The medicine of the window: 10 Days of Intention.Day 5.

I absolutely did exactly what I said I wasn’t going to do. Or what I didn’t think I was going to do. Yesterday I wrote about how I needed to revamp my rituals + routines to get them in line with 2021. That my old rituals just wouldn’t do anymore. But, what happened when my coffee was done + I was ready to get my day started? I looked at the kitchen table and thought to myself, “Oooo… I should get my oracle cards + sit by the window this morning.”

Now, this is a deeply meaningful ritual that has grounded + centered me for the past few years. This window, this spot, has been a place where I have watched the seasons change, year after year. I’ve basked in the sun, sat in the candlelit darkness, watched the golden + rust leaves fall, and waited not so patiently for the buds + leaves to appear in mid-May. I’ve pulled cards, arranged crystals, filled countless pages in my journal, meditated in silence, watched neighbors walking their dogs and babies, and felt that, perhaps of all the places in the world, when I sit in this little spot, early in the morning, alone + in silence, I know exactly who I am + where I belong. I feel as if this is where I can return morning after morning to welcome a new day + begin again. From a slow, intentional, grounded place. Anchored to what’s really important.

But, now that I think about it, I actually haven’t spent much time here, by my kitchen window, throughout 2020. At least since the summer I think, I have not been sitting here in the mornings at all. How weird that I just realized that right now.

So, perhaps I don’t really need to revamp all of my rituals, but simply return to this one.

My intention this morning was to pull a few cards focused on 2021. And, then, to begin to make a list of all of those things, moments, routines, habits, practices which have inspired me. I hoped to spend some time really, really diving into those things that awaken my soul. To be deeply honest with myself about what gives me direction, inspiration, and meaning.

But, more important conversations + moments came along, dragging out my morning window ritual until almost lunchtime. I spent some time journaling, but then I left the table and did a few other things. After a while, I returned to the table to eat breakfast with my love, cards still out, candles still lit. We sat for a long while, talking + planning. Before long, lunchtime was approaching and I had a few errands that now needed taking care of.

However, before rushing off leaving the table, I completed my oracle card reading. And, man, was it mind-blowing. I had immediate reactions + intuitive thoughts as soon as I saw the cards. But, I feel like I need to spend a bit more time with this reading in order to really let it sink in + get past my initial inward response. That will have to wait until tomorrow’s kitchen window time, I believe.

The rest of the day was filled with errands, cooking, cleaning the kitchen, and obsessively watching the news on the vote in Georgia (USA) today. When my afternoon calmed down a bit, I moved into the bedroom. The sun was slipping behind the homes in the distance + the sky was just gorgeous outside my bedroom window. I was texting with my mom and soon found myself taking photos of the sunset. Once again, finding a sense of contemplative presence in my window gazing.

After dinner, I slipped under the covers to write this – and continue to follow the news, both the election news in the US and the pandemic news in Sweden. I lit candles on by my window and settled in for this new evening tradition.

Now, I find myself halfway through these 10 days of intention, having completed 5 days of blogging in a row. And, I must admit, it feels amazing. I am a bit worried about how (or if) I will continue after I return to work next week. But, that’s not for me to worry about now. I mean, seriously. I gotta get a grip + return to this moment. And, more importantly, trust things to unfold as they will. Plus, if this is a discipline + a practice that I love… then, I will follow through.

This evening, though, what I find most interesting + most important is how today reminded me of just how much my window meditations mean to me. In fact, I am literally sitting here tonight, excited about waking tomorrow so I can sit by the kitchen window again.

While not at all planned, today reminded me of the gift of the medicine of what I like to call window meditation. Try it for yourself one day, Just a few minutes of you + a window. Stand for a few seconds + observe the world outside. Or sit for a long time of meditation, journaling, or creating. The magic of the medicine of the window is found in the act of slowing down + being present. And, damn, I am so grateful I remembered that today.

xoxo. liz.