This is a powerful New Moon ritual that I created, after receiving a dream that told me in many not so subtle ways that it was time to release all that shit in my heart, the stuff about how nobody loves me, how I’m alone, wah wah, etc. So here’s the ritual.
As with all rituals, feel free to improvise, substitute or re-create any and all parts so that it resonates deeply and authentically with where you are at this particular juncture of life. (Yes I really do talk this way). Ritual has to mean something to you. It’s why many of the Christian rituals that I performed dutifully while growing up in the Methodist church didn’t really impact me on a personal level. They weren’t personal. Make your ritual personal. It’s profoundly important because it’s done by you and for you.
Things you might need:
- Candle
- Lighter/Matches
- Sage/Cedar (for cleansing)
- Large Bowl
- Water
- Essential Oils of your choosing (I used Rosewater, Rosemary, Fennel, Clary Sage and Jasmine)
- 1 cup Epsom Salts
- 1 hour of uninterrupted time and space
- Paper
- Pen
- A small shovel, or strong hands
- You find some of the above items in the Home Cleansing & Blessing Kit
Heart Clearing & Renewal Ritual
1. Create a sacred and quiet space where you will be undisturbed for at least an hour. Yes, you can do this, even if you have small children (I have a 4-year-old and a 6-month-old). You may have to ask others for support in creating this time and space for yourself. Do it. Light a candle and set your intention for cleansing your heart/life/body of all that no longer serves its highest purpose.
2. Get a few (or 10) sheets of blank paper. Make a list of everyone and everything that has ever lived in your heart space. It’s probably going to take a while. Give yourself some time, at least 30 minutes to one hour. Or even a couple of days if you need it. Include your past loves, old homes, cities, memories, doubts, fears…all of it. Let the words and images flow as you write them down.
3. Fill the bowl with water (any kind of water).
4. Read the list aloud, saying, “I release…fear that I am not enough. I release…doubt in my beauty. I release…[my drug-head ex-boyfriend].” And as you release these things you imagine the bowl that represents the nourishing vessel of Mother Earth and the water, representing healing and cleansing, just absorbing these fears/doubts/whatever from your heart and into the water. Imagine that the water washes out and cleanses any residue that lives there.
5. When you are done with your reading, drop the list into the water and watch as the water blurs the ink on the paper, cleansing these words, taking them from you, washing your heart.
6. You have a couple of options here. You can bury your list in a special spot. I buried mine and planted a small plant on top of the list, symbolizing that when I let go of what’s no longer serving me, life can thrive and grow. -OR- You can release this water and the pages into a flowing body of water, like a river or the ocean, or the toilet. Let Nature’s water carry it all away.
7. Say a prayer to make your heart a fresh home for all the love that wants to come in. Let it be a clear channel for love to flow in and out fluidly, without holding or restraint. Imagine your heart filling with cleansing light–any color you choose. (I saw the bright green of new spring plants after a rainstorm.)
8. Light a stick of sage or cedar and waft it around your entire body, your room and your home. Ask that all that is not in alignment with your Divine Self leave.
9. Take a warm bath in Epsom salts and essential oils. Imagine your body surrounded by healing light, ancestors, Divine protection as the water washes away all that is no longer serving you.
10. Make a list of all that you intend to bring into this new home, your heart. Invoke the Divine to fill you with love, saying, “I bring in the vibration of Divine love. I open to being inspired by life…to miracles happening in every moment. I open to receiving all the abundance that is mine by Divine Order in the ripe time and the ripe way…to living from a clear heart space–both my high heart and low heart…to feeding, moving and treating my body in ways that make me feel like a goddess…” You may choose to use these words or write your own.
11. Rest, rejoice and allow this fresh new perspective and heart to gently make its way into the world.