6 Signs Your Shadow Work Practice Is Working
We’re often encouraged to ignore our darkness. To pretend that we don’t have inner demons, that we can be all love and light, that we can be “healed” without diving into our wounds.The truth is that we can’t, and that’s where shadow work comes in.Shadow work is the conscious practice of exploring your dark feelings, often ignored in your subconscious, that you feel ashamed and afraid of.
We’re often encouraged to ignore our darkness. To pretend that we don’t have inner demons, that we can be all love and light, that we can be “healed” without diving into our wounds.
The truth is that we can’t, and that’s where shadow work comes in.
Shadow work is the conscious practice of exploring your dark feelings, often ignored in your subconscious, that you feel ashamed and afraid of.
The aim of shadow work is to bring that darkness to the light and integrate it into your whole self. So that you can heal and become whole.
Click to learn more about what shadow work is and 4 simple steps to get started with it.
But once you start working with your shadow, how do you know that it’s really working?
This post will share 6 signs that your shadow work practice is working, moving you towards being a more healed, whole human being.
1. Other people’s behaviors don’t trigger you like they used to. They no longer create intense emotional responses or cause you to go into your head. You notice their behaviors, of course, but no longer feel a need to react or respond.
2. You drop blame and denial. When a shadow aspect of yourself shows up, you don’t deny it and you no longer blame yourself or the person who may have triggered you. You’re learning to acknowledge and accept your shadow, so you may even feel grateful to those who have helped shine a light on it so that it can be transformed and healed.
3. You judge other people (and yourself) less. When you’ve gone into the depths of your own darkness and learned to offer yourself complete acceptance and forgiveness, it’s so much easier to offer that to other people, as well.
You’re able to be much more accepting and compassionate towards others because you realize that your judgments of others stem from your own unhealed places. Once you heal those wounds, other people’s behaviors don’t phase you.
4. You recognize that you have become part of someone’s shadow. According to shadow work expert Jessi Huntenberg, the shadow work journey starts as what was done to you— all the conditioning and fear and wounds you have from your family, your childhood, from society— and slowly you get to a point where you realize that you are someone else’s shadow, too.
When you can realize this and offer yourself forgiveness for the people that you hurt when you were operating from a place of your own wounds, you know that your shadow work is working.
5. You’re no longer afraid to be seen. So many of us have wounds around visibility. We’re afraid to be seen. We feel like if people knew this or that about us, they wouldn’t love us. They would see how “unworthy” we really are.
When your shadow work is really working, that shame around the darkest parts of you begins to dissipate. It gets transformed into acceptance and love. And so you’re no longer afraid to be seen as you really are because you accept and love yourself fully and wholly.
6. Your life has become more peaceful. This is what we all want, right? Shadow work can get you there. Your life becomes more peaceful when you fully embrace and love ALL parts of yourself— the parts that are easy to love and the parts that are really difficult. Your interactions with others, your relationships with others, and your relationship with yourself all become a lot more positive.
What is your relationship with shadow work? Which of these signs are you experiencing?
Ways to Connect to Your Divine Feminine Energy (And Why You Should)
Divine feminine energy has a lot of names: yin, lunar, shakti, and passive, to name a few.But they’re all the same thing. Divine feminine energy is the goddess energy within. It’s the energy of flow, of being, of intuition, of the moon.Every human, regardless of gender, has both divine feminine and divine masculine (solar, yang, shiva) energy within them. Much of our modern culture focuses on the divine masculine: doing, pushing, producing, going.
Divine feminine energy has a lot of names: yin, lunar, shakti, and passive, to name a few.
But they’re all the same thing. Divine feminine energy is the goddess energy within. It’s the energy of flow, of being, of intuition, of the moon.
Every human, regardless of gender, has both divine feminine and divine masculine (solar, yang, shiva) energy within them. Much of our modern culture focuses on the divine masculine: doing, pushing, producing, going.
Just like yin and yang, you need both energies: they complement each other. But sometimes you can get so caught up in your divine masculine that you forget to nurture the divine feminine, too, and you suffer.
You miss out on your intuition, on compassion, self-love, presence, and just simply being in silence.
Imagine the radical revolution in the world if more people moved from that divine feminine space. Imagine if more people were connected to their intuition, loved themselves deeply, lived compassionately, and allowed themselves to be present.
That can happen, and it starts with you—as within, so without.
Connecting to your divine feminine is always important, but especially this month. Your divine feminine energy reminds you that you are whole, that everything you desire is within you, and that you are worthy of love from yourself and from others.
Read through the list below to get some ways to connect to your divine shakti.
Pranayama
It all starts with your breath. Chandra Bhedana (Moon-Piercing Breath) is a version of alternate nostril breathing that connects you to lunar energy by inhaling only through your left nostril and exhaling through your right.
For this breath, find a comfortable seat. Bring your thumb and middle fingers to third eye center. Close your right nostril with your thumb to inhale through your left nostril, then close your left nostril with your right and pinky fingers to exhale through your right nostril.
Continue to breathe this way for at least twenty rounds of breath. Inhaling in through only your left nostril activates your lunar energy (which runs on the left side of your body) and exhaling only through your right nostril releases your solar energy (which runs on the right side of your body).
Yoga Poses
Divine feminine yoga is all about connecting with your intuition, creating, and being present. Allow yourself to get on your mat with no expectations, listen to your body, and get creative with a flow.
The poses below are some ideas to help you connect with lunar energy. Use them as a starting point for your own creativity!
Fetal position on your right side. The first yoga pose. Not only does this pose help you feel safe and cozy, but it also activates your lunar energy by having your left side only facing up.
Child’s pose, Balasana. Use this gentle pose to offer yourself some nourishment. Get still, get quiet, and be present.
Half moon pose, Ardha Chandrasana. Cultivate balance, a deep sense of confidence, and creativity completely grounded in your divine feminine in this pose.
Pigeon pose, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. Breathe and allow yourself to feel everything you need to feel in this more intense hip-opener. Let any emotions that you need to release here release, and surrender them to your breath.
Crescent lunge, Anjaneyasana. Crescent lunge is part of Chandra Namaskar, moon salutations. Incorporate a mudra like one of the ones below to make it extra powerful.
Tarot Card Pull
Each of the questions below will give you insight into your relationship with your divine feminine. Get quiet, open your mind, and pull a card for any or all of these questions.
How can I create more flow in my life today?
How can I open my heart chakra?
How can I open my third eye chakra?
How can I connect with my divine feminine energy?
What is holding me back from connecting with my divine feminine?
What is my relationship with my divine feminine?
What is my relationship with my divine masculine?
The archetypes from the major arcana that most represent the divine feminine energy are the High Priestess (deep intuitive understanding) and the Empress (deep connection with feminine energy manifesting as creativity, fertility, abundance, and sensuality).
Mantra Meditation
The Kundalini "Adi Shakti" mantra is said to tune you into the frequency of the energy of the divine feminine, eliminate fears and fulfill desires, get you in touch with your own power, and become Shakti, the feminine energy of the Universe.
Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Namo NamoSarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Namo NamoPritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Pritham Bhagvati, Namo NamoKundalini Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo Namo
Chant this mantra as many times as you’d like, and then sit in silence for a few moments to allow yourself to feel the change in your vibration.
Crystals
Some of the best crystals for connecting with your divine feminine are:
Labradorite, for intuition, self-discovery, and universal harmony
Kunzite, to open your heart chakra and connect with the element of water to create more flow
Rose quartz, to open your heart chakra and remind you of your capacity to both give and receive unconditional love
Selenite, to access your inner goddess and connect with Shakti
Peridot, to create abundance and flow by channeling Lakshmi’s manifesting power
Moonstone, to connect with the energy of the moon and with your intuition
Amazonite, to balance both the masculine and feminine energies within you
Mudra
Mudras, hand gestures or “seals,” can be a powerful way to shift your energy. Click here to learn more about how mudras work with the elements of the hands and the gunas to create different energies.
Yoni Mudra. Use yoni mudra to quiet your mind, connect to your divine feminine energy, and call on the energy of the goddesses.
Bring your palms together with your fingers pointing down. Open your palms up into an upside-down triangle with your thumbs as the base. Then turn your pinky, ring, and middle fingers in so that the backs of the fingers are touching and thumbs are pointing slightly upward.
Kali mudra. This mudra invokes the power of this fierce goddess of destruction and transformation. Kali mudra is a beautiful reminder that the divine feminine can be a fierce force for change.
Interlace your fingers in front of you, placing your left thumb over right. Lengthen your index fingers, press them together, and point them away from you.
Trimurti mudra. Use trimurti mudra to flow and connect with your inner healer.
Place both palms flat on your navel with fingers facing down, and bring them into a triangle pointing to your toes with tips of thumbs and index fingers touching.
Pay Attention to the Cycles of the Moon
Like the moon, you go through phases. Knowing the cycles of the moon and your own corresponding cycles helps deepen your connection to lunar energy and the divine feminine.
Scents & Herbs
Use the herbs and scents below in a variety of ways: to burn, drink, or soak in as herbs or to diffuse or roll on your skin as oils.
Dried violet, to stimulate creativity
Brahmi, to calm and cool your mind
Hibiscus, to assist you in psychic growth and promote tranquility
Lavender, to soothe, calm, and promote the energy of being
Rose-hips, to promote healing, compassion, and self-love
Juniper, to connect with your inner wisdom
Click here to get an herbal bath recipe to connect with your divine feminine.
I hope you find some tools within this blog that you can use regularly to connect to this energy. You certainly don’t have to do all of these to connect with the energy of the divine feminine. Do what feels good and calls out to you! I hope you feel more in tune with the divine feminine energy that’s already within you.
7 Self-Love Rituals for Valentine’s Day
It’s that time of year where everything is about love, but the most important thing you can remember about love is this: Love is not outside of you. Love is within you.Love is your divine nature.It’s easy to forget that, but it’s true. The rituals below will help you connect to the love already within you, and most importantly give it to yourself.
It’s that time of year where everything is about love, but the most important thing you can remember about love is this: Love is not outside of you.
Love is within you. Love is your divine nature.
It’s easy to forget that, but it’s true. The rituals below will help you connect to the love already within you, and most importantly give it to yourself.
For all of these rituals, you might like to incorporate:
Rose quartz, to open your heart chakra
Clear quartz, to amplify the energy
Myrrh incense, a healing scent associated with feminine energy, the moon, and the water element
Try just one of these rituals, or try them all throughout the month. Each of these rituals will be more powerful the more you do them, so find one you like and make it part of your routine this month.
Create Something
Nothing gets the energy of love flowing like creativity. Do a coloring meditation, make a vision board, cook a nourishing meal, write a poem, paint with watercolors, play an instrument, or create your own yoga flow.
Whatever you’d like to do, create a sacred space and tap into your creative energy.
Here's also a fun idea for a self-love ritual where you can play with your creativity:
Tarot or Oracle Card Spread
Tarot and oracle cards are amazing magical tools for self-reflection and connecting with your intuition. Try this three-card spread with your favorite deck:
What is holding me back from loving myself right now?
What might I experience if I give myself the love I desire?
How can I deepen my love for myself?
Don't know how to get started? Check out this blog post for tarot, or this post for the ultimate tarot guide. If you feel called to try oracle cards check out this blog post.
Burning Ceremony
What holds you back from loving yourself more? What limiting beliefs do you hold onto that keep you small? What things about yourself do you struggle to love? What parts of yourself do you hide from yourself and from the world because deep down you believe in their unworthiness?
Get quiet, get your journal, and allow a stream-of-consciousness type of writing to flow until you feel like you’ve got it all out on the page.
Once you’ve poured your heart out, light a single white candle and hold your paper over the flame. Allow the negative energy, limiting beliefs, and your dislike for any part of yourself to burn up with the page.
Then, free-write to these questions: What do I love about myself? What is amazing about me? What am I grateful for? What parts of myself am I working on loving?
When you’re done, place this page on your altar and return to it anytime you feel those sticky, negative beliefs trying to creep back in.
Write a Self-Love Mantra
Writing your own self-love mantra is incredibly powerful because while there are many beautiful affirmations and mantras for self-love, you are unique and your journey with self-love is unique.
Write your own mantra that tells you exactly what you need to hear. Something kind, nonjudgmental, and compassionate that you might say to your sister or your best friend to let them know that you love them and they’re not alone.
Say it to yourself.
Write it on your mirror, on a piece of paper to tuck in your bag or place on your altar, or paint it in a picture (see ritual #1!), and return to it whenever you need it. Learn more about embracing the power of mantras here.
Heart Chakra Meditation
Inhale deeply into your heart chakra. Exhale out of your mouth, releasing all that doesn’t serve you. As you inhale, visualize a bud of green light glowing in your chest, blossoming bigger and brighter with each inhale as you strengthen this chakra. Allow the unconditional love to wash over you with your breath. If you'd like a guided meditation, you can click here for a meditation bundle done by me.
Herbal Bath for Self-Love
Turn bath into a ritual by using herbs, lighting candles, and playing whatever music or sounds help you relax and turn inward.
Try using rose-hips, lavender, elecampane, and balm of gilead to promote self-love. Rose-hips promote healing, compassion, and self-love. Lavender balances and calms while elecampane opens the heart chakra. Balm of gilead promotes love and helps you manifest your desires.
Simply fill a muslin bag with about a third of a cup of the herbs, loop the bundle onto the faucet, and let your tub fill with hot water as it runs through the bag. When it finishes filling, drop the bag into the water and let it infuse with the herbs for about 20 minutes.
For an extra dose of self-love, add a rose quartz crystal to your bath. For more herbal bath recipes, check out this blog post.
Create a Goddess Altar
Creating a goddess altar is a beautiful way to honor the divine feminine energy of the universe and the divine feminine energy within. Make this altar your own! Buy a statue of a Goddess who resonates with you, or just print out a photo online. If you’re not sure which Goddess you’d like to use, do some research! What Goddess energy would help you love yourself more? Some suggestions are:
Greek Goddess Aphrodite for love, gratitude, and beauty
Hindu Goddess Lakshmi for abundance and wealth
East Asian Goddess Kuan Yin for mercy and compassion
Hindu Goddess Kali for destruction, creation, and transformation
Greek Goddess Artemis for independence, strength, and fearlessness
Egyptian Goddess Isis for magic, healing, and protection
Greek Goddess Athena for wisdom and courage
Sumerian, Babylonian, and Phoenician goddess Inanna for sensuality and divine femininity in all its forms
Once you choose your goddess, add a white candle, incense, and maybe a cloth to your altar. Choose some objects that represent love to you and ask for help loving yourself. You can also put fresh flowers or a piece of fruit on your altar as an offering to the Goddess.
Goddesses are beautiful archetypes and energies to work with because they remind you that you, too, have this energy within you. You possess the abundance of Lakshmi, the compassion of Kuan Yin, the magic of Isis, and the transformative energy of Kali.
How to Balance your Solar Plexus Chakra
Do you feel worthy of love and comfortable setting boundaries? Do you feel a sense of peace and understanding in taking action on things you can control and allowing things you have no control over to happen?When your solar plexus, or Manipura, chakra is open and balanced, you experience a strong sense of authentic power, and use that power to make a difference in the world. You fully understand your worth and have healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.This chakra, located right above the navel, is also where the ego lives. It is the seat of fire in the body, overseeing your emotions, motivating you to achieve your goals, and governing your self-esteem and self-discipline.But like any other chakra, this chakra can become unbalanced.
Do you feel worthy of love and comfortable setting boundaries? Do you feel a sense of peace and understanding in taking action on things you can control and allowing things you have no control over to happen?
When your solar plexus, or Manipura, chakra is open and balanced, you experience a strong sense of authentic power, and use that power to make a difference in the world. You fully understand your worth and have healthy self-esteem and self-confidence.
This chakra, located right above the navel, is also where the ego lives. It is the seat of fire in the body, overseeing your emotions, motivating you to achieve your goals, and governing your self-esteem and self-discipline.
But like any other chakra, this chakra can become unbalanced.
Signs that your solar plexus chakra is unbalanced:
You feel powerless or like a victim.
You often feel anxious and insecure.
You either feel the need to control and manipulate everything or you let others control you.
You experience frequent stomach or lower back pain.
You feel like you have to give your power away in order to keep the peace.
You have addictive tendencies and tend to form co-dependent relationships.
The good news is there are many simple ways to balance the solar plexus chakra. Use one tip or combine several, and find what works for you to get you back to a place of authentic power and control.
10 Ways to Open the Solar Plexus Chakra
Get Outside
The solar plexus chakra is associated with the color yellow and the element fire, so getting outside in the sun can be a big help. Try doing one of the tips below outside, like yoga or meditation, go rock climbing, go for a hike, or simply take a walk around the neighborhood.
Drink Tea
Ginger, chamomile, and mint all work well to open this chakra.
Yoga
Poses that light a fire in the belly— aka focus on the core— are perfect for balancing Manipura. Try Boat Pose, Warrior 2, or a series of Sun Salutations to light that Agni.
Pranayama
Speaking of fire, “breath of fire” or Agni Sara pranayama can help balance the solar plexus chakra. It is similar to kappalabhati breathing, but both inhales and exhales are forceful. The idea is to contract and release the core muscles.
Start in a standing position with the knees gently bent and the hands on the knees. As you inhale, press the stomach out. As you exhale, draw it in.
Affirmations & Mantras
Affirmations and mantras are all about becoming that which you wish to see. Try these mantras for balancing this chakra:
The bija mantra Ram.
I am worthy.
I rule from a place of authentic control and power.
I love and accept myself.
I am open and free from the need to control everything.
I use my power for the highest good.
I release judgment of myself and others.
Scents
Citrusy oils like grapefruit, lemon, orange, and even peppermint are great for healing the solar plexus chakra because they aid digestion, a solar plexus issue. You can also try ginger, fennel, and ylang-ylang to clear negative energy and bring in positive energy.
Burn candles or incense with these scents, diffuse essential oils, or mix these oils with a carrier oil like sesame or coconut and massage them onto the body. It can be particularly powerful to rub them on the belly, the center of this chakra.
Crystals
There are many different crystals you can use to balance the solar plexus chakra. Yellow-hued stones tend to work best since yellow is the color of this chakra. Try citrine, yellow topaz, honey calcite, amber, yellow jasper, or tiger’s eye.
Incorporate them into your yoga practice, meditate with them, create a crystal grid on the ground or on the body over the navel area, or wear them.
To create a crystal grid, choose a few stones from the list above that resonate with you, plus clear quartz. Decide on your purpose for the grid, and write that intention down. It could be something like “I reclaim my personal power” or any of the affirmations and mantras above.
Then, cleanse your crystals (learn more about crystal cleansing here) and place them in a geometric pattern on the bare skin of your navel with the clear quartz in the center to amplify the energy of your grid.
Spend at least a few moments with the crystals on your skin, meditating on your intention.
Play with Color
Wearing yellow and eating yellow foods such as corn, bananas, yellow peppers, lemons, and sunflower seeds are easy ways to work on opening this chakra throughout the day.
Meditation
Try imagining a glowing golden ball of light, a burning flame, or a bright yellow flower opening over your navel to open Manipura. Try this guided chakra balancing meditation if you feel called to.
Switch It Up
Sometimes all it takes to balance the solar plexus chakra is a little change. Try switching up your routine, releasing anger by yelling as loudly as you can (in your home alone!), or attending a laughing circle.
These activities allow you to activate your personal power, release control, introduce a little joy, and create a positive flow of energy in the body.
5 Quick Tips to Improve Your Intuition
Intuition goes by many names: sixth sense, inner knowing, gut feeling. I’m sure you’ve had at least one experience when you “JUST knew.” Maybe it was a safety concern, a work issue, or about a relationship.If you look back you probably didn’t say, “hey intuition, can you please give me some information about…” Nope. The insight came in a flash and you knew exactly what to do.What if you could call on that flash of knowing anytime you wanted? This post will help you do that with 5 simple tips on how to improve your intuition.
Intuition goes by many names: sixth sense, inner knowing, gut feeling. I’m sure you’ve had at least one experience when you “JUST knew.” Maybe it was a safety concern, a work issue, or about a relationship.
If you look back you probably didn’t say, “hey intuition, can you please give me some information about…” Nope. The insight came in a flash and you knew exactly what to do.
What if you could call on that flash of knowing anytime you wanted? This post will help you do that with 5 simple tips on how to improve your intuition. If you want to learn 3 daily actions you can do to support your intuition, check out Cassie's post.
Acknowledge Intuition Exists
It’s innate in everyone, so even if you don’t feel like you have it, know you do. Make a declaration like, “I have a clear and strong intuition,” and observe how your body adjusts.
Clear Some Clutter
Getting rid of junk in your house and mind will create space for new information. Seem overwhelming? Start with just one small area of your house. Try to keep that area neat and tidy (maybe it’s your nightstand or corner of your desk).
Mental and emotional stuff got you weighed down? Dump all that stuff onto paper. No need to analyze or ponder, just freely write down what you are feeling and all the tasks you have to finish. You’ll be amazed at how light you will feel.
Know Your Colors
Here’s a quick exercise to help you connect with your inner knowing. Try this before you get out of bed in the morning. Ask your intuition to give you a color for “yes.” Stay away from the traditional stop light green. That’s too easy. Ask for your individual color for “yes.” Maybe it’s a light orange, or a deep purple. Then ask for your color for “no.” Again, watch for another color aside from red. Maybe it’s grey or bright pink.
Sit with this new information for a few quiet moments and be open for it to appear throughout your day.
Start Small
Now that you have your colors, let’s see how you can use them in everyday scenarios! Your intuition is like a muscle, it likes to be worked out, but you can’t start lifting 100 pounds right away. So start with asking about what shirt you should wear, or which road to take to work. Ask for your “yes” or “no” colors. Go with it!
Trust
Your intuition will get clearer with time and patience. One thing to keep in mind is following your intuition doesn’t mean that life will always go the way you want.
Your intuition is serving as your guide for a deeper purpose for reasons you might not see. Maybe that bad traffic your intuition lead you into was to keep you from something worse. Maybe those “yes” shoes you tripped in means you’ll get to tell a funny story to a new person!
The most important step is to have fun! Don’t worry about getting it right or wrong. Your intuitive power is supposed to bring you closer to who you are, not stress you out.
Developing your inner knowing just takes a few minutes a day. Clear some clutter, use your colors, and trust in your developing “muscle.” Your intuition is the inner gift that keeps on giving so have fun listening to what it has to say! If you are looking to play with your intuition some more, check out my funny and in-your-face oracle cards at www.rebeldeck.com.
Cord Cutting a Ritual for Letting Go
What are you holding onto right now that you’re afraid to let go of? Is it a career that you thought was your life’s calling, something hurtful someone said to you, a relationship gone south, or your lack of control over a situation?If you haven’t already been faced with one of these “letting go” hurdles, it’s likely you will at some point. The need to let go comes in all shapes and sizes throughout life and might be some of the hardest tasks you’ll face.
What are you holding onto right now that you’re afraid to let go of? Is it a career that you thought was your life’s calling, something hurtful someone said to you, a relationship gone south, or your lack of control over a situation?
If you haven’t already been faced with one of these “letting go” hurdles, it’s likely you will at some point. The need to let go comes in all shapes and sizes throughout life and might be some of the hardest tasks you’ll face.
Why is it important to let go?
Holding on can take up a lot of unnecessary headspaces, leaving you anywhere but in the present moment. When you’re afraid to let go, it’s usually your ego that’s in control, and no one wants that! Refusing to let go means you’re also refusing to trust that you’ll be taken care of and that the universe does have a plan for you.
This week I’m breaking out my favorite ways to help you let go of whatever it is that’s holding you back from your highest potential. These rituals can be done on separate days or all together as one big ritual, your choice! Let’s get started.
Step 1: Burn Baby, Burn
Time to get out your candles and cauldron. The first step is to recognize what it is that you’re trying to let go of and become willing to work on it. A burning ritual can help make this decision more concrete for you.
You’ll need:
Black and white candle. The white candle is for protective loving light and black candle is to help absorb negative energy, but any candle will work if you don’t have these colors available. Click here to learn more about candle magick.
Pen and paper
Cauldron or other fireproof vessels
Optional: Frankincense EO or incense. Frankincense will help you center yourself and let go. I like using Plant Guru’s Meditation blend.
The best moon phase to perform this ritual is during a waning moon. Set aside some quiet time, and center yourself with as many deep breaths as you need to feel calm and present.
To get started, light both of your candles and incense, if you’re using it. Write what you need to let go of on a piece of paper. Light the paper with the flame of each candle and place it in your fireproof vessel. Watch and breathe as your paper burns, allow any feelings you have to come to the surface. This is also a great time to call upon any angels, deities, or energy you’d like to invite in to help you through this process.
When you feel like this part of the ritual is complete, thank any spiritual energies that you invited in and blow out your candles. You can leave this setup and the ashes of your burned paper out as long as you’d like as a reminder.
Step 2: Cord-Cutting Ceremony
This is my personal favorite ritual for letting go. I discovered it from The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and is the suggested ritual when you receive the Lilith Goddess card.
You’ll need:
String. Must be strong enough to be worn for a long period of time.
Scissors
Candles, incense, EO (optional and can be the same as above)
This ceremony should also be performed during a waning moon. it blends well into the first ritual and I recommend performing them in tandem, though they do not have to be. If you do start this ceremony separately from the above one, be sure to set aside time to quiet your mind and center yourself.
To begin this ritual, start by deciding where your cord should be tied on your body. You’ll want to tie the string somewhere that connects with what you’re letting go of. If what you’re letting go of has something to do with work and you use your hands you might decide to tie it around your wrist, if you’re walking away from something you could tie it around your ankle, if it has something to do with your creative center you could tie it around your belly.
As you tie your cord on your body say out loud what the cord represents and what it is you’re trying to let go of. Wear this cord for the rest of the moon cycle, or longer if you feel it is necessary, as a reminder of your commitment to let go. When you feel that you are ready to let go and cut the cord, prepare a quiet space to do so. Thank yourself for your commitment and willingness to be more present and let go.
Step 3: Visualize & Verbalize
During this process, you may find that your desire to hold on becomes even stronger. It’s normal and is usually your ego screaming at you to stay in control! Here are some tools to use to keep your ego in check through this process.
Voice and movement are powerful tools to reinforce your commitment to let go. Here are my favorite supportive tools to use:
Woodchopper yoga pose with a loud “HA” exhale
Allow time to shake it out, dance it out, and/or yell it out
Wear a reminder of your commitment to let go.
Create a vision board of what your life would look like if you did let go, and place it somewhere you’ll see it regularly.
Create a mantra about what you’re letting go of. Write it down somewhere and place it where you’ll see it regularly.
Journal. Write out all of your fears associated with what you’re letting go of. I find that if I write out my fears and look at them, many of them are pretty silly and things I don’t have any control over in the first place.
Above all, be gentle with yourself!
Letting go can be hard but I hope my offerings give you the tools you need to move forward in your healing journey. Sending you strength and peace through your process of letting go!
