Birthday Rituals with Intention

So I turned 45 this year, and I was more than a little excited about it. I don't recall being that excited about a birthday since I turned 21! My intuition has been hinting at the great changes that will happen this year, and I'm feeling ready for all of it. Not that it won't be like any other year of my life, in the sense that I'm sure there will be some major challenges to overcome and lessons to learn. But I'm full of gratitude for the privilege of growing older and the life that I'm living. I'll continue to learn and grow and love, no matter what! The sad reality is that a lot of friends my age have already passed, and as a result I don't take a moment of this life for granted.

A few days before my birthday, I felt a strong urge to plan out the whole day (and a bit of the day before as well) with some of the rituals I did last year, plus a few more that I felt guided to do. Here's what it looked like:

Day before my birthday:

• Light a candle.
• Meditate.
• Smudge myself and the house with:
  • Sage, to cleanse and release negative energy
  • Cedar, to purify and protect
• Make a list of everything I would like to release and leave behind.​

Day of my birthday:

• Wear some of my favorite clothes
• Light a candle
• Smudge myself and the house with:
  • Sweetgrass, to invite sweetness, beauty, and forgiveness into my life, as well as connect to Mother Earth
  • Palo Santo, to ground, bring love, and raise my vibration
  • Myrrh, to clear the way on my path to my inner truth
• Spirit bath to invite sweetness and beauty into my life (recipe partially borrowed from my teacher Cathy Towle):
  • Milk
  • Honey
  • Cinnamon
  • Carnations (I used red and white ones)
  • Calendula (I used dried)
  • White Tea Lights (I used 7 because it's a lucky number for me and it's what fit on the edge of the tub!)
  • Clear Quartz Crystals
  • Orange, Vanilla, and Jasmine Essential Oils
• Read
• Journey
• Make a list of everything I would like to invite into my life in the coming year.
• Walk around outdoors and notice what crosses my path, look for signs and messages from Nature, and take photos that I can come back to later.

Ricky Turner

This was all in addition to my daily rituals of meditation, yoga, Reiki, Tarot, and giving thanks to my guides. It helped that it snowed beautifully on my birthday, and my husband and daughter stayed home to celebrate with me. We ordered in sushi for lunch and pizza for dinner from my favorite restaurants. And that bath smelled AMAZING! Best bath ever, hands down.

But the most important ingredient in all of these rituals was intention. All day I prayed and gave thanks for my many blessings, past and future, and envisioned my year ahead.

Please share your thoughts, questions, and some of your own rituals with me in the comments section below!

Love
​TarotMama