For years before every class and healing session, I’ve done a ritual to help me step out of my self and into a channel of divine light and healing. This ritual has remained unchanged for over ten years.

There is power in ritual. The repetition creates a template of energy, and over time that template strengthens.

I trust the energy of my ritual. After doing it hundreds of times, the template starts to unfold as I do the first step – smudging myself and the space. This signals to my higher self, my helping spirits, and the divine compassionate ones that I’m offering myself as a channel for the divine. As I proceed with the other steps, the template continues to activate, and the momentum carries me forward into my class or healing session.

Several parts of my ritual are themselves templates. The Recipe is a template that helps me be centered in my own being. (The Recipe is a four-part process to ground, align, and carry protection taught in Module 1 of the “Energy Essentials for Empaths” class.)

My power song calls to all of my spirit to come home and be embodied. Calling in the seven directions is a well-established pattern initially established by shamanic cultures thousands of years ago. Through including these steps in my opening ritual, I’m connecting myself to the power, energy, and wisdom of these ancient practices.

Many spiritual practices have rituals that create templates – yoga, meditation, sacred dance, and chanting are a few examples.

We can only gain access to the template through regular practice. For example, if we’ve been ungrounded our whole life, when we first start to connect with Mother Earth, it may seem unfamiliar. At the beginning, we may not notice much of a change. Once we’ve established our grounding cords, we might have to repeat the grounding frequently to stay in connection with the solid, stable, safe energy of Mother Earth. Once that template becomes established, the grounding is much easier (and lasts longer) because it’s a place we’ve been many times before.

Templates are only created through repetition, so to fully call on the power of these practices, they need to be done regularly. Once we’ve done the groundwork, they are there for us to call on when they’re needed.

This work is real, and it matters.

March 29, 2022