Lent- A Healthy Tradition For Everyone

With age and wisdom, we question childhood teachings and more mindfully choose what we believe.  After our first serious misfortune, we usually live more consciously.  For some people, this means changing religions, starting a new path or deepening their existing faith.

Many ancient religious practices, like Catholicism, encourage holistic wellness as part of their traditions. Lent, like many other ancient cleansing rituals, has perfect timing and plays an important role in modern well-being.

As a young Catholic, you usually learn the mechanics of Lent without understanding it's healthfulness. Not only physical health, but emotional, spiritual, community, energetic.... Unfortunately, when we move away from a religions politics, we also move away from well-planned  traditions, like Lent. Our emotional associations override objectivity towards these ancient traditions- we may throw the baby out with the bathwater.

If you're unfamiliar with this Catholic ritual, Lent symbolically re-creates the imprisonment/death/resurrection story which underlies Christianity. Catholics re-live their beliefs, in part, by sacrificing food, including red meat, an ingrained habit, their time and/or a few other life patterns. The spirit of Lent is change, renewal and self-reflection. It's well timed in spring; a season filled with energy, distraction and powerful reminders of rebirth.

For everyday Catholics, you fast (cleanses the body and inspires creative thought), give up red meat (a good idea), eat fish (another good idea), refrain from a bad habit for a few months (detoxifying and breaks the pattern), go to church more (supports reflection, meditation, change and community), see more purple (color therapy- encourages mindfulness)...and the list goes on.

Whatever your spiritual beliefs or non-beliefs, a renewal practice like Lent tunes up your body, mind, emotions, life, relationships, job...at a well suited time of year. It's framework encourages holistic health and happiness. How cool, we find tools for healthy, graceful living in all sorts of places.