My words fly up
The title of this post, “My words fly up,” comes from Act 3, scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, where his step-father (who is also his murderous uncle) prays about his many sins. He concludes “My words fly up, my thoughts remain below; words without thought never to heaven go.”
What Claudius means is that if he is just mouthing the words, but not putting intention behind them, then heaven won’t forgive him (because he doesn’t truly mean it).
Yes, I am that much of a nerd that I love Hamlet.
The reason I thought to mention this at the start of this post about releasing negative thoughts or experiences through a burning ceremony is that you want to do it from a place where you (a) are truly ready to release whatever it is that you want to get rid of and (b) you have to mean it.
For example: if you want to release an old grudge by writing it down and burning it, then you have to be prepared to move on from it and not continue to nurture that grudge. Make sense?
How to conduct a burning ceremony to release negative thoughts
Burning ceremonies are used for various purposes.
You can write a wish on paper and burn it to release the wish to the Universe. (There’s even wish paper that flashes brightly and is entirely consumed as it burns.) You can write your goals and aspirations down and burn those, too, as a way of releasing them to the Universe.
And, of course, you can write down things that no longer serve you (or maybe never did), and set those on fire as a way of releasing them, which is what this post is all about.
You can write down things like:
a past relationship
a bad relationship
unhelpful thoughts (whether they are your own or originated with other people)
old hurts or grudges
self-criticism that you want to be free from
regrets
And then? You can set those on fire.
Here’s how to get create your own burning ceremony, which is a way of releasing intangible things that no longer serve you
If you don’t have a firepit or other safe place to burn something, use a shredder, or rip it into teeny tiny bits before disposing of your paper.
Center yourself before you start. You could do this by taking a few deep breaths or possibly meditating a bit. You want to release things from a more calm state of mind, not while you are in the middle of rage or sorrow or what-have-you.
Write down what it is you want to release. This could be an emotion or feeling state, a person, a situation, a habit . . . if it isn’t serving you and you want to let it go, write it down. This could mean writing down a single word or name, or writing out your complete thoughts or whatever story it is you want to release.
Take your written page(s) outside to a fire pit, or use an inside wood-burning fireplace, or use a burning bowl in a well-ventilated area. Basically, it needs to be fireproof and safe to set a fire in, because you don’t want to cause injury to yourself or others with the flame or smoke.
Light a fire, then add your paper OR light your paper on fire and put it into the burning area. If it feels right to you, say something like “I release you.”
Watch the paper burn, and visualize your unwanted thoughts, beliefs, emotions, etc., going up in smoke and being released from you. Smoke and fire have been used for millennia to purify things, so allow them to burn away whatever you are releasing.
Close with an affirmation if it feels right to you. You can try “I release what no longer serves me” or “I am blessed with peace” or “I feel free.”
Make sure the fire is safely extinguished, either by burning itself out or by dousing it.
Want some extra goodness? Here’s a link to get my free guided meditation to help you meet the future you and return to the present with some new knowing.
