Rituals

When you don't know where to begin.

Fifteen contemplative forms from the praying church — and a few modern ones beside them. Type /ritual, pick the one that fits the hour, and write into a structure that knows where to start without telling you what to say.

The Dayspring ritual library on the morning shelf: The Morning Offering, New Every Morning, Luther's Garland, Lectio Divina, SOAP and the Prayer of Recollection, each with its origin and tradition.

The shelf in the morning. It knows the hour, so the rituals to begin the day come first.

Grounded

Prayed long before us.

None of these were invented for an app. Each form names where it came from — the Psalter, Benedict, Luther, Ignatius, Teresa, Wesley — and keeps the shape they gave it.

  1. AncientThe Hebrew Psalter and the morning blessings
    • New Every Morning
    • Psalmic Lament
  2. 6th centuryBenedict of Nursia
    • Lectio Divina
    • The Round
  3. 16th centuryLuther, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Ávila
    • The Morning Offering
    • Luther’s Garland
    • Prayer of Recollection
    • The Examen of Consolation
    • The Daily Examen
    • Ignatian Discernment
  4. 18th centuryJohn Wesley
    • Wesley’s Questions
  5. TodayA few modern forms, beside the old ones
    • SOAP
    • Discovery Bible Study
    • Open Reading
    • Threshold

Easy to begin

Three steps, and you're praying.

  1. 01Type /ritualOr open the shelf. It knows what hour it is — in the morning, the forms to begin the day come first.
  2. 02Read the thresholdEvery form opens with why it exists, how it moves, and a few pointers for entering it well. Nothing to learn beforehand.
  3. 03Write into the movementsEach question sits above a line for your words. The questions stay out of the way — only what you write is kept.

The whole library

Something for every hour.

Most of the shelf is old on purpose. A few forms are new — SOAP and Threshold sit beside the Examen — and the library keeps growing.

To begin

Ordering the day before it orders you
  • The Morning OfferingIgnatius of Loyola, 16th century — the SuscipeEmpty your head onto the page. Then find the one thing that matters.Ignatian
  • New Every MorningThe Hebrew morning blessings — Talmudic, with Lamentations 3You are awake, and the day is given. Start there.Hebrew
  • Luther’s GarlandMartin Luther, 1535 — a letter to his barberInstruction. Thanksgiving. Confession. Prayer. Wound around one short text.Lutheran
  • Lectio DivinaBenedict of Nursia, 6th centuryRead. Meditate. Pray. Contemplate. Let the Word find you.Benedictine
  • SOAPWayne Cordeiro, contemporaryScripture. Observation. Application. Prayer.Evangelical
  • Discovery Bible StudyDisciple-making movements, 20th centuryWhat does it say? What does it show us about God, and about us? What will I do?Missional
  • Open ReadingNo framework — a passage, and a pageRead it. Then write whatever comes.Any
  • Prayer of RecollectionTeresa of Ávila, 16th centuryTurn inward. The castle of the soul has many rooms. Begin at the gate.Carmelite

To pause

A breath in the middle
  • The Examen of ConsolationIgnatius of Loyola, 16th centuryWhere did love move in me today? Name it. Receive it. Return it.Ignatian

To close

Looking back over the day
  • The Daily ExamenIgnatius of Loyola, 16th centuryWhere was I consoled today? Where did I resist grace?Ignatian
  • Wesley’s QuestionsJohn Wesley, 18th centuryAm I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression I desire?Wesleyan

Week's turn

Once around, once a week
  • The RoundThe Benedictine Rule of Life, 6th century — adaptedYour life, one domain at a time. Once around, once a week.Benedictine

When you need it

Grief, decisions, thresholds
  • Psalmic LamentAncient — the Hebrew PsalterAddress God. Complain honestly. Ask boldly. Trust anyway.Hebrew
  • Ignatian DiscernmentIgnatius of Loyola, 16th centuryWhich choice brings deeper peace? Not comfort — peace.Ignatian
  • ThresholdAdapted from rite-of-passage practice, contemporaryWhat am I leaving? What am I carrying forward? What am I letting go of?Contemporary
It kind of sparked and brought some things alive — a new way to engage my heart with God.

A therapist and spiritual director · on the rituals and the contemplative forms