Ritual of Release
Ritual guide for the new moon
Tomorrow is February’s new moon and in this essay I offer you dear readers a ritual of release practice.
This new moon feels especially potent with the solar eclipse, Neptune’s and Saturn's shifts into Aries, and the Chinese New Year (which also falls on the new moon) being the year of the fire horse.
Astrology aside, we can feel within the collective pulse undercurrents and shifts happening in our collective psyche. The truth is being released, the old world is dying, and we must make space in our body-minds and spirits so that we can take action and step into our authority to create foundations for a new world.
Rituals of release are important because they support our work with cleansing and emptiness in order to make room for new growth. Rituals of release can serve many purposes. We can use them to ask for forgiveness from ourselves or to forgive another; to release stagnant energy from our psychic grounds; mark relationships and periods that have ended, and severe old patterns to create space for new chapters.
As always, take what works and leave the rest. Feel free to share with community with credit🌹
Conjuring With Water
Step one of the ritual of release works with the element of water and air. You can also call in guides that are associated with this elements.
Draw a bath, adding rose water or dried rose petals, moon water, or another herb of your choosing. An optional step is to light a candle.
Gather dried mugwort and lavender (or another herb of your choosing) and place them in a bowl. Add steaming hot water to the bowl and stir the herbs into the water until they are submerged.
I sell divination sachets on my online shop, filled with herbs grown in my garden if you're looking for a local and ethical source.
Spend a couple of minutes grounding with the herbs. Ask for their support and practice deep breathing, breathing in the herbs with your inhale.
After grounding with the herbs, begin writing what you are releasing. You can journal naturally or use a prompt to support your flow of consciousness, such as:
Under the new moon I am releasing…
In order to make space for ____ I release…
This is what is no longer serving me…
Throughout your writing practice, find a thread or mantra that summarizes what is unfolding on your psyche. Mantras should be simple and can be repeated from memory with ease. Mine usually is boils down to I release these things from my psychic ground.
When you're finished with the bath, thank the herbs and release them to the earth.
Alchemizing With Fire
Step two of the ritual of release works with the element of fire. You can also call in guides that are associated with this element.
For this part you will need a cauldron, a fire pit, or a candle. I recommend doing this outdoors.
Gather paper and pen. In one sentence or a few words, write what you are releasing. If you are releasing multiple things, write each thing using a separate piece of paper. Using your fire source, burn the paper and repeat your mantra. For example, after burning a slip of paper, repeating I release ___ from my psychic ground as the paper burns. Take deep and conscious breaths during this process.
When you're finished thank the fire for their service.
Releasing With Earth
Step three works with the element of earth. You can also call in guides that are associated with this element.
In step two we released the psychic energy. Step three works with releasing the physical energy.
In my practice, I work with the body as a way to work with the element of earth. There are a few options you can choose for this step. You can do some simple yoga stretches, such as a stretch for each chakra or a set of sun salutations. Other options are choosing a song and practicing ecstatic dance, drumming, deep breathing, or singing.
Any of these practices will work. Choose what will support you best in connecting with your body and releasing the physical energy. You can also repeat your mantra with every stretch, breath, between song stanzas, etc.
You can also add an air element to bookmark the completion of the ritual, such as incense, a candle, or a saining stick. Make sure the open windows and doors for the smoke and your body energy to move out of your home.
For more complex energy releasing, you may have to practice this every new moon for a few months or do rituals in between the new moons. I find myself repeating my mantra after the ritual when something I have released tries to rise again.
