When does a ritual begin?

When does a ritual begin?

Once  we sit on our cushion to meditate for the evening?  Once we have tasted our first sip of coffee and are enjoying the richness of its bitter flavor and pungent aroma? After we have lit the candles and smudged ourselves before we sit in a circle to pray? As we bless the food we are to eat? 

Or is the process leading up part of the ritual itself as well? 

I like to believe so. I like to believe that every moment matters. The mundane, the sacred, and the in-between. 

Before I sit to meditate, I make sure my space feels comfortable and tidy, and perhaps I have written a few notes in my journal or on my phone. 

Before I drink my first cup of coffee, I need to grind the beans, wait for water to rise to the upper chamber of my stovetop espresso maker, find the perfect mug to pour my coffee into for the day. 

Before I light the candle, I must strike the match or spark the lighter. There is momentum and friction needed to ignite the flame. 

The preparation of the food is just as much a part of any eating ritual as the prayers and the enjoyment of the meal itself. It's a meditation, the culinary process of creation. 

Before every exhale comes an inhale...

Before every inhale an exhale...

It is the exchange between inspiration and action where I find it hard to really label what makes something "real."

-when it lives in our hearts or minds versus when it lives outside of us, manifested in the outer world..

Like identifying a desire and taking the steps in (consciously & with consent) moving toward it, expressing it...?

Doesn't one need to believe in oneself at least a little bit before taking a leap? 

It is this process of preparing with methodical steps as well as entering into the place of unknown it is spontaneity and improvisation that all make up the interwoven space of intention, rite of passage, and ritual to me. 

What rituals in your life , big or small, have meaning and value to you?