Spiritual Self-care

 As a Pagan, I often think of both self-care and spirituality as being holistic...as in needing to work with body, mind and soul.  To me, they are intimately connected, and my spirituality is part of my self-care (and vice versa).  But I also tend to plan them separately.  When I think about an activity that I am planning on doing, my brain thinks of it as either a self-care thing or a spiritual thing (even though I know they both benefit each other).

I recently came across the concept of Spiritual Self-care days (though sadly I can't remember where I saw the idea), and it clicked in my brain that this was SUCH a good thing!  Especially for someone who is both busy and struggling to spend time honoring the holy days they wish to honor.

Basically the idea is, you set aside a special day (or as much of a day as you can), and you devote yourself to spending some time slowing down and recharging.  But really thinking about the ways in which your self-care can also be spiritual.

For this blog post, I'm going to take the example of a full moon, but like I said, you could do this for any spiritual day that is important to you.  You could also do this if you need a self-care day, but want to make it a bit more spiritual.

But let's say that you've always wanted to mark the full moons, and have never found time to do it.  Or maybe you aren't sure what you should DO to honor the full moons.  I mean sure, you've read a handful of full moon rituals, but maybe none of them really speak to you.  

Start by thinking about what the thing you are celebrating means.  The full moon is a time of high energy and accomplishment.  It's the moment when all the things you have been working for come to fruition.  It's a time to celebrate the great things in your life.

Thinking about the full moon energy, let's say I decide I want to spend the evening enjoying the bounty of my life.  Now comes the fun part:  figuring out how to translate that into self-care!  Remember, we are doing a holistic self-care day, so we want something that helps restore us body, mind and soul!

 

Let's start with body.  Since we are focusing on bounty, we'll include some kind of treat.  A food and drink that make you feel luxurious.  Maybe you grab a favorite drink or make yourself a lovely cup of tea.  If you enjoy baking or cooking you could make your own snack, but if those things feel like work to you than you can buy something (or ask someone else to make you a favorite!).

Other options for body might be some kind of movement that makes you feel amazing.  Or maybe a bath followed by spending some time massaging yourself with a lovely lotion or oil.  Dance can be an amazing way to express yourself (especially when you are alone and don't have to be self-conscious about how you dance...)

 

((Quick note:  I know self-care isn't all fancy baths and pretty things, and I know that often hard things are the most amazing for us, when it comes to self-care, but since we are doing this as a spiritual practice, for this version of self-care, I would stick to things that feel the most fulfilling....leave the work type self-care or deep shadow work for other times...unless you really feel called to do it, then have at it!))

For mind, think about what your brain craves.  Sometimes this might mean times of silence, and maybe you want to meditate or just spend some time thinking and reflecting.  Journaling is a great activity for the mind.  Or maybe you want to dig into a really interesting book, some topic you've been wanting to learn about and haven't had time to start.  But you may also need to give your mind a rest, and in that case, you might turn to a lighter activity.  Maybe reading a novel that sounds fun or watching a show that makes you laugh.  I definitely find that sometimes I need to do things that don't require a lot of brain power, just to let my mind rest.

And finally, we have soul.  This is where spirituality ties in!  This is also where typically we'd be doing any magical or spiritual work.  So you can absolutely do a spell or some other ritual action.  But you can also spend some time chanting or listening to music you find spiritually inspiring.  You could work on a craft project or do some art.  Maybe spend some time with a tarot or oracle deck or runes.  

The beauty of this practice is that it can be customized to YOU and what you need in that moment.  You can adjust the activities to any holy day you want...or even practice self-care spiritual days with your self and well-being as the focus (instead of an external holy day).  What I like most about it is that it takes some of the pressure off of honoring a holy day.  Instead of feeling like you need to do 'work' or have some sort of big observance, you can feel into what you need and then plan activities that feed that need while also honoring your spiritual path.