How to Start The Day With Intention
Updated: Apr 2, 2022
Over the years I’ve had many morning routines. Many of them included me dragging myself out of bed and going straight to the kitchen to make coffee. Usually, I’d check social media and see what the news of the day was. Sometimes, I'd get up in a rush to move my car (damn you, alternate side parking!) I would go about my day that way too, stumbling around allowing the external world to frustrate me.
A couple of months ago, Danny and I changed our routine. We decided to commit to getting out of bed a little earlier and having a cacao ceremony together. I don’t mean a full-blown hour long ceremony, although sometimes if we don’t have any other plans we might let it go on for a while. We set aside at least 15 mins every morning to sit at the table together (without devices), we hold our mugs with ceremonial cacao in our hands, and we set intentions for the day.
Our intentions can be specific (e.g.- “My intention today is to write at least one blog post”) or general (“I allow myself to be open to whatever lessons the Universe may have for me today.”). Sometimes, we pull tarot or oracle cards to receive guidance for the day. It’s interesting how much stuff has come up for exploration in our morning ceremonies. We‘ll recognize blockages or triggers and talk through them before we start going about our day. It sets the tone for how we show up in the world.
This is also a great time for us, as a couple, to spend time together being fully present. It feels great to start the day having spent some quality time with each other before we go out into the world. Our days can be hectic at times, but we know we can count on those 15 mins in the morning to really check in with each other.
Now, when we leave the house for the day, we are grounded in our intentions and we can see the world through different eyes. We are no longer swayed by what’s going on “out there.” This practice has also allowed us to tap into the sacredness of every day life. When you start the day in ceremony, you can’t help but carry that sacredness into the rest of your day. Each person we encounter after our ceremony is simply another sacred being on their own path.
Creating that sacred space each morning also allows us to anchor into our sovereignty- to remember that we are divine sovereign beings, having a human experience. When we remember that, we can take control of how we respond to external circumstances.
If you’re interested in starting your own intentional morning practice, here are a few tips:
Pick a place where you plan to have your morning ceremony. We chose our dining table so we have to intentionally get up and meet somewhere. On days when our son is with us (we co-parent), he joins us in our morning ritual, too. We usually have some sage, or a candle on the table, as well as a small altar mat with our tarot and/or oracle decks.
Make your morning drink with intention. We have recently replaced our morning coffee with ceremonial cacao. When preparing our cacao, I like to be present with the process and visualize myself putting love into each mug so that it will carry us through the day. You can do this with whatever your morning drink is- tea, coffee, smoothie, water, etc.
Before taking your first sip, set an intention. What would you like your day to look like? What are you hoping to accomplish today?
If you have time, this is a great opportunity to journal about your intentions or to write down your dreams.
BONUS: Take some time to list 3 things that you are grateful for. In the beginning, it might not feel as authentic. You may list things that seem super basic. That’s ok. If you keep this practice up, you’ll find yourself being more aware of things you can be grateful for throughout your day.
What is your morning routine? Let us know in the comments!