Rituals - Why They Can be so Important
(click on images to view them full size)
What is a Ritual?
Morning coffee forms part of many peoples’ routine to start the day. (EXIF data iPhone image)
A ritual is defined as a structured or repeated sequence of acts with a formal component to them. They can be seen as transitions or rites of passage such as weddings, funerals or graduations. Participating in rituals can be very grounding or help reduce anxiety, or even shift internal focus or perceptions. They can also form an important component of social bonding as people who share rituals have a common point of reference.
We often create personal or informal rituals such as morning coffee to start our workdays, or clearing email inboxes, or brushing teeth and relaxing in preparation for bedtime. These are important parts of our day to mark transitions and get us into different frames of mind. They can also be important markers to return to if things get off kilter and out of routine for us.
How to Build Connection Through Rituals
During our recent safari trip through Zambia (check out first impressions here) we started a morning ritual after several game drives left me feeling somewhat anxious and unsettled. I was finding myself dissatisfied with the images I was capturing and also that I was feeling very caught up in the excitement of the safari - so much so that I felt rushed to move from one location to another - sort of the FOMO (fear of missing out) syndrome that photographers can sometimes experience. I wasn’t spending the time that I usually spend exploring a scene and trying to capture the way it makes me feel or respond. I was doing the checklist of photography (how many different shots can I get rather than enjoying the experience fully).
I was fortunate enough to be able to talk through this first with Kory and then with our guide Michael. I recognized that I needed to slow down and be more intentional about what I was doing and that I needed some help in expressing what I was hoping to get out of the trip. Both Kory and I wanted to have a meaningful experience and not just memory cards full of images - connecting to the land, animals, people and experiences was very important to us.
It was Kory’s idea for us to build a morning ritual which started out with a team meeting (i.e., everyone in our safari vehicle - our local guide Yorum - South Luangwa/Richard - Lower Zambezi, Michael our photographic guide, Kory and me along with any guests in our vehicle such as the ranger when we went on walks and Virginnie a solo traveller/amazing person/new friend). We found a team meeting location close to our camp (the mopane tree at Mwamba Bush Camp, a termite mound at Kutali Camp and a mahogany tree at Chula Island Camp) and we stopped there each morning to start the day. This involved some sort of stretching or exercise to get us all moving - often with very silly movements that got us all laughing and connecting. We followed this with a gratitude blessing - putting it out to the universe that we were so grateful to be in this location and to see all the amazing things that nature had to show us - no expectations of needing to see anything specific and grateful for whatever presented itself to us. Of course this was followed up with morning sweeties (Starburst candies were a big hit!).
A cheeky oxpecker bird comes to rest on the snout of a water buffalo with the golden light of the setting sun turning them to magic. (EXIF data f7.1, 600mm, 1/1000s, ISO1000, -1.0 EV)
Doing this simple morning ritual for 10 minutes put all of us in the right frame of mind and created a wonderful bond between us. It took the pressure off our local guides to find us amazing sightings because we were grateful for even the most simple experiences such as an oxpecker on a water buffalo’s snout in the light of the setting sun in South Luangwa. It took the pressure off of me as I started looking for things that filled me with curiosity and wonder rather than specific animal sightings - as a result I believe that I captured some of my strongest images to date.
Social Bonding
A female leopard looks longingly back at a thicket where a hyena has just stolen her half eaten impala kill. (EXIF data f6.3, 600mm, 1/1250s, ISO800, -1.0EV)
This most recent safari trip turned out to be something much more important than capturing amazing images as we created a shift in the relationship between us and our guides. We spent time getting curious about each other and digging deeper into the things we were seeing - learning so much from our guides and sharing similarities and differences from what we see in Canada.
Understanding the motivations behind many of the behaviours we saw helped me to anticipate the sorts of images I wanted to create. I found myself seeking out interactions with the people I came into contact with and the scenes we were presented with more than just documenting what I saw. For example, I focused on showing the way birds and animals work together to alarm when predators are spotted, the courtship ritual between pairs that have linked up to create the next generation and the way birds and animals position themselves in ambush waiting for their next meal.
These moments filled me with such awe at the wonder of nature - the way everything has a purpose and the symbiotic relationship between different animals. Michael suggested that we do a sit mediation on the river bank of the Luangwa River. We each found a spot and sat down for 10 minutes and listened to the world around us - really listened and felt the energy of the world around us. It was a very powerful time and left each of us feeling more connected.
Wild dogs stalking prey in the late afternoon light. The air was filled with dust from safari vehicles moving about and the setting sun shining through the particles created an eerie feeling. (EXIF data f8, 600mm, 1/2500s, ISO560, -1 EV)
Rituals That Feed Our Souls
That morning ritual became a very important reset for me - a way to remind myself to slow down and really be present in the moment - to relish the experiences and find ways of capturing what I was feeling in the moment. I found myself being drawn to interesting light and moments of quiet connection with animals and birds. I also found myself putting my camera down a lot to pause and really take in the moment.
A young puku nursing in the late day sunlight. (EXIF data f6.3, 600mm, 1/1250s, ISO1000, -1EV)
For example, there was the evening when we happened to notice a group of Puku (medium sized antelope) in a field bathed with golden light from the setting sun. At first they weren’t doing anything special - just standing there looking at us trying to decide if we were a threat or something to be ignored. Instead of moving on we waited - the light was lovely and we were curious whether something interesting might develop when all of a sudden this young Puku dropped down on its front knees and started suckling from its mother. It was quite a mature Puku and we were surprised to see it still going to its mother for nourishment. The adult Puku kept dancing away from the youngster as if to indicate it’s time to fend for yourself. Capturing this moment between them and sitting in silence watching the scene unfold filled me with such gratitude to be able to observe this in its most natural state.
How to Keep Rituals Alive…
I have found that in order to keep rituals alive there needs to be a recognition that the benefits are sufficient enough to warrant the effort of participating in the ritual. If any one of the safari team wasn’t an active participant then I suspect the morning ritual would have had far less meaning and likely would have fallen away.
In fact one morning our guide Rich was so focused on finding a pack of wild dogs we had spotted the day before that he drove right by our mahogany tree. Before any of us realized this his spotter and trainee Crispas spoke up and said that we had not done the morning ritual. What a fabulous reset for us all and an acknowledgement that this morning routine was meaningful to all the members of our team.
What sort of rituals do you find most meaningful and how do you keep them alive? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or reach out to me directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.
A wild dog returning to the pack and trotting along a still pool of water making a lovely reflection. (EXIF data f7.1, 1/2000s, 600mm, ISO500, -1EV)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
