By Valerie Brown
“There comes a time in the spiritual journey when you start making choices from a very different place. And if a choice lines up so that it supports truth, health, happiness, wisdom and love, it’s the right choice.” Angeles Arrien
Ritual is a way of honoring life transitions, and are especially useful at times of transitions, like the end of year and the beginning of the next year. Rituals bring conscious recognition to change in our lives and to change around us.
The ritual of the Honorable Closure by cultural anthropologist, Angeles Arrien, is a way of becoming good stewards of transition, supporting our awareness of life’s many gifts.
Angeles Arrien’s Honorable Closure Practices
- Gratitude. Gratitude keeps the heart open and uplifts us on a physical, emotional, psychological, and spiritual level. What are you most grateful for now?
- Positive Impact. A positive impact can leave an indelible mark in our environment and with others. If we allow ourselves to receive recognition, we may be deeply touched when we are acknowledged or admired. What or who made a positive impact on you? How did you change for the better? How might you pass this on to others?
- Challenge. Transitions can be challenging and they can be a catalyst for our growth and agency. What challenges have you faced as a result of life transitions? How have you grown?
- Reparation. The Honorable Closure is a time to review impact, and not simple focus on intention. Honorable Closures ask us to be good stewards of relationships, to take responsibility to do our part toward healing. What is unsaid or undone, which should be completed now? What healing is called for now?
Practice Arrien’s Honorable Closure as a way on ending this year and entering the new year. Join us for a retreat, a pilgrimage, or leadership coaching transform who you are toward who you are becoming.