If you think of it, every life is comprised of ritual; from the way we get up in the morning and tend to the nuances of our day to the moment it’s time to slumber. We can chose to think of this as our routine or change the way we perceive our experiences. I’m curious. What would a shift in perception do to our connection with spirit and with each other?

That is the question I posed last week and I invited you to join me on this exploration.  I’d love to hear from those of you who took the “routine vs. ritual” challenge.

Allowing simple, small shifts in perception, practicing self love and knowing we’re all divine and energetically connected is key in creating a sacred day.  I find this to be a powerful antidote against not just going through the motions, not just checking off the “to do” list and not having unimaginative habits to infect our day.

Here are some weekly highlights of how I received my day by shifting perception from routine to ritual.

My Morning Ritual

As I begin to wake up, I start breathing in deeply with a smile on my face and I tell myself “Nothing is more important than this day.” I just lie still for a couple of moments and soak it in. Feeling that nothing is more important than this day, because it’s true.  All we have is right here, right now. I then begin to appreciate and thank my body for all its splendor.  I start with my feet and bless each part of my body.  This ritual alone takes such a small amount of time.  Starting my day with appreciation, gratitude and love changes how I show up and feel about my day.  My heart feels so full.  It’s bursting with possibility.  On the days I allow myself more time, I’ll listen to a 24-minute meditation with an eye mask on.  WOWSAH.  The day really packs a whallop of wonder when I indulge in a full-on audio meditation.

Over breakfast, I “do” coffee.  I take this time to organize my day and see where I can make room for myself.  I make a small shift as I walk our dynamo of a dog, Walter.  As I open the door, I ask myself, what new beauty and growth am I going to see as I walk the neighborhood?  What kind of birds will be singing?  What will the trees be saying today?  How will nature reveal itself to me?  It’s AMAZING how it deepens the quality of my life, my experiences.

Flowers in bloom on my neighborhood walk with Walter

As I continue throughout my day

I also try to unplug as much as I can.  Leaving the iPhone at home when I walk Walter and using the time in the car to listen to audio books on spirituality or driving in complete silence are just some of the ways I let myself absorb what I see on a much deeper level.  Treating Facebook as a spiritual practice, asking “What is it that I’m supposed to receive today that will assist me in my own journey?”  Again, these subtle shifts permeate straight into my heart and I start making decisions and tend to my day from this vantage point.

I do a lot of work out of our home office.  I love using this time to create ritual.  I set intentions, light candles, pull different oracles cards daily, align my chakra gemstones along my desk, listen to nature sounds and cook the room with frankincense resin and essential oils.  My husband always gets a kick out of this and I know it may sound a little strange to some but I’ll tell you this.  I never feel more alive, aligned, connected and tuned in when I create sacred space.  The energy is so healing and Steve immediately feels it as does Walter.  I have a little dog bed right next to my desk that he loves curling up in, especially when I’m using the space in this way.

Walter Frances Lichtscheidl curling up beside me as I work

Washing clothes, doing the dishes, shopping for groceries, getting gas, paying bills, preparing taxes, taking out the garbage, cooking, cleaning and making the bed become an expression of deep resounding appreciation for the abundance in my life.  These tasks take on a whole new meaning and deepen my relationship to spirit.

Ask and it is Given, Learning to Manifest Your Desires by Esther and Jerry Hicks on the teachings of Abraham has a wonderful section about segment intending.

From a spiritual point of view, our mind is a tool that needs to be trained or else it will hinder our own evolution.

Segment Intending is a simple way to train your mind to help you while also accomplishing a lot each day.  Email me if you’re interested in receiving a step by step breakdown of what segment intending is.  I also encourage you to pick up a copy of Ask and it is Given if you’re not familiar with the teachings of Abraham.  It’s a wonderful place to begin.

When I immerse myself into creating daily rituals, I feel fabulous.  It’s stunning. The more I allow serenity to wash over me and luxuriate in peace and calming, the more connected and sacred I feel.  I’m being present and appreciative in the moment.  I’m allowing myself to stay connected.

Sunset taken in front our home.

Whether it’s the conversations I’m having on facebook, the dentist’s office, the bank teller, the cashier at Trader Joe’s, the parking attendant, the neighbors I pass as I walk our dog, fellow members at a meeting, my family etc., I constantly remind myself to lead with my heart.  Lead with my heart.  Lead with my heart.  Feel my way around a situation.  Feel it.  Tell my brain to take a break.  Let my heart do the talking.  Let it land in my body and see how it feels.  If it doesn’t feel good, it’s a wonderful indication that something is off and needs a simple shift in perception.  I know my sense of well being is totally up to me.  I can choose to feel however I want in any situation.  As I went about my day, if I found myself feeling less than or confronted or anxious or frustrated or lost or helpless, I’d say to myself  “OOH!!  What a wonderful opportunity.  There’s something I need to learn here.  Something I need to make sense of.  Something I need to discover within myself that’s causing me strife no matter how small.  I know easier said than done.  It’s a practice.  It takes courage to admit to ourselves that no one is making us feel anything that we‘re not allowing to feel.

Feeling special is where your heart is.  It doesn’t matter what your circumstances are, whether or not you’re on vacation, where or not you’re feeling your best self or whether you had a crazy busy day or a slow one.  Appreciation, gratitude, love of self and others are the elixir and your feelings in any given moment are your guide.

If you set an intention to feel good no matter what, trust me.  You will start attracting like-minded people and the situations in your life will begin to unfold differently.  “Your inner purpose is to awaken.  It is as simple as that.  You share that purpose with every other person on the planet – because it is the purpose of humanity.” ~Eckhart Tolle

Nothing is more important than this day.

Many blessings.
Jen Frances

Routine vs. Ritual, March 2011
By Jennifer Frances, The Blessing Maven

I’m sitting on the third floor patio of The Malibu Beach Inn, soaking in the sun and surf and allowing the sea to be my muse. The cacophony of waves and variety of sea birds sedate my senses and I become very still. In this form of meditation I can feel my spirit being nourished as the salt air tickles my nose.

I feel very blessed, privileged and giddy at the moment. My husband had to stay here for work and I had the good fortune of using this opportunity as a retreat, a writer’s retreat of sorts. I’ve had three full days of tuckering in and embracing all that the Inn and sea have to offer. I relished in the fact that my objectives were to ponder, take long walks, write, eat well, rest, meditate; treating every moment as sacred.

I have subtle pangs of sadness knowing my time is coming to an end here. It really made me think about why I compartmentalize my life into experiences like this and my daily routine. Why can’t I integrate my scheduled routine into sacred ritual? Why can’t I embody this each and every day? Why do I feel the need I have to be in a “special” place in order for it to feel special and sacred?

So many times we get stuck in the routine of our lives.  Locale and situations don’t need to be sweeping orchestrations or dramatic to embody our spirit in profound and meaningful ways.

I started to soak in the meaning of these two words.
Routine is described as a regular, unvarying, habitual, unimaginative, or rote procedure.

Rituals provide a container to deepen our sense of self and honor our lives. Through ritual and ceremony, healing occurs. It heightens our senses and reminds us how interconnected we are to all life.

Taking it a step farther, I began thinking about scheduled routines vs. sacred rituals and it occurred to me “What if I didn’t think of my daily routine as just a routine and treated it as sacred ritual? How differently would I feel about daily things I do which normally I’d consider ordinary or even mundane?

There’s a wonderful book that comes to mind.
“The Miracle of Mindfulness” by Thich Naht Hanh

It’s exquisitely broaches this subject.

If you think of it, every life is comprised of ritual; from the way we get up in the morning and tend to the nuances of our day to the moment it’s time to slumber. We can chose to think of this as our routine or change the way we perceive our experiences. I’m curious. What would a shift in perception do to our connection with spirit and with each other?

An Invitation

Let’s have fun with this and see what a shift in our daily perception does for us. For the following week, I invite you to receive your day in this way. Break down your day into as many segments as you can think of… from before you get out of bed in the morning, to how you brush your teeth, to bathing, to preparing breakfast, to going to work, to dropping off the kids, to doing dishes, the laundry, to taking out the trash, to collecting the mail, to running errands, to making dinner, etc. Let’s set an intention that we’re going to make every moment in our days feel sacred.

I’ll write back in a week and share with you my experiences. I hope you’ll do the same.

Who’s in? I would love it if you’d join me on this little experiment.

Much sweet love and gratitude,
Jen Frances

Whether you are welcoming a new family member into your life, or you simply require a cleansing, healing or ceremony of celebration, I will customize each blessing to match your needs and the new life you are creating.

In the absence of ritual, the soul runs out of its real nourishment. (Malidoma Somé)

For a FULL description, please GO TO my SERVICES PAGE.

Blessings

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Blanket Ceremony
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Please email me at jenfrances@theblessingmaven.com for prices and availability.

I felt a calling to create a global blessing movement; creating a sacred tradition around every child being born and will continue to create sacred ritual and ceremony for all stages of one’s life. I choose to live a spiritually-based life. I was lucky to have grounded women show me how creating tradition is essential to the meaning of life. I am a non-denominational minister and can easily bridge over to all religions and spiritual paths.  I resonate with the Sacred contained within every person.  It is divine.

This site offers services performed by me as well as blessings you can do on your own.  Additionally, click on the blankets page to JennyBenny Blankets, where you can gift a baby blanket to a newborn in your life.  Stay tuned.  Many more goodies coming your way in the New Year.  I invite each and every one of you to reach out to me.  You can email me at jenfrances@theblessingmaven.com.

Spread your wings and soar.  You are a diving blessing to the world!

-Jen Frances

Our Deepest Fear

by Marianne Williamson from  A Return to Love:  Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”