Here we will share our stories, and some of yours. We will be real, honest, hopefully inspiring, and give you some epic food for thought!
Blog - Rituals
by Nicole Langlois
Rituals
I think 2 of the most important things we can aspire to are;
To attain our inner bliss.
To have true connection.
One of the greatest tools to reaching both of those things is Ritual.
Family Ritual:
It was Thanksgiving sometime during our RV travels when we decided to go to Seattle to spend the day with friends.
It was the day before and we realized a very important thing was missing, the Thanksgiving book that we read every year since I could remember.
It took a few days, some clever sleuthing, and we had printed pages the kids bound and decorated so that Thur. night when my mom and my sister called, we would all be able to read a page as we passed it around the table. "Giving Thanks, A Native American Story,” linked the family-even when thousands of miles apart, resurrected memories of my late father in his wisdom, strength, and passion for family - it gave us great comfort knowing it was one constant we could always count on.
The now many copies of that book have traveled w/us, and others, all over the country, even world, and has made its way into extended family & friends' homes and is now part of their
Family traditions.
Personal Ritual:
After my partner and I separated, my world was turned upside down and inside out. The earth was ripped out from underneath me, food was revolting, breathing a chore, thinking, showering,
talking, existing - was unbearably painful.
After weeks - months - it was all still true, just less intense and easier to hide. But I was starting to want to heal, to rediscover who the hell I was… I read books, went to therapy, started making art again, started smiling again - but it wasn't enough.
I began working with a meditation/spiritual mentor. His methods were intense, unconventional, and required digging deep and exercising discipline. That was 2 yrs. ago and my practice has evolved…
It includes meditation, mindful breathing, yoga , chanting, playing my musical instruments, making art, etc..
and it will ebb and flow but I do it almost every single day. That ritual changed me - changes me.
It connects me to me, grounds me, gives me solace, -helps me to tap into moments of bliss, gives me clarity, and is the one place/time I can be me - 100% me.
Professional Ritual:
Have you ever howled at the moon?
If you ask most business owners what kind of business practices or rituals they use in their biz, they will probably say things like; annual meetings, company
retreats, ringing a bell, ceremonial celebrations - and we do do those… but the one thing that has been a constant for almost 10 yrs -every 2 wks-is howling at the new and full moon.
You may be wondering what the heck that has to do with Business - well let me tell you. It's how we identify the things that are no longer serving us and then, with intention and conviction, we ceremoniously make a vow to let them go.
With a howl and a mantra …or song… or poem, we 'release them to the moon.'
It's also a sacred time we come together in sisterhood, an unspoken pledge to each other, to create the future and the dream.
It's a time we put our differences or distractions aside to unify and manifest exactly what it is we need and want for the Company.
This one ritual is the backbone and one constant that we can count on.
We're social creatures that thrive in environments that cultivate connections in external structure, environments that give us opportunities, tools, ceremonies and inspiration.
All with the intention of bringing us a sense of deep joy and belonging.