On the Internet you can find a ton of articles and blogs discussing the importance of forgiveness. Forgiveness is for you not for them, they’ll say. And then you’ll learn the various ways it benefits to forgive. One of the things I’ve recognized for myself, is just how important Letting Go is as another part of the process in healing (in addition to forgiveness).

I’ve experienced being forgiving, but I haven’t always let go (particularly in my mind and what that means for being open to greater experiences and blessings and possibly reconciliation). I recently realized how I had been holding on to something that was no longer serving me. And it became very obvious just how much not letting go of it had impacted other areas of my life. I had to be honest with myself about what was going on, what I was thinking, what I was feeling, how it hindered me, and what I hoped to gain in letting go. And I also recognized that using a ritual could be a great aid in the process.

Rituals can:
Make the process of letting go easier
Symbolically communicate the end
Aid in exposing the true details of what you need to let go of
Create a shift in your mind
Bridge mind, body and spirit for healing

An assortment of ways to communicate letting go can be used, such as writing a letter, journal, pray, meditate, speak out loud, etc. The rituals themselves can consist of things such as, tearing up the letter/picture/other paper object, burning it, releasing it in the wind/water/trash/air, lighting a candle, playing music, using affirmations, etc. It really can be anything you choose from something simple to creating a ceremony.

For example, I created a three-step process for this particular instance. The first day, I wrote a letter. The second day, I prayed over it, and read it aloud to myself in a mirror as music played in the background. That night, I participated in a guided meditation on letting go of pain. The third day, I took the letter to a physical location that was significant for me, tore it up prayerfully, and slowly released it into the trash. I seriously walked away with a new sense of joy that felt amazing!

Everyone’s process is different. And many times we’ll have to let go again and again (even the same situation), but the benefits of using a ritual in the process truly becomes apparent. My rituals really did make my process of letting go easier, and I felt the shift!

Do you believe there are benefits to using rituals? Which ones do you use? We’d love to hear from you!