A ritual to integrate into your daily life

A ritual to integrate into your daily life

Incorporating a daily ritual into your everyday schedule will have a number of benefits in your life. Taking a moment for yourself each day will not only provide a moment of reflection and calm, but will also bring clarity to your thoughts, open a door of communication with your intuition and inner wisdom, establish a daily practice to nourish your soul, and will provide a source of rejuvenation and renewal. Here is a suggested ritual that you can do in the morning or in the evening at your convenience.

Choose your ideal moment

To ensure a regular practice, it is important that you choose a time of day that will fit easily into your routine. The best time for the ritual is in the morning, when you first wake up, or in the evening, once your commitments for the day are finished. Personally, I like the morning time because I carry the energy of my ritual with me throughout the day. Other people like the evening because they find it a great way to release the stress of the day and create harmony after a busy day.

Your decision should be motivated by your personal needs. It is important that the ritual is not an extra task but a joy. It is your daily rendez-vous with yourself.

To ensure a regular practice, it is important that you choose a time during the day that will fit easily into your routine.

Preparing your place at your sacred altar

Before you begin your ritual, sit in front of your sacred altar. If you do not already have one, choose a place in your home where you can concentrate, ideally a quiet place where you can meditate. An altar is a physical space that is specifically dedicated for this purpose and connects us directly to the world of the invisible. Creating a sacred altar promotes instant connection to a sacred dimension.

If you don’t have a place to leave your altar permanently, placing it on a tray is a great solution so that you can move it at the time of your ritual and then put it back where you keep it when you are done. You can include a candle, incense holder, crystal, statue, image or any other object of your choice, as well as adding elements of nature.

Choose a place in your home where you can focus, ideally a quiet place where you can do your meditations.

Get ready to start your ritual

How you prepare for your ritual is important. Again, it’s a good idea to establish a routine and make sure you are fully prepared before you start, every time. Imagine that your phone suddenly starts ringing, chances are that it will distract you and your mind will drift away from your ritual!
 
Ritual preparations:
  • Determine a minimum amount of time for your ritual. Give yourself 15 to 20 minutes. If you have an appointment afterwards and are afraid of missing the time, place an alarm clock near you.
  • Make sure you are not disturbed. Turn off all your devices.
  • Make sure you have everything you need for your ritual at hand: notebook, pen, etc.
  • Make sure you are completely comfortable. You can sit in a chair with your altar on a table in front of you, or on the floor on your yoga mat. Be comfortable and warm.

Begin your ritual

When you start your ritual, follow the same steps every day.

1. Take a moment to settle in
 
Take a moment to arrive. Settle into a comfortable position, take a few deep breaths. Bring your awareness into the present moment and remind yourself that you are here for your daily ritual and to take a moment for yourself.
 
2. Cleanse the space
 
Light the candles, incense or sage. Do some smudging on yourself and your ritual space. The intention is to cleanse the energies and open a sacred space.
 
3. Mark the beginning of the ritual
 
Take a few long deep breaths to re-center yourself. Call on your spirit guide, ring a bell, sing a song or mantra to mark the beginning of your ritual. Remain in silence for a few minutes and prepare your contemplation.
 
4. Enter into contemplation
 
The focus of your contemplation may differ from day to day:
  • It may be a simple intention, such as bringing harmony to your day or evening.
  • You may have a specific topic you want to focus on. For example, the non-judgment you wish to develop in a specific relationship in your life.
  • You may like to offer a prayer of intention to solve a problem you are facing.
  • You contemplation can also be inspired by the seasons. Use their teachings as a source of inspiration, as we do with the inspiration cards in our ritual boxes. We reflect in the spring on new opportunities, in the summer on what motivates the growth of our actions, in the fall on our harvest and in the winter on inner silence.

Personally, I begin with a prayer of gratitude. I appreciate the sunrise, the birds on my bird feeder, the flowers in my garden, the ice crystals on my window. I let my mind go to what occupies me most and set an intention for the day ahead. I take time to write down my thoughts in my journal and write my intention on my intention cards.

Some days you can write down ideas and inspirations or just sit in silent meditation. Other times, you can follow a recorded visualizations, like on our private Facebook group “The witches cauldron”.

5. Complete your ritual

When you are finished, take a few breaths and refocus in your body. Remind yourself of your intention for the day or evening. Keep this thought with you as you go about your day or sleep. Take a moment to express your gratitude. Appreciate the time you have spent with yourself. Thank the spirit guides you were able to communicate with. Ring a bell to mark the end. Remember to blow out the candles and put all the objects you used back in their place. Allow the energy of your ritual to accompany you through the rest of your day or evening.

 

Integrating a daily ritual into your life will be a great way to maintain the connection with your altar. It is a place dedicated specifically to you for inspiration and to deeply nourish your soul. All the steps of the ritual are important. The more you repeat them, the more you will feel the impact of this powerful transformational tool in your life. Not only does ritual support spiritual practice and can maintain and nourish its flow, but it takes our energy to a level beyond the mind where our ideas, wishes, desires and needs can manifest.

Going on a shamanic journey

Going on a shamanic journey

No need to travel miles and pay a plane ticket to travel… It is possible to make a shamanic journey from your home and go very far! Indeed, because a shamanic journey will not lead you to a tourist destination, but to unsuspected places of your subconscious where you will be able to seek your own answers to the questions you ask yourself or the challenges you face… You will not be disappointed by the journey offered by this shamanic practice that has been around for hundreds of thousands of years. On the contrary, you will want to go back again and again since it is a destination where you feel nourished by the strength of your intuition and can reconnect you with your inner wisdom.

What is a shamanic journey?

A shamanic journey is a very ancient practice found in different spiritual traditions. It is an active visualization technique that brings answers to the questions we ask ourselves in our lives and to the challenges we face, by entering directly into communication with the spirits of everything that lives around us. For everything around us has a spirit. Whether it is plants, animals, elements and even places… everything! In contact with these spirits, we enter a non-ordinary reality that brings an understanding of who we are… in the ordinary reality. It is in this very place that we connect to our inner wisdom and regain confidence in our intuition, as all answers lie within. The shamanic journey is an excellent tool for consciously connecting with the world of the invisible and learning to listen to the signs and messages it sends us.
 

The shamanic journey:

  • connects to the spirit world.
  • allows us to communicate with our inner voice.
  • awakens our intuition.
  • develops self-confidence by finding our own answers.
  • helps us to better manage our life and relationships.
  • supports our life path.
  • brings healing.
A shamanic journey will not take you to a tourist destination, but to unsuspected spaces in your subconscious where you can get your own answers to questions you have or challenges you face.

What is a shamanic journey like?

Making a shamanic journey is accessible to everyone. This visualization practice can be done alone with the help of an individual treatment online or in person, or with a video recording in the courses HOW TO JOURNEY – INITIATION and HOW TO JOURNEY – ADVANCED also offered online or in person. It can also be experienced as a group in the circles that we regularly organize on Zoom and in person. They constitute a powerful sacred space where each person has his or her own personal place while being in relationship with the other people present. If you encounter possible learning curves at the beginning, these will fade away with time as you gain confidence.

Some basic principles of the shamanic journey:

  • A shamanic journey lasts between 15 and 30 minutes.
  • It is supported all along by the sound of the drum.
  • It is done in a quiet place where you will be comfortably settled.
  • It is recommended to use an eye mask.
  • You will take time to formulate your question or intention.
  • You will be invited to travel through the Lower, Middle and Upper worlds, which differ from each other in their energy and vibration, as well as the kind of guides found there.
  • You will take a moment for yourself to settle down and welcome what is there.
Want to learn more about the shamanic journey? Get issue #2 of the Wisdom of the Witch publication.
The shamanic journey helps us to feel perfectly at home in the world we live in and to find that inexhaustible source of inspiration within us.

When to do a shamanic journey?

Often, we wait for a situation to arise in our life to turn to shamanic journeying. However, this visualization practice can be used on a regular basis, without waiting until we are out of breath. In ancient times, all adult members of the community journeyed regularly to get answers to their questions. However, when we are affected by an event in our lives, it is an opportunity to shed light on what we are going through.

Questions or challenges that can be answered by the shamanic journey:

  • A conflicting relationship that we are experiencing with a family member or loved one.
  • A physical discomfort for which we wish to understand the emotional reasons.
  • Mental or physical fatigue.
  • A lack of happiness or self-confidence.
  • A question about a future action to take.
  • A need for renewal.
  • A request for healing.
  • A teaching to be received on a specific subject.
  • A cleansing of non-beneficial energies
  • A contact with our power animal or spiritual guide.
Through the shamanic journey, you will develop your communication with the invisible world and reconnect to your intuition. You will connect to your own source of healing in order to better manage your life. You will feel perfectly at home in the world you live in, connected to your inexhaustible source of inspiration.
The visualization practice of the shamanic journey is a tool that is at the heart of all the training offered by AwakeningTouch online or face to face, whether it is through the wisdom of the seasons, the shamanic journey itself or the journey to the heart of the image. This tool, accessible to all, opens a door to the non-ordinary reality – that of the spirit world – which is part of our lives but which we are not always aware of. Connected to this dimension, we can live our lives to the fullest and with confidence, knowing that the world of the invisible constantly supports us on our path.

 

Creating a sacred altar for daily connection

Creating a sacred altar for daily connection

Life is full of activities every day. We get busy, we hurry, we navigate between work and family, and we forget our basic need for stillness, reflection and connection. All spiritual traditions have understood the importance of anchoring a daily practice to connect with ourselves. And this is precisely what creating a sacred altar is all about. By dedicating a space of our own in our home, and furnishing it with objects that connect us to a sacred dimension, we immediately find the path that leads us back to ourselves, where we are at peace and in tune with our inner voice.

A Sacred Altar: What is it?

An altar is a physical space that is specifically created by and for ourselves to connect us directly to the world of the invisible. It allows us to consciously take time for ourselves each day by connecting to the sacred. Its presence in our living space serves as a daily reminder of the importance of making a date with ourselves – when our agenda is always very full and will connect us directly to this space where it is possible to stop, go within and to find our answers. While it is also possible to create an outdoor altar and even a temporary one, creating a permanent altar right in the place where we live is a first step in taking care of ourselves every day of the year. Just by its presence in our daily environment an altar will establish an instant connection between us and the spirit world.

 

Creating a Sacred Altar:

  • Provides a physical space dedicated to us.
  • Provides a time for reflection and meditation.
  • Promotes communication with the spirits.
  • Reminds us that we are connected to something bigger than ourselves.
  • Allows us to receive love and be inspired.
  • Deeply nourishes our being.
  • Develops our creativity.
  • Facilitates regular practice and integration of discipline.
  • Brings magic into our lives!

All spiritual traditions have understood the importance of having a daily practice to connect with the Sacred.

Essentials of a Sacred Altar

You are now ready to create your own permanent altar at home. Here are some recommendations to help you with this process.

1. Find the right place for you

There is no right or wrong place to set up a sacred altar. In fact, any location can be suitable, as long as it meets your needs and the location is convenient. Your altar should be easily accessible and visible enough to be a part of your daily life. Listen to your heart, it knows what is good for you!

2. Design your altar

In addition to being a place for yourself to meditate and take time to reconnect, an altar is also a place that allows you to communicate with the spirit world through offerings which you put on it. You may place any objects on it, but also elements from nature. When feeling inspired to do so, you can, at any time remove, change or add an element.

Let yourself be inspired by our unique ritual objects handmade in Quebec.

Here are some basic points to follow:

  • Avoid clutter.
  • Make sure the altar is safe (candles or incense).
  • Choose items that do not pollute the environment by using as many natural objects as possible that are sustainable and can decompose naturally.
  • Take from nature only what you need and return to nature what is no longer suitable.
  • Clean it regularly and take care of it as you would take care of yourself.

3. Maintain the connection with your altar

Once your altar has been established, it is now time to integrate its use into your daily life, because it is not a decoration but a physical place that is dedicated to you and the spirit world! Set up a simple ritual, which you can repeat every day – or even twice a day, morning and evening – in order to create a habit for life. It should fit into your routine and reality, establishing a discipline in your life that will become a regular part of your daily life.

Check out a suggested ritual to incorporate into your daily routine.

It is essential to maintain the connection with your sacred altar. It is a commitment, an important relationship in your life that requires time and effort. In return, you will receive love and support.

The process that leads to the creation of your altar is a magical experience to live. In making your altar, you will touch directly on that creativity that is there within you and is just waiting to be expressed, in an open, non-judgmental space where your actions are guided by the heart. And on a daily basis, your permanent altar will create a moment of connection with yourself. By resting your body and mind and, by connecting you to a world much larger than yourself, it will connect you to your source of inspiration, all while feeling supported and sustained. What may take some effort at first will become part of your life and your life will be forever changed by it.