It’s the first day in September. I’m standing in the mud-coloured flood water of the Olifants River which has filled the Clanwilliam dam. I’m building up the courage to dunk my body into the icy water as I look across the mirrored reflections of the Cederberg mountains topped with a dusting of snow.
This is my annual ritual of welcoming spring. The show of flowers that carpet the landscape deceives one into thinking spring started a month ago. It’s only now in the heat of October that the water is welcoming. Yet every year I do the icy spring swim at the start of September.
Why? I think I love the routine of ritual and the sacredness in tradition. With the ceremony of marriage, we know it is a pledge of a life together. The rites of passage celebrate stepping into the next phase of life. The rituals of religion are an expression of devotion supporting faith.
Rituals have been part of my healing journey of coming home to Self. The drum journeys of Soul Retrievals and welcoming back the lost parts. Bowing to my parents and ancestors in Family Constellations – accepting that I am smaller and cannot do it for them. The rituals that emerged from Dagara Divinations – messages from my Ancestors calling for rituals for cleansing and offerings needed to shift energy. The glorious Despacho Ceremonies from Peru that call in joy.
These sacred rituals come from the heart, performed with humility and always with clear intention. Sacred rituals are never done lightly.
What sacred rituals are calling you or have touched you?
