What does the festive season mean to you?
Is it a time for connecting with family and friends; for gathering, eating, and celebrating together? Or is it a time of rushing around, of excess spending, of trying to do too much and please too many people?
For most of us, it’s probably a bit of both. There can be a lot of pressure that comes with Christmas – finding the perfect gifts, cooking enough food for your family gathering, not to mention the logistical nightmare of whose turn it is to host, and how you’ll all get there in the holiday season traffic.
With all the build-up and pressure to please everyone, it’s easy to forget the simple joy of sharing food and connecting with the people you love.
Creating a sacred ritual for the festive season can help you slow down and remember what’s important to you at this time of year. It can bring some spirituality to your celebration and create a deeply nourishing experience.
How to create your own festive season sacred ritual
A sacred ritual is deeply personal and should hold meaning for you. When designing a ritual for the holiday season, take some time to think about what this time of year means to you.
In the Northern Hemisphere, Christmas comes right near the Winter Solstice, when the nights are long, and the weather is cold. It's time to turn inwards and recharge our batteries. Before supermarkets, winter was a time when food was scarcer, and a winter festive meal was valued greatly. Food would be saved up for the occasion and nothing would be wasted. Our ancestors would have felt a deep sense of gratitude for the food that was grown, harvested and preserved earlier in the year to see them through the leaner months.
Here in the Southern hemisphere, Christmas falls just after the Summer. Days are long and hot and there’s a natural tendency to want to be outdoors and socialise in the sunshine. Christmas celebrations are likely to involve swimming and backyard barbeques!
Regardless of where in the world you’re celebrating this year, and what the seasons are doing, we can all slow down and bring a sense of gratitude to our gathering.
Take some time to think about the food you’re eating. Where has it come from? Who’s been involved in growing it, harvesting it and cooking it?
Those of us in the winter months can feel the deep, nurturing warmth of the roast meats and hot toddies we’re enjoying. Those of us celebrating in summer can be grateful for the vibrancy of our summer foods, the colourful salads and abundant seafood.
Christmas can also be a time to reflect on the year that’s gone. We can share laughter and memories, as well as our hopes and dreams for the coming year.
Your festive season sacred ritual can be as simple or complicated as you want to make it. It can incorporate special objects such as crystals, herbs, candles, or foods. You may want to recite a poem or sing a song that holds special meaning to you. Or perhaps you’ll make your gift-giving a more conscious and intentional time.
A simple sacred ritual for the holidays
Use this ritual as a starting point to create something that’s meaningful to your family and friends. You will need a sacred object, such as a candle (to symbolise light and love), a rose quartz crystal (for love), or a small bowl of seasonal scented herbs and spices such as cloves.
Gather everyone in a circle.
Thank everyone for joining you for this celebration.
Hold your sacred object and share something with your group. This could be something you’re grateful for, a memory from the past year, or a wish for the year to come.
When you’ve finished, pass your object to the person on your left, so they can share too.
When everyone has had their turn, take a moment for everyone to close their eyes and send love to those who are unable to join you, or those less fortunate than you.
There are no rules when creating your own sacred ritual, other than to bring intention to it.
Have fun with it and bring joy and creativity to the process!
If you’d like to learn more about creating sacred rituals, you’ll love our Sacred Ritual Intensive Course! It contains in-depth information about all the elements you need to create your own personal, spiritual ritual.
Kate Mantello is a Master Crystal & Energy Healing Practitioner, Founder & CEO of Evolve Healing Institute and the author of 'Rock On - The crystal healing handbook for spiritual rebels'. If you would like to learn more about crystal healing or how to become a crystal healing practitioner, then please check out Kate's world-class, internationally accredited online crystal healing courses. Alternatively, for a deeply personal healing experience, you may like to book a 1-1 online intuitive crystal healing session with Kate, which also includes your very own crystal prescription.
Mel Shieldhouse is a freelance copywriter and content creator, based on the Sunshine Coast. She specialises in helping busy, heart-centred entrepreneurs attract their dream client. If you’d like to work with Mel, you can contact her at Teacup Copy.