Rituals are special because of the feeling they impart in you when you perform them. It really matters not what the ritual actually is, except that is for empowered rituals through magic and sacred texts. Many religions and cultures use ritual as a doorway to our sacred-selves, and we have probably all seen images of Buddhist chanting and bell ringing. A ritual can be something very comforting also, and for many people it has nothing to do with religion or even spirituality. How many people smoke a cigarette, or roll one up, as a way to get through the day and have those precious moments with our selves. It is something very familiar, and that makes us feel safe, so rituals can be a very personal and comforting act as well. I can remember when I was a 6th form student smoking joints outside the back of the school, and when we use to pass them to each other my friend Gideon and I would always touch it to the spot in between our eyes (the third eye).. There was no real point to it (at least i didn’t think so back then!).. but it was our thing, and a part of our smoking ritual. When I touched this spliff to my forehead it made me feel respect and love for my very good friend! It make me appreciate the moment, and him, and gave the whole thing a 'special feeling'. So, what rituals do I have today you may wonder, well read on and lets find out!

1. Making A Chillum!

I really do want to lead with this very special ritual, because it is fair to say that the humble clay chillum has played part to a very many rituals both in large groups and also by myself. So if you didn’t know, I am a smoker, and have smoked in one form or another for most of my life. I dont smoke the chillium these days very often at all, but and I have stopped smoking totally a few times, but right now at least am quite busy with it! I can endure almost anything so long as I have a nice piece of charas around! So chillum smoking is something that I discovered when I first visited India back in 1997. Surprisingly enough, smoking Indian hashish called charas is a sacred and revered act performed by many holy men who worship the Lord Shiva.

A dedicated chillum devotee may spend a good 40 minutes making one up, in a lengthy and intricate process that results in a fully packed large perfectly finished clay pipe typically between 6" and 12" long. The process itself is really a mediation and special ritual, and every act is performed with a feeling of great reverence and respect.. I have seen it countless times, and at first I thought they were a bit nuts, until I learned of the reason for it all! Once you have had a few puffs, of which one is equal to a whole joint, you are given a BOOM, and that is more often than not the word people express before passing it on... whilst touching it to your third eye or heart. Smoking in groups can be quite an uplifting experience, especially when done with holy men in the jungle! They hold a very high vibration, and the good ones give many blessings and incredible energy to the group.

2. Checking the plants and watering the Greenhouse

Hey ho, I finished making my greenhouse just two weeks ago, and already it is one of my morning rituals! I made it out of bamboo that I grow behind my house some wire and plastic rope and some transparent plastic sheets. She don't look like much but totally does the job! It is much warmer in side, and last night it rained with the full force of a monsoon downpour for hours on end. This morning I went to check and they all looked perfect. It is a special ritual to connect with my food in this way, and nurture it and give these plants everything they need to produce delicious vegetables, leaves and herbs. Watering the plants doesn’t take long, but i am careful and just enjoy the moment, it is again my meditation!

3. Bhajans & Meditation

Ok, this is how I start every morning these days.. I'd say ive been doing this every morning for some months now, although i have done it in the past over many years on and off. My morning ritual is SO important, the MOST important part of my day. For some reason i wake up at anything between 4:30am and 6:00am no matter what time I go to sleep, it is a gift and just sort of started happening some months ago.. I USED to wake up at 3pm when I was 21! My morning ritual uplifts me SO much that it is hard to really explain.. Even I don’t fully understand all the things that happen in that two or so hours as the sun is rising above the great mountains. I start out either singing for ages or chanting the Gayatri 108 times.

These days I mostly sing bhjans with the guitar and make a LOT of noise! Thankfully the cats seem to like it, and living on a remote mountain means i can make as much noise as i want! Once I am fully played out I set my guitar down and meditate for some time. I may do some inner work, and often some random thing may happen.. When I am finished the world looks so much more beautiful, colours really are brighter, and i can hear the birds sing and the crickets chirp because my mind is much quieter. Finally I do a 20 minute qi gong session, but not every day.. I like to mix it all up a bit as i never want it to feel monotonous or in any way mundane.. SO that is my morning ritual mash up!

4. Drumming!

Ahh my trusty ol Djembe! I have played the djembe for around 25 years, as far back as I can remember being a teenager. I used to drum in trance and techno nightclubs, and would often go by myself and just blast the dance floor with some djembe beats over the insanely loud music.. Nowadays things are quite different, BUT Sunday is my drumming day almost every week. I don’t have anyone to play with, and so i use it as my kind of therapy and release as well as it being my idea of total enjoyment! I can easily play for 2 hours FULL POWER, none stop, giving it all I got.. By the end of it I am usually sweating, had a great workout, and am feeling amazing.

If you didn’t know, the djembe drum is one of the loudest drums there is, and can easily overcome the noise of a loud nightclub! In an earthship built like a cathedral, the bass resonates the entire house with Sub bass like I never experienced anywhere else. I have of course found the sweet spot of the house, which is dead centre. Drumming is a ritual that I will always hold dear, it connects my mind in ways that i cannot explain, and puts me in the flow of life again.. RIGHT in the moment like nothing else! When i drum, then and only then is my mind TOTALLY empty of thought.. I never even realised that before writing this, and that is a special thing indeed!

Oh man, i could go on guys.. but i am TRYING to limit my posts.. Maybe ill pop a few more in the comments if anyone reads this!

If you never tried any of these rituals, I do recommend trying one out sometime.. well except number 1 unless you know what you are doing! ;-) Rituals are the ONLY way I have found to get myself out of a rut, or improve my emotional well-being beyond ANTHING else that I have tried. When I made the worst trading mistakes, my days could have been miserable and full of fear and worry.. instead i said, screw that, and thankfully managed to pull myself out of a hole and made the world look great again!

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