Change is in the air …

Come autumn the sky seems clearer and bluer, the sun is still warm while the air is refreshingly brisk and there is an unmistakable scent of fallen leaves. The very atmosphere seems to tingle with excitement, anticipation and imminent change.

Perhaps memories of heading off to school armed with freshly sharpened pencils and clean, unmarked notebooks have linked this season, more than any other, with new beginnings. That sense of anticipation can make fall the perfect season to start new projects, take up new hobbies and begin new journeys in life-long learning.

And yet, whenever there is a new beginning, the change of routine can stir up a confusing flood of feelings. Whether you are starting a new business venture, entering a new relationship or moving into a new home, the early stages of a new endeavor can become a minefield of conflicting feelings.  Excitement and anxiety, impatience and doubt, or hope and fear create a frustrating inner state of indecision and confusion.

The critical events and passages on life’s journey can be easier to navigate if you mark them with a small but meaningful ritual. It need not be complex or exacting, a simple ceremony or ritual is all that is required to honor important milestones.

For example, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the new Peak Potentials Training building last month, each employee was treated to a smudging rite as they walked through the front door into the new office for the first time.

Borrowed from the Native American tradition, this powerful cleansing technique is one Peak Potentials Training uses at the Warrior, Wizard and Mind of Steel, Heart of Gold camps. Using a bundle of smoldering herbs such as sage, the smoke releases the energy and fragrance to heal, cleanse and purify any negative energy.

Smudging is based on the premise that both living and inanimate objects are surrounded by energy fields. These can be calm and peaceful, or they can show disturbances due to electromagnetic disruptions, illness, negative emotions and stress. Smudging then, can be a simple way to bring balance and harmony to any space, and is especially helpful when going through times of significant change or transition.

At Harv’s welcoming speech, he urged each of us to create for ourselves a small daily ritual to keep the energy in our new building free of negativity. He suggested that we take a few moments before entering the building each morning to let go of any worries and problems so that we could intentionally bring only our highest intentions to work.

While it’s not always possible to work in an office that has the shared intention to work cooperatively and with higher consciousness, it is possible to begin each day with a small ritual that reminds you of your deeper purpose and intentions.

Whether it is just a small pause as you start your day’s work or a moment of mindfulness before entering your home at the end of the day, ritual can act like a stick in the wheel of automatic, unconscious behavior and be a useful reminder of your higher intentions.

This fall, with the energy of change in the air, is an ideal time to introduce small rituals that infuse your life with meaning and purpose. With a few daily practices, both the big transitions and the smaller daily beginnings will be freer, richer and more rewarding.