“Any ritual is an opportunity for transformation. To do a ritual, you must be willing to be transformed in some way. The inner willingness is what makes the ritual come alive and have power. If you aren’t willing to be changed by the ritual, don’t do it.“

Recently, while in Fiji on a family holiday, I witnessed beautiful ceremonies and rituals performed by the locals that truly inspired me. I was blessed to have seen their Welcome ceremony, Wake dancing, Kava ritual, and also their Farewell ceremony. Each one touched something deep within me, and each time I felt something shift and stir in my spirit.

Bearing witness to these special Fijian rituals made me think about the importance of rituals in my own life, especially since we are in the midst of a transition in our home with my 5 year old and 7 year old daughters.

My youngest daughter is off to school this year and my older daughter is growing up and rapidly expressing the need for more personal space. Naturally, I’ve been feeling a sense of loss and sadness, as I know its time to let go of the way things used to be, and to pave way for the next phase of growth and change.  

So while in Fiji, we decided to hold a special Blossoming ritual (or as my youngest one called it – “The Flower Power Ritual”) We wanted to use this opportunity to honour them for who they were becoming!  

We explained to the girls what we were doing and why. We asked them to collect shells and flowers as symbols representing the beautiful girls they’ve grown to become. Our entire family participated, and we each took our turn to acknowledge something special about them and asked them to do the same for each other.

Next, we found two beautiful hibiscus flowers to represent them and celebrate them for who they were becoming, and had them release these flowers into the ocean. 

The girls had fun with this process and after reflecting back on the experience, I can definitely see that it helped them navigate the next leg of their “growing up” journey.

Rituals are important and we need to include them in our life because they can help us:

1. Make sense of changes
2. Transition through challenging phases of life
3. Give meaning to new experiences
4. Release old emotions 
5. Create empowering stories about our life
6. Connect us deeper to others and to ourselves. 

Rituals don’t need to be “bigger than Ben-Hur” in order to be a valuable experience. They can be as simple as lighting a candle and writing a letter of forgiveness to yourself or somebody else. One of my daily morning rituals is drinking a warm lemon drink to help me get ready for the day. I find it a nourishing and grounding morning ritual. 

Ask yourself how you might be able to include a daily ritual as part of your self-care routine. Think of the following:

1. What can I do to acknowledge and honour myself on a daily basis? e.g. read a chapter from an inspiring book to help you focus on being your best self.

2. What can I do to close the day so I can feel calm and centered?  e.g. a few minutes of deep breathing or meditation before you go to sleep.

3. If you are transitioning through something e.g. starting a new job, ending a relationship or moving houses, you can also do a ritual to acknowledge the past and lessons learned, and make way for new and exciting possibilities. 

I encourage you to be creative and playful.

So if you’ve been going through a transition and are ready to embark on a new journey and grow into your amazingness maybe it’s time for a special ritual. What are you going to do for yourself? And when are you going to do it? 

Here are a few ways I can support you with this:

1) The Empowered Woman Live, Retreat is a ritual in itself to help you become a more empowered woman. If you would like to join us for this life-changing retreat then check out our all the details at  http://www.theempoweredwomanlive.com/ and keep May 26-29th, 2017 free.

2) “How to Stop Holding Yourself Back From Success” is my newest online training that I’m excited to share with you at the end of February to help you accelerate your growth so you can take charge of your life and turn your goals into reality! If you would like to be a part of this training but you’re not in the empowered woman tribe go to the main page to opt-in to our community and  receive updates on all our upcoming empowered woman training.