Release rituals are often done at the time of the full moon so that the energy of the waning moon as it moves from full to new can help support the dissolution of things we’re ready to let go of. The truth is, though, that you can do these rituals anytime. Sure, it’s nice to work with the energy of the moon and allow it to support you, but as long as you hold in your heart the intention to release that which is no longer serving you, any ritual you do to support that release will help you regardless of when you do it.
That being said, I did a release ritual last night in honor of the Pisces Supermoon, and it was lovely. I’d been feeling the need to release from my ego and wanted to harness the energy of the moon to support me. I like my rituals simple, so that’s what you’ll see below. However, it’s important when performing a ritual to pick and choose elements that resonate with you, because ritual is about connecting with your own inner wisdom and divinity. So listen to your intuition and do what feels right to you!
Here’s my simple release ritual:
Choose your location. You must choose a place that feels safe and comfortable. You can be inside or outside, it doesn’t really matter as long as you feel good in the location you’ve chosen to do your ritual. Many people like to be outside when doing a full moon ritual. I usually start inside and then move outside when it’s time to start burning things!
Prepare your space. There are several ways to go about this, but some of my favorites are:
- smudge the space using a sage smudge stick
- light a candle (or several!)
- burn incense
- spray a mixture of distilled water and essential oils (I like a blend of lavender and clary sage)
- clap your hands in the corners of the room (keep clapping until your claps are nice and sharp and don’t sound flat)
- call in white light to purify your energy and your space
The point of preparing your space is to cleanse the energy where you’ll be performing your ritual so that you can get the clearest transmission from your intuition and connect as purely as possible to Source.
I also like to bring some crystals into my space to support my heart, third eye, and crown chakras (keep it simple! I use rose quartz, amethyst, and clear quartz). Last night I also brought in a couple of special crystals to support my ability to see anything hidden that needed to be released (malachite) and to release it (green calcite).
Set your intention / ask for help. For my release rituals, my intentions are often requests for help because I know that I’ll need it! I like to turn my problems over to Source so that I’m not limited by my own mind. I usually use one of these phrases (or a variation of them, there’s no need to get the wording exact as long as you honestly communicate your own personal intention for the ritual):
“Please help me see the things in myself and in my life that are no longer serving me so that I may release them.”
“Please help me release anything that is preventing me from serving the highest good of all.”
I also often write this intention at the top of my page:
“I see clearly all the things I must release in order to be of service. These things are:”
Write down everything you want to release. Listen to your inner guidance when you make this list. Continue to hold the intention to be shown anything you need to release, whether you were previously aware of it or not. Don’t be too picky about everything on the list being a fully-formed thought or idea, or having it all be perfectly written out. Just write down everything that comes through without judgement or editing.
In my case last night, because I wanted to release my ego, I wrote down not only the limiting beliefs and fears that stem from my ego but also all the things my ego wants.
Set your intention again. This time focus your intention on releasing everything you wrote down. Again, I often ask for help with this step because tapping into the divine is so much more powerful than relying solely on my own mind. Here are some of my favorite ways to do this:
“Please help me release all of these things that are no longer serving me.”
“Please help me release that which is preventing me from serving the highest good.”
“I am ready to release that which is no longer serving me.”
“I joyfully and willingly release these things and any others that are holding me back from the fullest expression of my divine nature.”
“I release control, fear, and attachments.”
“I see what needs to go and I am ready to let it go.”
Hold space / invite the divine to assist you. When you release things that are no longer serving you, you create space in your life for things that do. It’s so important to hold this space and not rush to fill it up with ideas of all the things you want to manifest. Hold space to allow the universe to bring you what you need.
For this reason, even when performing a release ritual, I like to invite the universe to bring me whatever it is that I need. This invitation creates space for miracles to unfold. I also find that affirming my openness to receive whatever it is that the universe sees fit to bring me really helps bring me into deeper alignment with Source. If you, like me, feel a strong call to serve humanity, this is also a great time in your ritual to state your commitment to service. Here are some of the intentions I use:
“I am here to serve the highest good of all.”
“I release what no longer serves me and trust the universe to bring me what I need.”
“I turn my problems, concerns, and desires over to the universe so that my life may unfold in alignment with divine order.”
“I give and receive with open hands and an open heart.”
Burn your list. I like to burn my list of the things I want to release, but you don’t have to burn yours if that doesn’t resonate with you. You can rip it up, bury it, or crumple it up and throw it away. You don’t even have to destroy or get rid of it, but having tried that myself I can tell you that I find it significantly more powerful and effective to get rid of the list. You may think you’ll want to refer back to it, but why? You’re done with those things, let them go.
I often find the next morning that I have trouble remembering what was on the list I burned the night before, which helps me further cement my detachment from whatever was on the list. As someone who can tend towards a little too much self-examination and introspection, I find this very liberating!
Anchor your intention. I keep a small crystal or rock as a symbol of my both my willingness to release what no longer serves me and my willingness to align my life with divine order. After I burn my list, I infuse my crystal with this energy (by simply saying it is so) and leave it outside to charge under the full moon. If I’m doing this ritual when there isn’t a full moon I still leave the crystal outside to cleanse its energy and power it up. If you don’t have access to an outdoor area where you feel like you can safely leave your special rock or crystal overnight, put it on a windowsill or in the dirt of a potted plant.
I keep the crystal with me in my pocket and sleep with it near my bed. It’s a wonderful reminder of my faith in the universe to support me.
End your ritual. I like to end with a simple expression of gratitude for my experience in this lifetime and restate (yes, again!) my alignment with divine order. Something like this works well for me:
“I am grateful for this opportunity to serve. I let what wants to come, come and what wants to go, go.”
You may choose to end with a soak in an epsom salt bath (it’s helpful to visualize your energy being cleansed by the bath and everything you want to release going down the drain with the water at the end), or simply a few deep breaths.
That’s it! Nice and simple and a wonderful way to reconnect and reset.
Have you ever done a release ritual? Would you like to try it out? What would the essential elements in your ritual be?
Sending lots of love and light to you!
xoxox
