Letting Go - Ritual

Ritual Saturday. A walk to the beach to celebrate letting go of vestiges of 2009, and to unite fire and water. My heart says to let go with fire (not of it), knowing that fire and water will both work to purify me in the coming year.

I begin today’s journey at the top of 300 stairs. Each step down a reminder to let go, until I finally reach the beach. It is windy and cold – not quite deserted. My first moments, I find sea glass – a rarity on this stretch of sand.

A small sailboat races across the Sound. “You are the boat. Life is the sea.” The sails are at full tilt. Shall I move head first into the year? A giant piece of ancient roots sits like a sentinel in the sand. It is the focus of my attention – grounded and solid.

Continuing down the beach, I seek a fire pit to burn my list of good-bye’s. I know my matches will not take hold in this mighty wind. My lone fire will not be enough. How can I burn my list? I need fire to let go. Spying a family gathered around a flame, I understand I can ask for help. I don’t have to do everything alone. Fire is meant to be shared. Someone else can help warm me.

“May I feed your fire?”

“Of course,” they respond. And so I drop my list of good-byes into the pit. It doesn’t light at first. I feel silly for a moment – old judgments stir inside my gut. The man tells me it is an “inherited” fire, left by someone who came to burn a Christmas tree. The flame is being passed. My list crinkles at the edges, bursts into flame and then it is gone – just like that. I thank them. They thank me and I realize how deeply we have shared without full explanation or many words at all.

As I walk away, there is a tugging in my heart. Did I expect to feel lighter? I have let go and now I feel a little shaky and not sure what to do next. So, I head back toward the stairs, but first I must pass through the tunnel under the railroad tracks – retracing my steps. My shakiness dissipates as I witness what is before me in mosaic-form– fire and water together. It is a sign to me that I don’t have to give up one to receive the other. I can have them both.

But, just in case my thick head won’t remember and forgets too quickly, there is another gift on the wall. “May your soul always be on fire.” I am overwhelmed by the welcoming of the Universe – God surrounding me. I am the boat and life is the sea. We are in this together.

One foot in front of the other, I begin the climb back up the steps. Step. Receive. Breathe. Step. Receive. Breathe. Upward and onward into the year. Fire inside. Moist air surrounding. Solid ground beneath my feet.

all photos taken Saturday, January 2, 2010 © lucy

Ritual

It has been said (and confirmed) that I have a knack and need for ritualization. Breaking dawn is often my time for ritual. The lighting of symbolic candles. Gentle music. Settling into a cozy corner on my daybed. Setting aside time. Greeting God. Saying, 'I am here'.

My mind wanders, but the blank page and fountain pen call me back. Books to my left. Coffee to my right. Quilt over legs and cushy pillows behind my back. Surrounded by the lilting sounds of chanting monks.It is dark and quiet inside my own little womb created here.

In the womb, we are surrounded by water. It is the air we breathe while attached to our mother. In my womb, I am attached to God. Present. We are one. For brief moments, there is no separation. I swim in the amniotic fluid that is life. No separation - like a fish in the ocean.

“You are the boat. Life is the sea,”.* We are not separate. My earthen boat of humanity is held by the sea. Surrounded. Air above. Water below. Fire within.

Where (or does) ritual manifest in your life? Also, has your word for the year found you yet?

*quoted in The Book of Awakening.

'setting sail' © lucy - taken @ shilshole bay, january 2, 2010

I asked for a single word. I got a whole theme.

“…there are those who convert the body into a luminous fluidity, surrendering it to the inspiration of the soul.” –Isador Duncan *

A few years ago, I began the practice of choosing a word for the new year – one to focus on that seems to capture the essence of me at this particular point in time.

It’s really a misnomer to say that I “choose” the word, because in reality, each time, the word has come to find me. This year has been no different as the word started noticeably washing over me during my pilgrimage to Ireland.

As 2009 headed to a close, the hints became more prevalent. I was noticing quotes* in doctor’s offices and strangers were recommending books for me to read. In my observant style, I wrote down the quotes, listened to the signs and bought the books. I played with the words in my mind, but THE word did not seem to want to show itself. Finally, the theme became crystal clear as I read this post on making espresso. Was I "strong enough to stand up to the pressure, but resilient enough to let the water pass through evenly"? I knew I could resist no more. And still, I resisted.

You see, I loved my word for last year: FIRE! It was indeed a year of burning flames, hearts bursting open and projects ablaze. I’m still reveling in my acquaintance with St. Brigid of Kildare who I encountered while in Ireland. She is most often shown with flame in hand and is known for her hospitality and celebrating the ordinary. She is a woman on fire.

So, with all of these flames and fire, I was a bit chagrined to learn that my theme for this year is… WATER. Nothing like a burst of H2O to put a damper on a good flame, huh? Now, don’t get me wrong, I am already embracing this new theme…slowly. However, it feels important to share my own resistance in letting go of the heat of 2009.

Appropriately, it has been a very wet day here as the calendar turns to 2010. It is a new decade and instead of a word, I have a full-blown theme. (I have also considered whether or not I may be working my way through the elements.) Regardless, WATER (with all of it's fluidity & flow) ought to keep me busy for awhile!

So, there it is. I have officially passed from the element of fire into the new year of WATER. Do you feel called to take on a similar practice of asking for a word? Abbey of the Arts gives a beautiful history of the origin and her own word of the year (along with a great giveaway.) Become Inspired with Kate Iredale as she shares her own word. I’m certain there are more around the internet and I look forward to nurturing each other as we embrace who we are to be in this coming year! So, what's your word?