Celebrating a Death

Releasing Ceremonies

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Here are suggestions for two ceremonies to honour death in all its guises. Read through and if one resonates with you, I offer it to you as a soul seed to aid your grieving and restore fresh life within you.

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First Releasing Ceremony

The first Releasing Ceremony offered here asks for a container in the form of a bio-degradable bag or cloth which can be tied to create a bag. In effect you have a shroud within which you may add small symbolic tokens which represent aspects of your life's experiences now gone, or to represent a loved one now departed. 

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Before starting, before creating a space within which to create your representational shroud, take time to collect bio-degradable objects, also paper and pencil to write and draw with. Whatever you are drawn to and that will decompose, that will feed Mother Earth and her micro creatures is suitable. 

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You may have your own practice or guidance to create a safe space to work ceremonially with here. If not, I suggest you create a real or imaginary area in which to stand or sit. See yourself within a circle or a hexagon. See yourself rooted with Mother Earth in the centre of this space. See the boundary clearly defined and imagine it extending into earth to its core and returning with strength of protection back to you and your boundary. See the boundary extend skywards, as it does so, see all negative influences that may be affecting you be drawn up to be transmuted by phoenix energy of spirit. Draw back unconditional love of source-spirit. As it reaches the boundary shape around you it melds with the protective strength of core earth energy. These two together form a bubble shield of protection around you.

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Settle. Breathe gently. Notice the rise and fall of your breath and body as air is released and drawn in. Breath that sustains you.

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Within your safe space breathe into your heart, allowing its intuitive intelligence to meet with whatever or whoever is in your awareness for release through this ceremony.

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Let your heart breath fill you and reach into the fabric of your loss and grieving. Be gentle with yourself here. There is no rush with this ceremony.  Whatever you choose to do here, however you find your comfort, can be revisited for as long as you need as many times as you need. It is here as a suggestion, an aid for your process and honouring.

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When you are ready you may wish to write heart felt words of love and thanks to whoever or whatever you are honouring and preparing for release. Add these to your shroud bag along with any representational objects, herbs, flowers - whatever feels 'right' for you. When you have sufficient for this ceremony close the shroud bag both with a string or cloth tie and seal it with your love.

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Ideally you will be able to release this bag through a burial in the ground. As you would with any burial this asks you to be grave digger, celebrant and bereaved. Travelling through this process and these roles is part of the healing.  A further option is to bury the shroud bag in a suitably sized pot of soil. You may plant a herb or other suitably sized  plant with your shroud bag in the pot. Maybe sow seeds and watch them sprout new life.

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Second Releasing Ceremony

The second Releasing Ceremony works with the elements of Air through your speech and breath, Water through your thoughts and emotions, Earth as the receiver of that which you release, Fire as the transmutation agent, and Spirit as source of all life. This ceremony can take place standing, sitting or lying down. Whatever your circumstances permit and are appropriate for you. Likewise this ceremony can take place as easily in your vision, your mind's eye, as it can in a physical reality. 

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This ceremony asks for two containers. One is physical, such as a glass tumbler or ceramic bowl, the other is a non-physical container you will create to work in. You will also need water to fill your bowl and a quiet place, free from interruption and distraction where you can sit, lie or stand.

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You may have your own practice or guidance to create a safe space to work ceremonially with here. If not, I suggest you create a real or imaginary area in which to stand or sit. See yourself within a circle or a hexagon. See yourself rooted with Mother Earth in the centre of this space. See the boundary clearly defined and imagine it extending into earth to its core and returning with strength of protection back to your boundary. See the boundary extend skywards, as it does so, see all negative influences that may be affecting you be drawn up to be transmuted by source-fire of phoenix energy of spirit. Draw back unconditional love of source-spirit. As it reaches the boundary shape around you it melds with the protective strength of core earth energy. These two together form a bubble shield of protection around you.

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Settle. Breathe gently. Notice the rise and fall of your breath and body as air is released and drawn in. Breath that sustains you.

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Let you mind become aware of a thought, emotion, idea, concern, life experience or loved one whose time is now ended. 

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Just acknowledge what ever comes to mind and let it be. This is a ceremony practice that can be repeated as many times as you feel need to.

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Remember, you are surrounded by positive energy that is assisting your well-being.​​