Sacred Chores
I often find repetitive physical work to be a kind of meditation. So I wanted to share with you a sacred moment I had recently.
The trees near me are finally done dropping their leaves, which means I couldn't continue to put off the raking of the yard. I told myself I would wait until all the leaves were down. Now the work needed to get done if I wanted any kind of lawn in the spring, and I had to do it before all the plants under those leaves died. Since this is a job that I do only once every year, I decided to make it into a simple little sacred moment.
My Ritual:
I smudged my rake saying, "May this tool become an extension of my hand and follow the directions of my desire." (This is my stock request when purifying a tool that isn't one of my usual ritual tools.)
I smudged myself saying, "May this work bring strength to my body, focus to my mind, and peace to my spirit."
That's all it took. I then spent half the day raking leaves. I spent time thinking about the benefits of my actions. Here's what came to me:
1. My body gets a workout, which is good for me.
2. I didn't have to use fossil fuels to get the work done.
3. I didn't have to fill the neighborhood with the screams of a blower and my hearing wasn't damaged by a machine.
4. I am able to scratch away the thatch in the lawn so it can grow healthier.
5. I am able to pay attention to the insects and herbs that live in my lawn -- things I wouldn't see if I wasn't putting so much attention on the ground.
6. I was able to stomp back into place all the feeding raceways left by the mole that visited by this summer for a feeding frenzy.
7. I was able to focus my thinking undisturbed for about 3 hours on spiritual feelings and strengthen my connection to nature.
Turning mundane work into sacred moments can rewarding and fun if you have the right perspective.
The trees near me are finally done dropping their leaves, which means I couldn't continue to put off the raking of the yard. I told myself I would wait until all the leaves were down. Now the work needed to get done if I wanted any kind of lawn in the spring, and I had to do it before all the plants under those leaves died. Since this is a job that I do only once every year, I decided to make it into a simple little sacred moment.
My Ritual:
I smudged my rake saying, "May this tool become an extension of my hand and follow the directions of my desire." (This is my stock request when purifying a tool that isn't one of my usual ritual tools.)
I smudged myself saying, "May this work bring strength to my body, focus to my mind, and peace to my spirit."
That's all it took. I then spent half the day raking leaves. I spent time thinking about the benefits of my actions. Here's what came to me:
1. My body gets a workout, which is good for me.
2. I didn't have to use fossil fuels to get the work done.
3. I didn't have to fill the neighborhood with the screams of a blower and my hearing wasn't damaged by a machine.
4. I am able to scratch away the thatch in the lawn so it can grow healthier.
5. I am able to pay attention to the insects and herbs that live in my lawn -- things I wouldn't see if I wasn't putting so much attention on the ground.
6. I was able to stomp back into place all the feeding raceways left by the mole that visited by this summer for a feeding frenzy.
7. I was able to focus my thinking undisturbed for about 3 hours on spiritual feelings and strengthen my connection to nature.
Turning mundane work into sacred moments can rewarding and fun if you have the right perspective.
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