Natalie MacNeil - The Rituals: Simple Practices to Cultivate Well-Being, Deepen Relationships, and Discover Your True Purpose

Text copyright 2019 by Natalie MacNeil.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN 978-1-4521-8067-0 (hc)
ISBN 978-1-7972-0094-1 (epub, mobi)

Design by Vanessa Dina.
Illustrations by Lindsay Hine.
Typsetting by Frank Brayton.

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Youre invited to an enchanted world a space between spaces past and future unfurl to be reborn from cosmic dust baptized in the River Yin to let your wild soul dance like raindrops in the wind to tune in to the faded station our ancestors still play to make splendid sandcastles from the grains of your days to explore your every dimension feel what is rapturously true

Youre invited, dear one, to the ritual that is You

I danced along the edge of the lush green rice fields as a choir of roosters, cicadas, and cows welcomed the sunrise over Bali. The sweet scents of frangipani and incense floated across the expansive property as a Balinese woman placed tiny, beautiful arrangements on the ground as the daily canang sari offering, a sacred Hindu ritual.

I paused for a moment to take it all in. I felt so peaceful, so grateful, so awestruck, as I inhaled and exhaled with all of life. I hadnt felt that way in a long time.

I had returned to the island of Bali to rest my bones and nourish my soul. I was exhausted and burnt out following a busy year that included two book launches, extraordinary personal and business growth, and a big move to a new country. Throughout that time, my main focus had been on productivity and structure so that I could stay on top of my never-ending to-do list. I had adopted the habits that I believed would make me a more effective person.

I followed the morning routines and practices of the most successful CEOs and leaders. I read books about nutrition, habits, and exercises for high performance. If it could help me get more done, I was in.

I was hyper-productive. But the more I focused on achieving and doing, the more I felt like Id been set adrift.

I was methodically going through my routines, checking things off my to-do lists, and accomplishing so much, but along the way I felt my joy dissipating. It felt robotic to move through each of my routines without having to think about them anymore, which had been the whole point. The nature of a habit is unconsciouswe form habits by consciously repeating something until it becomes second nature, which of course has many benefits when those actions and behaviors are positive ones. But one of the drawbacks is the sort of mindless, going-through-the-motions feeling I was experiencing.

Feeling so disconnected got me thinking about the moments in my life when I feel the happiest, most energized, and in a state of flowthe feeling of total alignment and ease with everything I am doing and creating. Those flow states are further amplified when Im traveling and out of my day-to-day routines, experiencing a way of being that is contrary to the stress-filled, fast-paced lifestyle so many of us are trapped in.

Chanting at the top of my lungs as sweat and tears poured down me in a new moon temazcal ritual with a Mayan shaman in Mexico.

Dancing in a ceremony in Tanzania, feeling like liquid light was coursing through my body.

Hiking among the redwoods and sequoias, communing with nature in the beautiful state of California.

Drumming and letting every beat move through me at the Venice Beach Drum Circle.

Surrendering as a local medicine woman set herbs on fire around my body as I lay on a stone in a Peruvian jungle.

Awakening during a resonant bell ritual with monks at a monastery in China.

Embodying the highest sense of aliveness Id ever experienced while watching a body burn on a pyre at a Balinese cremation ceremony.

Fully embracing every aspect of this human experience at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert.

I realized that every tingling-from-head-to-toe moment I could remember in my life had the same thing in common: ritual.

Rituals connect us to our needs and desires, to each other, to the earth, to other cultures, to our collective past and future, and to our curiosity around who we are and what were doing here. Rituals are a concept as old as humanity, with the earliest known ritual dating back some seventy thousand years.

Getting lost in rich cultural traditions and powerful rituals has helped me find myself. We are missing so much when we dont open ourselves to new, enriching opportunities. How I experience the world is how I experience myself. Every new place Ive been, every new stranger Ive met, every new ritual Ive tried, has taken me to new places within me.

The intention of this book is to guide you to new places within yourself.

Ive been privileged to travel the world and have the opportunity to immerse myself in beautiful cultures and rich experiences. And this book is infused with the energy of the places I wrote it in: Bali, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Los Angeles, New York, England, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa.

But you dont need to travel far to discover a world of magicthe rituals in this book are designed to be accessible to anyone, anywhere.

In todays world, much of the sacred wisdom of rituals has been lost. Many of us are completely disconnected from the rituals that our ancestors practiced for centuries. Ideological shifts and dominant cultures have tried to erase ancient and native practices that have so much to teach us. I have deep reverence for the rituals that I have been invited to participate in by people in countries I have traveled to, and while some will be referenced in this book, I will not be sharing the practices of groups that have been oppressed and persecuted within the countries they live. That is not my place.

I am not an expert on rituals, but rather a humble and curious student committed to learning and exploring as much as I can in my lifetime. I invite you to research and further discover practices I reference, and I encourage you to explore the rituals of your own lineage. With the rise of accessible genetic testing, theres never been a better time to uncover, reconnect to, and celebrate your roots.

To practice your own rituals, and those of your ancestors, is not only an act of self-loveit can also be an act of connection, expression, divinity, and reverence. Rituals are small acts of rebellion against the systems we live in that want us to conform, to always be chasing the bigger and better thing, and to be the most productive cogs we can be.

Life is not about checking off a to-do list and going through the motions. Life is about living, expressing ourselves unapologetically, and spending time reveling in the people and experiences we consider most precious, the ones that give us access to our fullest potential. Those are the very things rituals celebrate.

And this is exactly why I wrote this book.

Inside these pages, Ive included a rainbow of rituals for you to sample, from the ancient to the new, the practical to the pleasurable. Many of these rituals are easy to integrate into the things you already do in everyday life. Rituals help me be. Be present with whatever is coming up and whatever Im feeling, and just live it without resistance. Be me, fully expressed and fully alive. It is my dearest wish that this book will help you do the same.