REFLECT
A return to yourself. Slow breath, soft light, the long exhale you didn't know you needed.
Quiet is a doorway.
Reflection is the simplest of the three rituals, and often the hardest. It asks nothing of you except your attention. A small pocket of time where the world steps back and you remember the shape of your own breath, the chapters of your life, and who you are being in the moment.
Reflection is not limited to one single activity or one place. It is the activity and environment that brings you closer to meeting yourself with honesty, kindness, and free from judgement.
Considerations:
01.Find a space where you feel safe. Choose somewhere you feel welcomed and at peace. Neutral spaces, those that do not carry strong positive or negative associations, are often the best place to start.
- A room in your house
- An art or sound studio
- A hiking trail
- A practice field
- A coffee shop
02.Set an intention. An intention gives the moment weight and meaning, marking the space as sacred. A few examples:
- Cultivate inner peace
- Open your heart
- Develop loving kindness
- Grow in gratitude
- Be present
03.Acknowledge your mood. As with every ritual, your current emotional, physical, and energetic state shapes the space you create. Be honest with yourself about where you are before you begin.
04.Purify the space and yourself. Give yourself the freedom to meet yourself without the residue of the world's expectations getting in the way.
- Smudge yourself and the space with sage
- Essential oil spray
- Mantra or meditation music (sound bath)
- Incense
- Crystals
05.Choose your strain and delivery method. This is one of the most important parts of building your ritual, because not every delivery method suits every practice. A contemplative ritual like journaling may call for a slower mind-and-body experience, an indica edible with CBG and Delta 9, for example. A vinyasa flow may ask for something more cerebral and shorter-lasting, like a sativa-dominant strain you can smoke. As you decide, consider:
- Level of exertion
- Your current state of being
- Desired duration
When you take cannabis as a tool for reflection, you are neither chasing nor running away from a feeling. You are allowing what already exists to reveal itself. The tension in the shoulders. The thought you have been avoiding. The softness underneath the noise.
Stay with it. Read a few pages. Sketch. Sit. Reflection is not the activity, it is the willingness to be present for whatever arrives.