Everyday in grammar school, we had a morning ritual of saying the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, a short prayer, maybe some special intentions for others or sharing gratitude. In high school, the morning ritual was less spiritual as we listened to morning announcements over the PA. In college, the morning ritual was lost altogether as it became a rush out the door to classes. After college, entering professional life, the morning ritual became a pilgrimage to the coffee temple and sometimes a side trip to the lesser bagel temple; filling a physical and sometimes social need rather than a spiritual one.
While living overseas in the last decade, I experienced the morning rituals of other cultures. Here are some of my favorites:
Waking up in Istanbul at sunrise to the mystical call to prayer. The giant, mysterious and melodic voice from beyond awakening the community and reminding everyone to take a moment and turn their body, mind and spirit towards God. Google: “Islamic Call To Prayer” in YouTube to hear some examples.
In Mongolia, there is a nomadic tradition where the mother or grandmother of the household makes a morning offering to the “gods”. She puts on her del and hat, goes outside with a small bowl of milk, and using a carved wooden spoon, tosses an offering of milk 3 times towards the sky. In the city, I’ve seen women do this from their apartment windows or sometimes in an empty lot nearby.
My favorite morning ritual is the Balinese Hindu morning offerings. These are small baskets made of palm or banana leaves filled with some rice or food from the family kitchen as well as flowers and petals from the family garden and a stick of incense. Women make these offerings and place these symbols of gratitude at the family shrine, entrance to the home, entrance to businesses, in front of guesthouses, etc. Birds, cats, insects and other animals will come by and nibble at them during the day. The tiny baskets are symbolic reminders of gratitude.
While on a yoga retreat, we began our day at sunrise by taking a cup of warm tea made of fresh lemon juice and ginger root. With three strikes of a gong, we descended upon the outdoor yoga studio surrounded by lush palm trees. With the sounds of a bubbling stream below, birds and toads greeting us from the bush, we began the day with a salutation to the rising sun.
How do you begin your day? What are your morning rituals? Do you begin your day in a mindful way?
-Julie Pitzen 2021
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