Burning Letter Ritual

When there has been someone in your life (alive or passed) with whom you have had ongoing and conflicting, upsetting or negative feelings towards, it can be extremely difficult to ‘let go’ of the emotional wound created – be it, sadness, fear, anger or a mix of all.

For your own sake, healing this wound is important – it allows you to go on with your life again, and to no longer be effected by the feelings of the past. It prevents them from shaping or influencing your future choices, instead you have clarity and an unbiased place to make your choices from. For example if someone hurt you in the past. and you’re still effected by it, it will shape the way you deal with every situation that is reminiscent of the relationship you had with this person.

This is central to Shamanic teachings which emphasize the importance of releasing the old  – that which no longer serves us is old – in order to invite in the new. Letting go of the old negative energies, healing past emotional wounds, creates opportunity to invite in the positive and new. Enabling us to choose what we bring into our lives, rather than struggling to make choices, whilst impaired by the past.

A powerful method of healing these feelings is the Burning Letter Ritual:

Take all the time you need to write your letter for the Burning Letter Ritual. If it takes a few days or a few hours, don’t see this as ”too hard”, it’s important, and it allows you to see the many ways you’ve been effected by this person and the damage it has created within you. When you’ve finished your letter put it in a safe place. (do not post it, send it , email it – show it to no-one)

This letter is completely private, you must allow yourself time and perhaps permission to write down all that you have bottled up within. In your letter make sure you include everything that you feel about this person,  and your relationship with them. Write about why you feel the way you do. What their actions caused you to experience and how they made you feel about yourself. Write about the impact they have had on your life and what they have changed, hurt or fractured within you.

In this process you have to write the hard stuff down – the things that have caused you to feel shame or ashamed, stupid, scared, lost or judged. This process is one of letting go therefore it is really important that you do not suppress or repress anything – it has to be blurted out and captured in written word on paper this one time. Remember too – you are doing this for yourself, not for the other person, and you are worth the time and the energy it takes to complete this step of the healing ritual.

When you have finished, it is time to move on to the next step, which is the burning of the letter.

Burning Letter Ritual

  • Take a fireproof bowl, your letter, a lighter or match and go outside.
  • Read your letter out loud, read it as if you were talking directly to that person. Use your emotions, give voice and expression to everything you have written. Take time to feel your feelings, there is no rush, and the more energy and determination you give to this process the more powerful it becomes.
  • When complete, hold the letter in your hands and say out loud, I release this person and their energy from my life. I release them with gratitude and love for the universe who brings me healing.
  • Tear your letter into quarters, and place it in the fire proof bowl. Light it and let it burn. As you watch the flames, thank the element of fire which has burned your letter.
  • Scatter the ashes remaining in the bowl on the ground, and thank the element of earth and the element of air for accepting and sweeping away the remnants of your letter.
  • Return inside and wash out your fire proof bowl. As you do this thank the element of water for washing away the dust and burned fragments left in the bowl.
  • Now thank the universe, god, creator etc, and thank them for allowing you to release the negative energy into the universe, and to free yourself from its power. Ask the universe that this energy may be transformed to light and that it be a positive experience sharing healing powers with all – as we are all connected energetically, all healing work brings universal benefit.

The Letter Burning Ritual can be repeated as many time as you like about any person, situation or circumstance that causes you to experience negative feelings that you cannot on your own get clear of.