Dear Brave Soul, We’re here to exercise our brave, creative muscles. To trust the impulses that rise like fire from your belly. How do you start your day? This week, I followed a brave impulse to make a live video of my morning routine on the beach. Thanks to all who watched, and to the readers of Writing in the Dark who cheered me on:
This ritual is a gift for our sponsor, Mama Earth 🌎 and for us, to reconnect with what matters.
Why must we ‘steal’ time for ourselves? Why feel like a thief, sneaking away to snatch a few moments for what we love?
Between the dark sacred night and bright busy day lies a luminous opportunity: your morning. Do you march to the beat of alarms? Or borrow a precious moment before the frenetic dance begins? A time to listen to the birds. Touch the heart of the earth beneath the unbearable weight of the news. Will you let the soul start your day?
I cherish the liminal space of waking. Even when I stoked the corporate machine, I woke slowly. Marinating in dreams, I grabbed coffee and a notebook. Morning pages. Writing stories, novels, songs. All before tending the Ten Thousand Things.
How I learned to be human
Early in my 50s, seven friends died of cancer. My soul whispered, “You don't have forever, darlin.’ What now?” So I wiggled out of my corporate skin, transformed our barn to an Airbnb, and learned how to start each day with honoring.
Though I’d worked atop the world in Manhattan, my true home called me to live here, on the lands of the Suquamish Nation—dxʷsəq̓ʷəb, place of clear salt water—where I practice every day how to be human. By honoring all that is.
In my first sweat lodge, we crawled on hands and knees into a small, dark dome made of willow and blankets. Around the glow of heated stones, we sang for the four directions, spoke truth, emptied our minds, and touched each other’s hearts. Something magical awakened in me: a spiritual way that felt real and good.
Since then, I’ve been blessed by many indigenous teachers. The ancient ways of calling the four directions were practiced in every culture around the world, before other gods claimed power. I do it because it fills me with joy, wonder, hope, and energy.
Move, Groove & Gratitude :: Four Directions Ritual (outside is best)
The video above shows my improvised ritual—15 minutes to connect with what holds us. Note: various cultures assign different qualities to the directions; these are the way I was taught to practice. May these steps inspire you to honor earth your way.
1. Face the East, place of the rising sun, direction of air, wind, the mind, and new life.
Feel the air on your face. Give thanks. Breathe. Say hello to the day!
Move your body as you wish. Sun salute, Qi gong, wiggle, shake, or flow
Imagine: what wants to be born fresh in me today? Cradle it in your arms.
2. Turn to the South, direction of fire, creativity, the spirit, child energy.
Give thanks for fire, the sun, energy, warmth, and the great creative spirit.
Move in a way that feels joyful, and sparkly like fire. Get a bit wacky like a kid.
Imagine: what do I want to give my energy to today? Speak it like a spell.
3. Turn to the West, direction of Water, wisdom, emotions, blood, middle age.
Give thanks for water: water is life. Your lifeblood.
Movement: flow like water. Bend low in a squat and imagine cupping water in your hands; a reflection of your true self; a drink of clarity; and a cleansing rinse.
Imagine: any old emotions to be cleansed and released? Let them flow out.
Face the North, direction of Earth, circle of life, the body, death, ancestors.
Bless Mama Earth and her plants and animals; feel thankful for holding you up.
Movement: Ground down through your feet. Root in. Thank your bones that hold you up. Next level: kiss the ground or imagine making your skeleton with your hands.
Imagine: you will die one day. What now? What does death ask of you today? My skeleton whispers, “Live! Live fully. Live well.”
Some traditions honor other dimensions, too. You can honor the stars in the cosmos above, the deep below, and the divine source that lives inside you.
Make this ritual your own. Some days it’s only two minutes. Sometimes I nod to the four directions while in my car. But if I skip the honoring, something feels off — I’m trapped in my little ego brain and her to-do list. I’d rather be in love with the sacred world, so I can access the bigger picture: what holds us all.
“Inner Imps & Meanies: Creative Healing with Marianna Portela” Friday, May 9, (9am PST, 5pm BST)
Grab a cuppa and tune in for a lively chat about our inner characters (critics: “madam fraud,” monkeys: “DooDoo”) with
, storyteller, ritualist, and guide walking the path of the Divine Feminine. Yum!
🗣️ What’s your morning routine? Or ritual? Does it spark creativity?
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More to come,
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