Transform Daily Activities into Sacred Rituals
Everything is spiritual
We easily forget that the daily activities of our lives, even the most ordinary and mundane, can be transformed into sacred rituals.
We don’t always need the bricks and mortar of ‘holy places’ or prescribed ‘holy times’ to create our very own ‘sacred spaces’ wherever we may find ourselves in the many moments of each day. Enjoying that cup of coffee or tea, drinking that glass of water, cooking that meal, watering that plant, walking along that path in nature, gazing out onto that blue ocean, driving the car through morning or evening rush hour traffic, buying those groceries, taking that shower, and so many more – all of these can become our sacred rituals each day. As we allow in the practice of mindfulness, so the “Everything” of our lives, even the most ordinary, experience a transformation, and we come to appreciate that “everything is spiritual”.
The cup of our life
In her book, The Cup of Our Life: A Guide for Spiritual Growth, Joyce Rupp helps us appreciate that the ordinary “cup” can become a powerful symbol and teacher of the inner life. Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat offer this review of Rupp’s book:
https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/books/reviews/view/2527
"I have found the cup to be a powerful teacher for my inner life," writes Joyce Rupp in this wonderful series of meditations. "The ordinariness of the cup reminds me that my personal transformation occurs in the common crevices of each day. The cup is an apt image for the inner processes of growth. The cup is a reminder of my spiritual thirst."
As anyone who has read any of her other books knows, Joyce Rupp is a gifted teacher who makes everyday spirituality dramatic, palpable, and transformative…
Rupp is a connoisseur of attentiveness, imagination, and prayer. For example, she draws a link between a cup brimming over and the following practice: "As I pour liquids of any kind into a cup, a glass or a bowl, I will smile inside as I remember how generous God is in filling my life with blessings."
Practice: Transform Daily Activities into Sacred Rituals[1]
[1] Source: Roger Walsh 1999. Essential Spirituality. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc
Below is a Practice that may help you transform your daily activities into sacred rituals. I’ve used this practice myself and sometimes offered it to some of my coaching clients. Consider experimenting with it, and even journaling what thoughts, feelings, sensations and questions arise for you.
Purpose
This practice is an invitation to focus on and use often ordinary and specific activities in your daily life, and give them special attention. These activities may be opening a door, answering a telephone, driving a car, washing the dishes, showering, buying groceries. Feel free to add other examples as they come to mind and use these as opportunities to ground and grow this practice in self-awareness and also in developing a peaceful mind. By deciding to use these activities for spiritual awakening, seemingly insignificant routines become sacred rituals dedicated to developing calm, concentration and inner peace.
Instructions
To begin, select a particular activity, such as opening doors and commit to doing it for a period, perhaps a day or two, with as much awareness as possible. Thus, during the day, you will no longer hurl doors open and barge through them mindlessly. Rather, you might stop before each one just long enough to take a deep breath. Reach carefully for the door handle, feel its touch on your hand, turn it, and open the door gently. Then step through and gently close the door behind you. [Benefit: For the trivial cost of a few seconds you have calmed yourself, brought your attention into the present moment, and transformed a mindless routine into a mindful sacred ritual.
Move on to another activity after a day or two. For example, when driving your car to work or home. Instead of jumping into the car and roaring off with the radio blaring, try the following. Leave a few minutes early so you won’t feel hurried. Seat yourself behind the steering wheel and take three slow, deep breaths. Remind yourself that you want to use this ride as part of your spiritual practice. Then drive calmly and mindfully, enjoying the scenery and the knowledge that the ride is contributing to your awakening. [Benefit: Many people report that when they do this their drives become more restful, enjoyable and safe]
Move on to other activities, using the instructions above and apply to the particular activity, each time bringing your awareness to how this activity can be transformed from the ordinary to the sacred.
Use your journal to write down what benefits you derive from this and what emotions you feel?
Frequency
Daily, with a focus on a specific activity.
