Ritualize your life! (AKA the art of transforming everyday tasks into meaningful meditations)

I’ve been a busy witch lately, and like most of us, I have no shortage of responsibilities to keep up with! I’ve noticed that my day-to-day routine keeps me constantly occupied and although I am glad to never feel bored, I have been left with precious little free time for my magical endeavors. I’m sure many can relate — although it would be nice to always be able to set aside a scheduled moment for spiritual reflection, it doesn’t always seem possible. Sometimes we ache to delve into our inner work but can’t set aside more than a moment. So how can we squeeze in a little magic without any wiggle room? You don’t need any extra time or materials — a bit of creativity is all you need to create a magical meditation space anytime, anywhere!

Our lives are filled with everyday tasks that seem as monotonous as they are necessary. What’s the magic in washing the dishes, doing your laundry, or visiting the dentist? If you take these chores at face value, you will find nothing. But these are moments of your life, just like any other. Your experiences of life events are defined more than anything by the way you perceive them. Although you may not feel vivaciously filled with a passionate life force while vacuuming your carpet, you are living your life in this moment as much as any other. Your whole life is a spiritual experience as well as a physical one, and while spring cleaning might not seem like a spiritual moment, it can be if you make a simple shift in the way you think about it.

I know I risk sounding crazy telling you to find magic in the mundane, but at some point in your existence you will have to do something boring. Your mind may not want to be doing the chores your body is performing, but here you are. You have nothing to lose by trying this ritual, and you stand to gain insights you might be pleasantly surprised to receive. No incense, crystals, candles, or witchy accoutrements are necessary — just yourself and whatever it is that you have to do at this time. Your life IS the ritual. Wherever you are is your sacred space. You need only take three steps to create the magic:

1. Decide what this task could represent. Because this super lame boring repetitive thing you want to do is standing in the way of you doing whatever it is you would rather be doing with your life, it is fitting to think of it as an obstacle on the way to reaching a greater goal. Perhaps that pile of dirty dishes is a negative mindset that you would love to clear up. Your messy closet represents your scattered thoughts and feelings that you have been neglecting to address and organize. Your dentist visit is going to fix a quality in yourself that isn’t serving you as well as it could be. The long walk up a steep hill is an opportunity to challenge yourself. Waiting in line is an exercise in patience as you slowly inch closer and closer to your goal. The trash you need to take out represents something you are emotionally holding onto that you need to let go of. You get the idea — now come up with your own!
2. Decide what this task is symbolically accomplishing. As you wash every dish, you are scrubbing negative self-talk from your mind to be replaced with positive affirmations. While organizing your clothes, you are taking control of your attitude and your life. The dentist is drilling away an unhealthy mindset you held onto, and replacing it with a shiny new piece of strength that will help you move forward. As you take each step up a hill, you are refusing to be discouraged by laziness or gravity — you have almost reached your goal at the top!
3. Visualize and reflect on your task’s deeper meaning as you complete it. This is a form of active meditation — meditation where you don’t have to sit still and close your eyes.. You can do it every day — during your commute, at work, cleaning your house… once you begin to shift your perspective to a more magical place, the opportunities are truly endless.

I was initially nervous to write this because I thought everyone would think I was super weird for having a spiritual experience while cleaning my house. I know that rituals are the most fun when you’re able to put on a glamorous production filled with wafting sweet smelling smoke and colorful candles. But our spiritual growth walks alongside our life, and we owe it to ourselves to create what we can out of what we are given. Allow this subtle practice to enrich your quieter moments. The magic exists where you create it.