A Starting Work Ritual

A starting ritual is different from your morning routine. While it does contribute to a state of readiness for successful work, I think of this ritual as a formal opening up of the energies for work. Whatever it is, it needs to feel authentic and true for you. Using another’s sacred starting ritual is like walking around in someone else’s shoes.

How do you begin your work time? Do you have a set schedule, a specific place where you like to work? A special way to begin? Just like I cook in my kitchen, I like to have a dedicated space for work. Fortunately, I have a room in my home that serves this purpose. We bought our home in July 2020 and although my partner was working from home at the time, we couldn’t foresee that this would become the norm for him. We found a house with a room for each kid, the two of us and my office. Now, his office is what was the dining room. It’s where he works two days a week, spending the other three at the gleaming new company high-rise in downtown Minneapolis. Post-pandemic has changed how and where we work.

Regardless of the physical space or place, we can create an energetic space for our best work. This is done with a starting ritual. What makes it a ritual?

It’s the intention. It’s deliberate. It’s symbolic, It connects us to our Higher Self, to All That Is. A more practical way to say this is that it aligns us and brings clarity. It’s a way to enter our intended destination for this block of work time into the GPS.

It also gets the brain ready. The brain loves habits and patterns. Doing something in the same way each time you start to work, preps the brain for the work. It’s a signal that puts your system in a state to do the work. It’s like the ritual of sitting down to meditate. Going to a designated spot, pulling out the cushion, and lighting a candle helps the brain start to move toward a meditative state. Same for a bedtime ritual to promote sleep.

A starting ritual for work is important because it’s easy to get pulled in a hundred directions and do everything but the most important thing. It's a behind-the-scenes strategy for successful work. There’s also resistance to creative work. A ritual can help coax us into the arena. Steven Pressfield wrote a book about this called, The War Of Art. In it, he shares his pre-writing ritual. First, he goes to the gym early in the morning each day. He writes that it gives him a win he can build on. When he sits down to write, he recites an innovation to the muses from Homer’s Odyssey. He’s acknowledging that the creative spark moves through us and the intention to be open to receive it.

A starting ritual is different from your morning routine. While it does contribute to a state of readiness to work, I think of this ritual as a formal opening up of the energies for work.

Whatever it is, it needs to feel authentic and true for you. Using another’s sacred starting ritual is like walking around in someone else’s shoes.

I’ll share mine. I endeavor to have my workspace physically tidied up when I complete my work the previous day. When I enter my office to work, I’ve already spent time at my alter (breathwork, chanting and meditation) and written in my journal. I do some kind of movement - jumping on the rebounder, Qigong or some yoga. Then, I make a cup of tea, which is the official start of my work ritual.

At my desk, I place the steaming tea on a coaster a dear friend gave me. It’s a picture of The Buddha with the words, “Let That Shit Go.” It’s a nice reminder to my ego to take a back seat. It’s easy for me to take my work too seriously and this coaster amuses me which lifts my vibes.

I press the “on” button on my diffuser, which has been cleaned and filled the night before, roll an oil blend on my wrists, grab a fun pen that’s been given as a gift, take a deep breath and write a question at the top of my organizer notebook. This is a 5” X 7” lined notebook where I physically write my scheduled activities for the day and keep a to-do list. The question is something like, “What wonder wants to unfold today?” Or, “Why is it so easy for me to align with my highest good?” Or, “How can I be most helpful through my work today?” The brain loves questions and will get to work to solve for the answer. It also helps me be less strict with myself and more in a state of curiosity and wonder - an ideal state for creativity.

My version of the muse is Kuan Yin. I have a card on my desk from Alana Fiarchild’s Oracle card deck. It’s #17 Many Hands of The Goddess. I read it:

The Goddess Kuan Yin brings blessings to multiple projects and many different parts of your life and consciousness, beloved. She is not limited to one task at a time. Do not be afraid to surrender into her guiding wisdom and creative genius now, for there is much that you can accomplish together and she wants to assist you!

We have another kind of a starting ritual for our group coaching calls and I recommend a starting ritual for any kind of service work whether that’s coaching, counseling, teaching, bodywork or energy healing.

What’s your starting ritual? Journal for yourself or share in the comments below.

If you’d like to develop one, consider:

• Set the scene. Light a candle, spritz the room with an essential oil spray blend, grab your favorite pen, open the blinds, and shut the door. Doing something physical helps the brain get ready to work. When done the same way each time, with intention, it becomes a ritual and creates a flow state for work.
• Acknowledge a source of inspiration beyond yourself. Open yourself up to guidance, whatever that means to you. Asking a question, or stating a prayer or intention is another way to get the mind in a creative and focused state.

Your starting ritual can be more elaborate with crystals, oils and sacred incantations or it can be incredibly simple, such as stating an affirmation. In all this, be kind to yourself. Be aware of perfectionist tendencies and give yourself grace as you build the neuro-highway of this new ritual to begin your sacred work in the world.