Wellness

Self-Care Rituals to Stay Grounded This Holiday Season

Although it’s considered the most wonderful time of year, the holiday season can often be triggering and stressful as well. Joining me on the blog is my friend and psychic medium Kelly Rich who shares her favorite rituals and meditations to stay grounded during this time. Let’s not forget too that this week is also the Winter Solstice. This is the point in the northern hemisphere’s calendar when the night is longest and the day is shortest—it happens on December 21st. From the 22nd onward, the days will steadily get lighter. For many, this shift is seen as a symbolic time of death and rebirth, the darkness inevitably giving way to the light.

To promote balance and inner peace you can step away from it all and spend some time in nature. A truly grounding practice is to create a mandala. The beach is an especially great setting to create one at because the ocean and fresh salty air can be extremely cleansing and purifying. When we create these special nature mandalas we tap into our personal power and open ourselves up to intuitive inspiration and deep introspection. The act of creating these mandalas taps us into this special energy that radiates love and intention from the center of our being which allows us to better manage our emotions and interact with the greater world.

“Mandala translates to, “circles” in the Sanskrit language. When building a mandala, you are working with the cyclical nature of life and I see the process as a way to come home to yourself. There are many ways to work with mandala energy, you can create your own in nature, using flowers, or fallen tree branches or brush, or even find a mandala coloring book or draw your own. The process can slow the mind down and promote relaxation. When I am out in nature creating one with my hands, I feel a natural sense of freedom and at the same time, connected to the materials (earth) I am using. I believe the more we can get out into nature, the healthier and happier we will be.” – Kelly

The mandala helps us to honor the earth, all its beauty, and the interconnectedness of all. Begin by looking for anything that would work to create a beautiful circle. Find items in nature like flowers, seashells, crystals, pinecones, rocks, feathers, twigs, etc. Start with a center… And build outward. Or create a container, and fill inward. Allow yourself to use your own creative and inspired knowing to create a perfect masterpiece. There is no “right” way to make a mandala. For us, we started with the center using beautiful big pink roses to symbolize self-love as a priority and incorporated wintery elements like pine and dried flowers to contrast life and death.

Using the leftover flowers after we made a foot soak using the salt water from the sea. Foot soaks help ground the air and ether elements that tend to increase around the winter season. Studies show that foot soaks can help relieve anxiety and may even improve sleep quality. They are also a great way to sit still and set intentions. For instance, as we enter a new life chapter, what have you learned this past year about yourself? What do you wish to manifest moving forward?

“Self-reflection. Know your energy and who you are. For most people, silence goes a long way but we live in a society that does not celebrate stillness nor silence. A silent meditation is an act of loving rebellion, a powerful energy cleanser and a clear pathway to creating pure intentions from the heart. If you struggle with silence, start with a couple of minutes and work your way up to ten or twenty minutes. If you are a busy caregiver, or if it feels impossible to find silence, simply sitting in your environment being an observer without feeling the need to respond. Having a spot in your home or office where you can go to meditate can create a positive energetic imprint in the space and in the mind. Even if you don’t have a lot of space, it can be a cushion you use consistently for meditation wherever you are.” – Kelly

Lastly, creating an altar is a powerful ritual for remaining grounded during this time. This is a special place to renew your connection with your inner self and spirit.

“An altar is a space you tend to, and can treat as a sacred living and breathing entity. Tending to your altar is tending to your being on all levels as your altar is often your mirror. Energetically, an altar has an aura and if you neglect your altar, the energy will shift and of course alternatively, when you show up with dedication to your altar, a strong connection will build. Showing up consistently, with routine, is by nature very grounding and I’ve seen this small act help to increase sensitivity to the senses which are connected to intuition.

For those wanting to create a physical altar of some kind, start by choosing a location, this can be a shelf, a corner, or any amount of space you have to work with, and then begin to bless the space by adorning it. You can work with the basic principles of life, the five elements – earth, water, fire, wind, space. As the seasons change, the altar may change as well. Inviting seasonal, nature-based materials into your altar can be a great way to sync up to the rhythms of nature. You can also create an altar to represent an energy you are invoking into your life.

Your body can also be seen as an altar. Tending to the body not to focus so much on what it looks like, but how the body feels. The vibration of what you wear, the things you say to yourself and others, all of these contribute to the vibration of your being, your altar.” – Kelly