In many cultures, it’s common to have rituals that honor non-physical realms and spiritual realities.  In my entryway, I have an altar dedicated to the Spirit of my home – the essence that fills the space in which I live – and each evening, when I get home, I honor that Spirit with a ritual I perform at my altar.  The gift of this kind of process is that it offers me an opportunity to enter my home more mindfully, more consciously aware of how I inhabit my space.  I’ve had a similar ritual at my office for years, when I light a candle first thing in the morning and hold it as a reminder that my office is a healing space and that there are supportive energies all around me.  I consider both my office and my home to be sanctuaries for me and for those who enter, and these small rituals remind me of that living quality of the spaces I inhabit.

For this week’s experiment, I invite you to notice what rituals you already have as you come and go from your living and work spaces.  Some of these rituals are helpful and some aren’t.  For example, some people immediately turn on the television when they walk in the door, without fully experiencing that they are entering their home and leaving behind the workday world.  Or, they may immediately get on the phone without first consciously landing in their space.

Also notice if there are ideas for rituals that emerge as you move through your living and work spaces more consciously.  Remember that we all have a rather constant flow of internal dialogue going on – a kind of ongoing self-hypnosis – and it’s important to be aware of the quality and tone of that dialogue.  For example, when you go to work, what do you say to yourself at the beginning of your work time, as you enter the space?  Do you give yourself messages that support the possibility of having a good day, or do you start going over a list of things that make your workplace feel unsupportive or unsatisfying?  By becoming more conscious of this internal dialogue, you can shift to telling yourself things that enhance your experience of being at work.

And, when you enter your living space, do you take a moment to experience and express your gratitude for having a space to come home to?  Do you thank the space for the support it offers you?  Or, do you enter without awareness and move through your living space on auto pilot?

As you explore what rituals might support your being more consciously aware of arriving and leaving the spaces you inhabit, allow yourself to notice what it’s like to be aware of what happens in your body and emotions as you come and go from these spaces with more awareness.  For me, the rituals I have prompt me to be more mindful of how I treat, and move through, these spaces and to be increasingly grateful that I have them in my life.  I am more aware of being conscientious about putting things away, about respecting the spaces, about interacting with them more mindfully rather than being on auto pilot.

As with all the experiments, please notice any judgments with gentleness, pat them on the head, and let them float on through.  The opportunity here is to notice things that can serve to enhance the quality of your life, not to point out things you are doing wrong.  And, also please remember to bring along curiosity as your constant companion.  It is a good partner to have along the way!