details that I might have been
missing. I still did my work, but did not stress over it. Then
something happened. I started getting tired. I started, coming in
later. The first thing I would do in the morning was start the
computer. I started worrying about deadlines. I allowed myself
to get overwhelmed by the paperwork side of owning my own
business. The next thing I knew, I was doing the ritual once a
week…Once a month. Then only when I had the time or before
Special Events. I started noticing my stress level going up. My
sleep habits changing. How I related to people changed. I
forgot the most important part of me. My daily connection to my
higher power for myself. Not just my prayer to be clear to serve
others, but my internal peace.

So I ask you again, what are your daily rituals? Are they serving you? If someone cuts you off on the freeway, do you get scared or angry and hold on to that for the rest of your day? Do you say to yourself that this is a day where nothing goes right? Do you give power and credibility to Murphy's Law? Or do you forgive that person their slight immediately as you would want them to do if you did that to someone else? Do you send light and love instead of cusswords?