Have you ever thought about where traditions come from, and what makes an event a tradition? Have you thought about changes you have experienced, and how those changes transform from tradition into ritual? These are important markers on the road called life. We all have traditions, whether they are carried from generation to generation or are self-created, and we have all experienced life-transforming changes that we choose to highlight with tradition and ritual.
Change can be thought of as a journey, and one that can be positive or negative. While a student at SWIHA, I have learned that no matter what the situation is, change is an opportunity to embrace. Change is a topic that came from an assignment I did for another course. The class was studying polarity mapping of various topics, and change was one of those topics. As part of the assignment, we had to outline our fears, values, early warning signs, and action steps. We also had to list our greatest fear and our highest hope. It was a deep reflective thinking process.
While there are differences between the definitions of tradition and change, there are similarities as well. For example, you have traditions that you have practiced on your own or as a family, however, then you meet someone and one of their traditions resonates with you, so you adopt that tradition and change. There are also rituals that are traditions that arise from personal and spiritual changes. Traditions can form from any sort of event that makes its mark on a person or family, for example, a birth, a celebration, a death, or a catastrophic event. With each tradition practiced, whether new or old, a change is honored. Change creates new traditions and transforms old traditions until they become rituals.
My Personal Journey of Change, Tradition and Rituals
In less than two years, I had two major changes that took place in my life. The first was going back to school, something I said I would never do; the universe, however, had different plans. And so, I started my journey as an Integrative Healing Arts Practitioner in SWIHA’s online diploma program. My coursework focused on becoming a Spiritual Coach and End-of-Life-Doula. The act of going back to school was a change that packed a punch for me. I found out I had more physical and spiritual power than I thought I did. It was a great learning experience for me and caused me to change how I handle situations and people. I realized when change comes along, it is imperative to have a support system because no one should go through big changes alone.
The second of the two changes I experienced went hand-in-hand with the first. In 2024, my mother-in-law died. She was a huge factor in my decision to go back to school. Initially, I wanted to become a death doula, however, since my mother-in-law’s death, my purpose changed and my path has taken a different turn. Going through the death process with her was the hardest thing I have ever done in my life. As a family, we were there for her until her last breath. She died at home with her two sons around her; that means more to me than anything. With her loss, I know our family will incorporate new traditions that will revolve around celebrating her life and the rituals she cherished.
During my journey of change, I discovered that traditions and rituals, whether new or old, are something wonderful that everyone should have in their lives. These practices can create peace and love as well as ritual and remembrance. Change can creep up on you when you least expect it, yet change can also make itself known in a timely manner and give you time to prepare. Change can be subtle, or it can be in your face and pack a punch you never expected. Change is going to happen, and happens often, and there is no changing that, so acknowledge and welcome change with traditions and rituals.
