Tradition
I think of tradition as a mold into which we are poured and shaped from the moment we are born. In a family, they provide a shared connection to each other and to those earlier generations for as far back as our family stories can carry us. Social, cultural, ethnic, and religious traditions not only mold us, they give us “place” and “identity” in a world filled with a mishmash of differences. Tradition could be thought of as the glue that sustains our connections to family, our social and ethnic cultures, and our religious or spiritual communities.
When evolutionary change was slow, new ways and new ideas could drift in, and our traditions were able to gently shift enough to incorporate the changes without difficulty or angst. Today, we are experiencing a world where massive changes are battering at our doors, causing disorientation, confusion, fear, and a kind of dislocation of self, of identity. And so, we hold on fiercely to tradition, even when it no longer serves us well. Such determination to keep the old traditions in place causes discord and no longer acts as the glue that brings us together. It becomes a source of division and loss of connection that shows up in all facets of our daily lives.
For myself, I find it necessary to be flexible where our traditions are concerned. When the specifics change, I hold onto the ROOT of my traditions. I can infuse new ways to practice my traditions with the deeply held beliefs and desires that are the roots of my traditions.
Focus on what your traditions did or do for you; feel connected and content that life continues. Let the actual, physical traditions shift as needed to allow your sense of continuity, security, and identity continue as the world changes. A tradition, after all, is a heartfelt need to mark for ourselves and those to follow an event that changes or enhances our lives and brings with it a need to come together in peace, in graciousness, in joy, and in appreciation that life continues.
I encourage each of you to appreciate your traditions, changing as they must, as a deeply rooted tree which grows strong, creating new branches and gracing the world in its constancy and change.
Blessings for the New Year,
Charlotte
Edited by Monique Huenergardt of MoReadsYou.com