We’re glad to bring him back to Baja July 1-6 with Renewing Purpose: Modern Rituals to Navigate Life’s Transitions. How can you declare independence from what’s got you stuck? While the workshop will be mostly individuals, this could be a great way to celebrate the US holiday with your spouse or family (adults only).
Not knowing is f**king uncomfortable.
Not being in control is f**king uncomfortable.
Not having more clarity is f**king uncomfortable.
I get it. I see you. Transitions are (sorry for the f-bomb) f**king uncomfortable.
Why? Because you have to encounter uncertainty.
And, what are you doing with the discomfort?
Are you leaning in or out? Engaging or escaping? Be honest with yourself.
Transitions are meant to be uncomfortable. It’s part of the architecture of a transition because you’re transitioning out of what’s familiar and into what isn’t. That IS the territory of a transition.
But being uncomfortable doesn’t always mean it’s bad.
Sometimes it’s just an indicator of a creative edge, a muscle growing, a new pattern emerging.
But that’s impossible to see when we’re only willing to feel safe and comfortable.
Cultivating a capacity to be uncomfortable in the midst of a life transition means we become available to also receive the gifts given there.
Some of those gifts may be clarity, remembering, courage, meaning, purpose. Or like ten thousand other gifts that would benefit your life.
And a way to unearth those gifts, to see and embody them, is through ritual.
Last year, a student of mine named Lindsay almost didn’t make it. She has a child with autism, an unemployed husband, a full-time job, and a mother with cancer. So much of her life was changing and she was struggling to just stay afloat. But she also had the good sense to know that this time was asking her to change too and she needed a bigger container.
Lindsay told me she almost said no to my workshop three times because she didn’t think she had the capacity, courage, or confidence to face herself and what needed to change.
She almost refused the gifts that emerged from doing ritual, especially the witnessing she desperately needed.
But something inside her kept saying, choose this, choose this, and so she did.
“This was a pivotal decision during one of the most challenging periods of my life. With everything collapsing around me, I found strength and solace in the rituals and the genuine witnessing of where I am on my journey. Choosing to be part of this transformative experience was not just about self-discovery; it was about learning to navigate life’s storms with grace and resilience.”
She leaned into what was uncomfortable and in turn, received so much healing.
Lindsay, if you’re reading this, I’m SO proud of you and your courage!
Rituals are NOT a cure-all for all of the ways life is uncertain and uncomfortable but they do give us a sacred container to ask those bigger questions, look at what is and isn’t needed, and remember who we really are.
And, maybe even find comfort in those fucking uncomfortable transitions.
Have courage!
-Day
Day Schildkret is an award-winning author, artist, ritualist, teacher and is internationally known for Morning Altars, a practice in nature, creativity and ritual. He’s the author of “Hello, Goodbye: 75 Rituals for Times of Loss, Celebration, and Change” and “Morning Altars: A 7-Step Practice to Nourish Your Spirit through Nature, Art, and Ritual” and the founder and primary educator of the Morning Altars Teacher Training and Certification. More about Day at morningaltars.com and @morningaltars on Instagram / Facebook / LinkedIn