Abracadabra!

Not long ago I read and chuckled at a post by Mammasaurus where she lashed out at the word ritual and its “all-trendy” status making it the rage these days. Now, I love the word ritual. I loved it all the way back when it was not the hype and puff it is now, blame the Owens sisters. And yes like her I realise its implied connotation of routine, domesticity, the habitual and ordinary. Yawn. But I also strongly feel we can turn this around on its head.

Ayurveda is all about daily practices and I think using the word rituals makes it exciting, fun and slightly sacred – as in my-body-is-a-temple kind of sacred. Ayurveda is literally practical magic for the body, mind and soul. The nourishment one gets from performing simple conscious acts every day in its due time firmly builds us up for strength, energy, and an all-around powerful sense of wellbeing.

Indian Summer or not, as we enter the witchy season with the end of summer harvest and Halloween not too far around the corner I am enchanted by all the little things Ayurvedic self-care preaches about the turning of the season. From cozying up at home in the evening looking for the warmth and the ceremony of tea to autumnal recipes of baked apples and the smell of spices in the cauldron. From a mushy bowl of kitchari garnered with garden vegetables and a drip of oil to family gathering around a good old hocus-pocus film and turning in early for well deserved ZZzzz-time. It’s all about the hubble-bubble, conjuring the joy and buoyancy of the colours and smells this time of year, the ripening of the natural rhythms of the earth cycles. At Mabon, the agricultural autumn equinox festival, we feast at the altar of life enjoying the fruits of our work in the kitchen. Add a healthy dose of mischief with cake and ale and Paul Hollywood would be proud! If this isn’t hygge then what is? Oh look at us, we’re right on trend again.

And as for the simplicity of Ayurveda, a wise wizard once said “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” Happy birthday Roald Dahl!

P.s. Just for fun since we’re all about sorcery today here’s an interesting fact about Brownies. I never quite made it as a Brownie but I once was a Rainbow. So here in England it seems Brownies pledge allegiance to the Queen. I, on the other end, born and raised in France, pledged allegiance to Joan Of Arc. Burnt at the stake as a witch by the English. Call me ironic.