Morning Rituals

     In the early 1980s I attended a conference in Kamloops BC. A Vancouver bookstore was there, with a big table selling all manner of books and posters, and a variety of lapel pins.
     One of the pins declared “I wake up slowly” and I purchased it, and I wore it often. 
     That I wake up slowly was a truth I had ever been able to articulate before. Owning and displaying that pin gave me a sense of permission to be my real self in the world. A part of my makeup that had been criticized and rejected in over the years was suddenly allowed to exist, and I was able to claim it.
     I am not sure where that button is now, but all these years later I am am very clear that his is an aspect of who I am: I am a person who wakes up slowly.
     It is with this knowledge that I began to find the benefit in waking up earlier than might be necessary for other people.

     My need to accommodate my slow process meant I had to be up in time to drink coffee, read the newspaper (this was the olden days), or simply gather my wits about me before venturing into the world. Out there were the people who had just fallen out of bed, dragged a comb across their heads and rushed out to the bus stop just as the bus arrived.
     I was, and am, incapable of such accuracy in timing. The need for extra time gives a spaciousness in my day, a feeling of being put together that lets me function far better than I could if I hurry.
     Over the decades, that extra morning time has developed into a set of behaviours and rituals that ground me at the start of each day, and which, I believe, improve my quality of life immeasurably.
     After the inevitable trip to the bathroom and flipping the switch of the coffee-making apparatus, I sit and write.
   
  The concept of Morning Pages has been with me a long time, and while they have not been a consistent practice for me, they have recently returned with the of 750 words software 
     While the writing is happening, I may pause to pour a coffee, and certainly afterwards I will simply sit with the mug and breathe deeply into my new day, as I do, I review my lists and to-dos to entrench my understanding of what is expected of me in the daylight hours.

     When I complete the writing,  I perform my ablutions, make the bed and get into whichever clothes are best suited to the upcoming activities. I am likely to refill the coffee mug, and eat breakfast.  This is a good time for me to repeat affirmations like "I am blessed and highly favoured" or "all of life comes to me with ease and joy and glory" as I go about doing things that require minimal thought. I pause to enjoy the made bed, the tidy sleeping area, and the knowledge that not only have I accomplished something very visible, but at bed time it will all be fresh and ready for me.
     Unless my day is starting unusually early, I will have time to meditate. This practice varies: I might stream a Deepak Chopra meditation or play a guided visualization CD. Sometimes I tune in to an online music channel and focus being quiet with myself and my breath for fifteen or twenty minutes. After that I will take a couple of minutes to link with my Triangle, intending the energy of the Great Invocation into the world.
     Then, usually, I am ready to either put on my coat and leave, or gather up my home-office work, and let the day begin.
     When I miss any of these steps, my day feels ragged and ungrounded. I feel unfinished and uncentered.
     For me, it is well worth being awake for an extra hour in order to move into that place of settled energy.
     This routine also requires some attention in the evening: the coffee machine needs to be primed, with a mug directly beside it to avoid a flurry of seeking when the brew cycle  completes.

     The to-do list needs to be prepared before I sleep, and sometimes even my day’s correct wardrobe is be planned and or laid out. 
     Michael Tonge wrote "It’s the small habits. How you spend your mornings. How you talk to yourself. What you read and what you watch. Who you share your energy with. Who has access to you. That will change your life." 
     My life would be a very different shape if I spent my mornings any differently. When I adhere to this routine I am able to stop the demands and stresses of physical life from eroding the other planes. Bringing thoughts and emotions to a central location first thing in the morning allows Spirit to flow into every corner of my day.

 I have been practising Numerology and supporting clients through life changes since the 1980s.
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