Addicted to Rituals?

"Addicted to Rituals? Rituals support Beliefs. Not the reverse. Your power is Within You. If you're anxious about consequences of skipping rituals, take a step back. Remember."

--- Crystal-Marie Sealy

I know we all battle with these things on some way...

• Morning rituals - "I need it to be on my A-game". 

• Meditation rituals - "I can't get clear without it". 

• Self care rituals - "I'm not grounded unless I do... <spa/crystals/essential oils/self talk with your vanity desk/morning run>".

Whatever your

"must do"

list includes, if you find that your mind is reeling on

"what will happen because I didn't...",

on your days off, I'd like to invite you instead to take a step back and consider that:

The place those rituals take you to, you have to power to get yourself there simply by visualizing...

Be it visualizing how your rituals make you feel, or visualizing yourself in the midst of your rituals. Yes, it takes more energy, but you've had the experience of the actual rituals, so it's real to you. You CAN get there. 

My struggle is that I get stuck in my head a lot, so my rituals take me into my body - beauty, physicality, relaxation - and on the days when I don't, the second I start forgetting my body, I start the

"woulda, shoulda, coulda"

about how the day would have been different if I'd just made the time. I'm a work in progress on releasing that monkey mind. 

What rituals do you find yourself harping on? What do you need them for? If love to hear!

❤ In love and light! ❤

Crystal-Marie S. 

When It's Louder Than Usual (Women)

There's a time every month

when we as women are generally least able to focus on external things because

what's going on inside is much louder than usual.

Your mind is in a fog:

• The lists, plans and logical frameworks that usually keep you on track are meaningless,

• The situations you've trained yourself to ignore, somehow irritate/hurt you more than usual, 

• Your thoughts are suddenly big-picture, philosophical and emotional.

"I Have My Period"

I really want to invite you to consider that

you're not crazy.

You're not "PMS-ing" in that how you feel is not something to apologize for (**we can all work on how we act). You simply cannot ignore yourself any longer. You're in a world that has no time for you, and frankly, you follow suit. Your period is the one time when your spirit, soul and body come together, united, to say

"we will no longer be denied (at least for the next 3 days!)"

This blog is largely about

hearing your own thoughts

and the importance of self-care. I don't know about you, but despite all of it, I have to wonder why it's taken me all of my 33 years to realize that 

it's not a good thing that this is what my body has to do to be heard.

I believe if we're paying attention to all of our needs all month,

our

entire being

wouldn't have to "line up" for this small window of time in order to be heard

and, for most of us, we wouldn't walk on eggshells for fear of breathing fire on everyone. I'm sure, we'd still be more conscious and aware at this time of month, but

it wouldn't knock us off our feet

if

emotional and spiritual self-care (love, compassion, grace, playfulness) were a part of our daily lives.

This was huge for me, and yet every time of the month since, I've been caught by surprise. It takes a while to move things from the head to the heart. Funny how, when you're studying something in earnest, God brings everything you need your way. Here's what I found.

Embracing All of You

You may not share the beliefs

or practices in the video below, and thus may not agree with the specifics of Joanne's "time of the month" package, but I'd like to invite you to create your own. What items can you make a habit of surrounding yourself with during this time?

What excites your sense of sight, smell, taste, sound and touch?

These are the things that will help you to listen to yourself.

Here's what 

Joanne Ameya Cohen

 does.

 Perhaps it will help you create your own ritual, or your own 'space' in time and energy, to honour and listen to what you (spirit, soul and body) has to say...

Again, take from this what speaks to your inner self -

the individual that is known and loved completely and unconditionally (good, bad and ugly) only between you and your maker. Really invite yourself to consciously see how your spirit, soul (mind, will, emotions) and body respond.

Where Are You in All of This?

I'd love to hear what works for you.

So far, I'm stuck on:

• Visuals, flowers, minimalist architecture and all things in my shade of pink (see pics)

• Scent, still seeking, but a very unique French Vanilla and baby powder

• Taste, still seeking as well, but grapes, Raspberry Kefir and spicy Cheetos

I'm still working on the

textures for touch

and

sounds including words,

 which I'm very sensitive to regardless of time of month.

You?

Remember,

you are worth every bit of the time, energy and space

 you're willing to invest in others. If you're not filled to overflow, your giving will not be from a cheerful place of overflow, but from a place of duty which, when you begin to run low, turns to resentment.

So stay full!