Come Back to Thyself Ritual
Originally published on May 1, 2020.
Ritual: Come Back to Thyself
This ritual is to support time with yourself and the acknowledgment of where you are and hope to be. To regain clarity and give a moment of grace and compassion with your sacred self.
If any one has also been struggling with self-love, self-care, or self-acceptance during these trying times, this ritual can help to bring the pieces of yourself that have been scattered back to you. Sometimes bits of ourselves get lost when we are putting a lot energy into something (especially if it is draining us), don't have strong boundaries, experience fear or go through something difficult or devastating. It happens to everyone from time to time. A little magick and love can help us get grounded again.
Before you begin your ritual it can be helpful to set sacred space. I’ve heard over and over again how people get stressed out by trying to set up this space before a ritual that may already feel time consuming. Creating space for yourself and your ritual doesn’t have to be overly dramatic. One of the most important parts of ritual is making it fit you, who you are and what you need because, if it doesn’t feel right the likelihood of the ritual feelings good is slim. I personally like to do my rituals alone, making sure any background noise is as minimal as possible unless it’s my own music choice. For me setting up sacred space involves using smoke as a purification tool (or incense if that’s all I have on hand) using resins or *ethically sourced cleansing bundles. I light candles for my spiritual team and one for Great Spirit, calling them in as I do so. I also like to make sure that I have all my tools and ingredients that I’ll need with me plus paper and a pen just in case. Casting a circle or calling in the directions/elements can add a level of protection and security to your work but remember, do that flows and works for you.
What you’ll need:
An offering for yourself: What might you need right now? Quiet time? A nourishing meal? A big glass of water? Something sweet? Time to yourself? This offering is meant for you, for you to experience it with compassion in order to bring awareness back to your body and the present moment.
A pen and paper
Candle
To start, take a couple deep breaths in and let them out slowly. Take another long breath in and feel your lungs expand. As you slowly let your breath out feel your lungs empty and flatten. Start to imagine roots growing out of your feet, growing deep down into the earth. Your roots grow further and further, reaching all the mysteries of the world and the never ending spiral and support that exists deep within.
Light your candle and set your offering in front of you. State why you brought this specific offering and how you wish for it nourish you. (You will consume and thank at the end of your ritual). Grab your pen and paper.
Write and leave space for your answers:
1) How have I been feeling?
2) How connected do I feel to my own self roots?
3) Why might I feel ungrounded or not as connected to my own self? *(If you know the reasons, great! If not, write that down too.)
4) In what ways could I bring more self-love and care into my life on a consistent basis? *(You can insert whatever it is that you need any this time to the “In what ways can I bring more _____ into my life…”)
Next, write or say, “I _____, call and bring my whole being back to myself.” Close your eyes or focus on the your candles flame. Say or write this phrase as many times as you need until you feel your own power start to resonate back within yourself. Imagine all parts of you coming back together to feed the wholeness that is you.
I say this phrase any time I feel parts of myself starting to get detached because words are spells we have at all times whether spoken or written and our intention is the heart beating pulse of them. During this ritual, I said it over 20 times until I started crying, feeling the wind pick up and the pieces of me and all my selves slowly coming back into my heart center and body.
Sit with this as long as you need to feel any sort of shift.
When you feel complete take a deep breath in and a slow exhale out.
If you brought food or drink as your offering, eat or sip it to end your ceremony. Sit with the feeling of how it feels and tastes in your body. Feel its nourishing energy connecting to your won roots. If you offered something else, thank yourself for it and take a moment to appreciate it in your self and energy field. Close up your circle and space and thank all you asked to join you. Thank yourself for showing up. Blow out your candle. You may fold up your piece of paper and keep it close to you, keep it on your altar, hang it up….whatever feels appropriate to you! Know that the roots you felt in the beginning are always connected to Great Mother Earth, Great Spirit, As Above So Below. You hold infinite power and sacredness within. Connect with this ritual any time you need to remember your profound greatness.
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*Note on cleansing bundles ~ white sage and palo santo are endangered due to over harvesting and overuse. I have personally not found white sage to be as helped as other cleansing tools in my practice and instead have found it is more like “food” for spirits. Other options can include plants such as yerba santa, mugwort, desert sage, cedar, juniper, or resins burned on a charcoal. Making your own cleansing bundle can also be an easy and tender project to aid your own spiritual work (one can add plants such as lavender and rose to bring in gentle protection and heart medicine. The possibilities are endless!). Ethically sourced and harvested bundles are important and crucial to make sure that our precious plant allies can continue to thrive.
Thank you for doing this work, gorgeous souls.
Mourning Light Divination always recommends working with a trained mental health professional, especially during times of transition, change, and turbulence. Mourning Light Divination, LLC only provides tools and is not the outcome.
May you be well and safe.
DEATH RITUAL: INVITING YOUR SHADOW TO THE TABLE
You Will Need:
A candle (Black preferably, however a tea-light or any you have on hand will work)
A note book or sheet of paper and a writing utensil (adapt this to computer, voice recording, or whatever form supports you and your needs)
An offering for your shadow self
This could be anything that feels right to you ~ chocolate, a strand of hair, flowers, a breath of fresh air, an intention, or even playing a favorite song in honor of yourself and your shadow self working together.
***(If you can get your hands on these supplies great and if not let’s ask our inner children to get creative while in quarantine).
I call this ritual a “death ritual” because really what we are doing is interacting with our shadow in a way that gives us opportunity to reflect on what we may be afraid of right now, give love and tender care to those fears, and open our senses to how we may nourish these rumbling waves inside. It’s looking into the keyhole and realizing we have had the key all along. It has always courageously been close to our hearts.
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I prefer to create sacred space before I do rituals or any kind of magical working. Cleansing the space with tools such as resins, incense, or a bundle of herbs can greatly support in getting the space ready. I am very intentional with my words as to ask what I wish to be cleared of the space and what I desire to come in, filling the void or blank space that exists after cleaning out the unwanted. After the space has been cultivated, I light candles and invite Great Spirit, my higher self, guides, ancestors, and deities into the space with me and ask them for safety, protection, and guidance during my work. I honor them with my words and let them know how important they all are to me. I honor them with a bow and a moment of silence, humming, or prayer.
When you feel content here, you may proceed into the ritual.
Call upon your shadow self. Hold the candle you brought in honor of you two meeting here in sacred space and hold it to your chest. Take a moment to feel yourself charging it and then set it between you and your shadow self. Light the candle. Speak to the offering(s) you have gathered and ask for shadow self to join you at the table, or altar, or wherever you are performing the ritual. Say hello. Tell them how your day has been, how the week has been for you, start a conversation about how you’ve been feeling this week, this month, this year so far.
Take the next moment to close your eyes and think about what is swirling inside of you.
Write on the piece of paper and leave space for your answers:
1) What might I be afraid to look at or acknowledge right now?
2) How might my life look if I did acknowledge these things?
3) How could these fears hold me back?
4) How may they be helping me?
5) What could I do to give these fears. worries, or feelings more space to relax in my life?
6) How could I show these things love and compassion?
7) What is one thing I could do daily, weekly, or monthly to support this?
Journal. Let the thoughts, feelings, and words flow. Watch the flickering flame and take a deep breath in with a slow exhale out, for all the brave work you have done and are doing. Sit here as long as you would like, reflecting, journaling, or breathing. When you feel complete, thank your shadow self for coming in and supporting you. Thank whoever you asked to join you in your sacred space and thank yourself for showing up. Blow out the candle. You may keep it to light again when you want to sit with you shadow self again or in times when you may want to ask it for support. - (I like to keep mine on my altar to continue charging and honoring my shadow work). Leave the offerings to sit with the candle you lit for at least one night.
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Our shadow self often holds the things we do not want to engage with….feelings of shame, guilt, sadness, or fears and secrets we push down, sometimes in order to survive. This exercise is meant to open the gate to wholeness, at least just a little. There is always “light” and “dark” aspects of the self within us and we need both to be truly whole, to hold both in the left and right canals of our pumping hearts and know each have their place and their own healing attributes, qualities, and gifts. Sitting with ourselves isn’t always easy but when we do, it’s called Resiliency. Bravery. Self-Love, Care, and Compassion. By engaging with how one may interact and support the shadow self differently, old patterns can slowly be put to rest. With practice, we create new ways of being and existing.
Thank you for doing this work, gorgeous souls.
Mourning Light Divination, LLC always recommends working with a trained mental health professional, especially during times of transition, change, and turbulence. Mourning Light Divination, LLC only provides tools and is not the outcome.
May you be well and safe.