Goodbye Sorrow

There are times in our lives when we experience great sadness (for a variety of reasons) and during those times it's important to be gentle and allow ourselves to heal at our own pace. For some of us, this is a fairly quick process, but for others it can linger on, never fully dissipating and making our day to day life more difficult than usual. If you feel it's about time you got back to business, but are having a bit of trouble actually making this happen, perhaps a quiet energy releasing ritual is in order to take that last step to reclaiming your heart.

What you'll need:

nine very small white candles

one large red Goddess candle

a glass or small chalice of red wine

a few borage flowers

a sheet of paper and a pen

a cauldron

sandalwood incense

This ritual is best done at night, outdoors beneath the dark of the new moon, to facilitate a new beginning and new inner strength. Write on your paper all your feelings you wish to purge. It can be long or short in length, but pour the pain of your heart into every word and fold it up into a small square. Place the white candles in a small circle around your cauldron and place the red candle to the right of it and the incense to the left of the cauldron within that circle. Cast your larger circle first if you wish and call the quarters, or simply start by sitting before your candles and meditating, grounding your energy with the earth's. Light the nine healing candles deosil beginning at the top and then light the incense. Light the red candle and call upon a Goddess you feel comfortable working with: perhaps Athena for wisdom and strength, or Laetitia for happiness. Ask her to help you find your inner strength, the joy you've had trouble reclaiming, or to show you the clarity needed to see the wisdom of your experience.

Recite this spell (or write your own to chant):

No more sorrow, no more pain,

My heart is free to live again.

I release those bonds that held me tight

and embrace my spirit's powerful light.

(Chant until you've raised enough energy to release your sadness, then conclude with)

By the power of three times three, As I will it, so mote it be.

Light your square of paper on fire with the Goddess candle and let it burn to embers in your cauldron. Take a few borage flowers and place them in the chalice of wine. (If you don't drink alcohol, grape juice is a perfectly fine alternative). Drink half the wine and save the other half to make an offering to the Goddess. If you've cast a circle and wish to pour it away from where you are, offer it into the earth once the circle has been broken. If you have chosen to not cast a circle, you may pour the wine into the earth whenever and wherever you wish. Cast the ashes of your note to the earth as well.

When you're ready, snuff out the Goddess candle, thanking her for aiding you in your work, then snuff out the white candles widdershins. Allow your incense to burn down. Break circle if you have cast one and begin to feel yourself healing at last.

(As always, use common sense and the utmost care when working with fire. Use caution with your dish or cauldron of choice, your hair or your sleeves. Never leave a burning item unattended and when discarding anything burned back into the earth, be sure it is fully burned out and cool. Never discard a burning or smoldering object where it can cause damage.)

Photo courtesy of MatgorzataW on flickr.