Daily practice, one of the most grounding parts of my practice now, was ironically one of the last to appear. When it did finally appear, it made the most difference in my perception of myself as a witch - finally in community with the world around me, as well as helping me feel more in community with my fellow witches with whom I share part of my daily practice. Creating connection is magical. And creating connection and magic, even just a little bit, every single day, is a great way to start, end, and/or re-present and re-ground yourself in a moment.
When I started my daily practice, I was only reconnecting with myself. Because I do my daily practice at the "end" of my day (though if you count day starting at midnight, it's really the beginning of the day!), I also started connecting with the things I was grateful for. If I was really tired, I'd just aim for three things I was grateful for along with the practice.
Bit by bit, my daily practice has grown to my coven's shared daily practice, my tradition's shared daily practice, the Buddhist four immeasurables, two songs I share with friends, six deity acknowledgements, and a brief foray into LovingKindness. It seems like a lot when I list it out that way, but tiny step by tiny step, it has come to this.
Every year I shift things around and adjust them too, so I've changed some of what I do, and am working on memorizing some new things. It's good for my brain to learn new things, it keeps my connection fresh rather than rote and dry. My goal is not to recite a bunch of stuff. My goal is to find connection each day, with myself, my community, my deities. My practice has developed this way. Your practice may very well develop an entirely different way. :) As it should be.
What makes a good daily practice? To start with, something that is relatively short that you can commit to doing daily. Perhaps a short blessing, a mantra, a reflection on who you are working towards becoming, a favorite prayer, etc. Or list the things that you are grateful for that day - even if it's a small list to start with. Expressing gratitude is a powerful daily practice. Some people use this time to draw a card from their favorite oracle deck, or connect in other ways with their intuition and deity.
Ultimately the daily practice is meant to be a way of connecting, each day, with yourself and the community of the world that surrounds you.
Resources
- CAYA Pagan Congregation Daily Practices
- LovingKindness Meditation
- Ursula K. Le Guin's Winter Solstice for the Pacific Northwest
Daily practice is a great way to connect with your compassion, commitments, and gratitude every day. It is power in your battery pack when things are running low.