Rituals That Comfort.................

[@}-}rebecca----]

I thought I would bump this thread to compliment the Ritual in BDSM Thread being revisited in the Talk section currently. Particularly so as there is such an influx of newer members on the BDSM Board whom may wish to share

 

[GentleSub_Ivy]

Some daily and not so daily rituals:

-Coffee in the morning (although I think I might go back to tea again)
-Tea in the afternoon (some herbal but mostly black tea...love Earl Grey)
-Grounding ritual/meditation in the morning
-Sunday offerings/ritual for patron Gods/Goddesses
-Sci-fi flicks and series (yes I'm a trekkie)
-Flicks based on Jane Austen novels, PBS, British mysteries
-Reading of course (sci-fi, fantasy, erotica, comics are comfort for me)
-Comfort food (grilled cheese and tomato soup from when I was a kid when I'm really down )
-Doing gothy makeup whether I'm going out or not.
-Henna or indigo body art on myself. It helps me feel "transformed" from the everyday.

So many more to list but I will leave it at that for now.

Ivy

 

[h_i_s]

BUMP........

i'm digging up random older threads.... that interest me.. to any degree

Ritual that comforts me: When He directs me to go to bed and sleep for the night, goes on to tell me that it is His job and responsability to take good care of me.... and that this is just one way.... and stokes my hair to relax me so i fall asleep practically purring for Him as i drift off.

I sleep so well when he does..

 

[Bandit58]

BUMP........

i'm digging up random older threads.... that interest me.. to any degree

Ritual that comforts me: When He directs me to go to bed and sleep for the night, goes on to tell me that it is His job and responsability to take good care of me.... and that this is just one way.... and stokes my hair to relax me so i fall asleep practically purring for Him as i drift off.

I sleep so well when he does..

*smiles* When He comes to bed (usually anytime between 1-3am) and I snuggle into His back....or when I wake a bit later and find we have both turned over and He is cuddling me....

 

[Luna_Wolf72]

some other rituals

reading a book with every light off (except for my bedside table) It's the most relaxing part of my day.

stretching before bed

writing in my diary.

What makes these rituals? The thought beforehand, the preperation, the silence.

 

[fishercat]

Reading children's novels or The Penguin Complete Father Brown when I'm sick.

Taking time on Sunday for some relaxing beauty treatments before the workweek.

Listening to music while doing something mindless (housework, card games)

Re-reading Jane Eyre every couple of years.

Looking out windows - odd, but comforting to me.

Going home for Christmas - never missed one.

 

[EmpressFi]

Malinborns baked spaghetti

reading a book called "The Pink Dress"

reading a book called "The Bride" by Julie Garwood

hearing Master say my nickname

having Malinborn scratch my head

Celtic music

Sage or lavender incense

chocolate

sitting by a body of water and tucking my toes in the mud.. that has to be my favorite. I regain my strength by water..

 

[Homburg]

My morning shower

Aggressive physical activity
-Lifting (powerlifting, not bodybuilding crap)
-Trail riding on my mountain bike
-Working the heavy bag, or sparring, on the rare occassions when I have someone capable around

Going to bed and putting the collar on my gal.

 

[Luvkitty33]

sitting quietly listening to the rain outside

watching the sun set in the evening

snuggling under my down comforter reading a good book

daydreaming

listening to my guided imagery CD

having fingers gently running through my hair

light caresses

cuddling

the smell of toast (memories of my time spent at my grandma's house)

a phone call from someone special before I drift off to sleep

a good night kiss

taking pictures of beautiful things in nature

sleeping under the stars with someone special

watching my flowers bloom (currently my orchids)

Okay.....I'm not sure if these are all necessarily called rituals, but I find them comforting. There are more, but I think that's a long enough list for now...LOL.

 

[@}-}rebecca----]

Thanks to everyone whom has contributed recently

( sinn0cent1, Bandit58, fishercat, EmpressFi, Homburg & Luvkitty33 )

A special thanks and my apology to GentleSubIvy, I don't know how I overlooked your single post after I bumped this thread months ago, it's a wonderful addition.

Thanks also to the delightful Luna for the update.

I scrolled my own list quickly, little has changed though there are a few additions that come to mind. I rarely sleep with one hand behind my back anymore and I have acquired a taste for purchasing more books via ebay as opposed to haunting book stores. I have a passion for podcasts, the weekly new arrival of each has a certain charm at the end of my day when retiring with my signature bottle of cool water that always accompanies me to bed. I still relish cleaning & downsizing my pre-existing collections of 'life stuff' perhaps more than most would consider sane. As I once considered myself a 'hoarder' it never fails to amaze me that just taking time and re-evaluating the flotsam and jetsam one acquires, then redirecting it to good will or landfill can become a ritual that comforts of it's own unique charm. Still working on listening to Pavarotti without becoming tearful at his recent demise. That may take quite some time longer to reconcile. The aegis of music a ritual in itself.

 

[Homburg]

As an aside, I have a special relationship with relaxation - I don't usually relax. Two of the three items mention relax me and spin me up at the same time. The shower relaxes my muscles and soothes the aches and pain of waking up, but invigorates my mind. Aggressive physical activity quells my emotional daemons and the chattering of the thousand monkeys, but MASSIVELY spins my body up (activates the adrenals like crazy, I get stupendously randy, etc). So neither one really fully relaxes me.

The third is a bit different. It is much less of a physical sensation, but the mental and emotional relaxation is still present. It is one of the few forms of relaxation that I enjoy that are not in some way me mucking with my adrenals and endorphin levels.

 

[His_pita]

~Sitting on the deck with a hot cup of chai tea and watching the trees
~Iced coffee with a splash of Kahlua is delightful
~Working out (this is a very recent relaxation that I'm enjoying)
~A very hot shower and tons of soap on a body scrub
~Ironing while watching my taped soaps (I'm not kidding)
~Over the knee spankings work very well for when I'm overly stressed.
~Journaling
~Reading

 

[A Desert Rose]

I meditate now for 10 minutes after I shower.

 

[Recidiva]

Bubble bath in the dark.

Crossing my hands over my head at the wrists when I lie down to relax.

One vanilla tea candle burning beside my desk in a soapstone carved holder.

Shells, stones, feathers, grass, all around me, bits of the world that my family brings to me. "This leaf made me think of you" makes me happy.

Rob Schouten's art.

Andy Goldsworthy's art.

(I work at home, so my monitor is my workspace and I spend so much time here)

Pictures of my children below my monitor.

A quilt my mother made behind my monitor.

Hearing my husband's voice. If he's not home, he's recorded it for me so I can listen. It's on a CD for me, also on the TV (hooked to the TIVO and his computer, so I can play it with the remote if I'm sick.)

 

[HB1965]

Drinking flavored water in the morning.
Masturbating before sleeping
Reading when I go to bed.
Saturday Morning tea
Scented candles in the winter

 

[Luvkitty33]

I wanted to add some other ones:

warm bubble baths with a glass of wine and candlelight

resting my head on "His" chest listening to "His" heartbeat

sitting quietly with the only light coming from the Christmas tree lights.

an amazing orgasm

completely losing myself in the pages of a book or the scenes of a movie

floating in a warm pool

holding hands

slow dancing

the sound of a babbling brook

cookie dough ice cream

chocolate

 

[Exogenous]

There are several things that I do in very systematic ways, to be done in a certain order and in specific ways, such as the way I get ready for work, cook dinner, fold or hang clothes, etc. I’m not sure those activities would be considered ritualistic.

One thing, though, is that three nights a week, I grab two (not one, or three, or more…must be two) Dove dark chocolates from the refrigerator and pour a glass of nice Shiraz wine. I get a Milk Bone for my dog. Then I enjoy the rich taste of the chocolate and sip my wine, while my dog lies down to enjoy his treat, and we just relax in the quiet. It’s a stress reliever from work. No TV, no music, no phone, just silence. Well, other than his crunching sounds as he eats his biscuit.

I think that rituals which involve chocolate are the best!