A Blessing Ceremony to Release What Weighs Us Down and Call In Feminine Power

This was a blessing ceremony I guided my Reiki 3 students through earlier this year. On beautiful handmade paper embedded with flowers and seeds, we wrote down what we want to release and let go of. We placed those intentions in an old handmade metal singing bowl from Tibet and lit them on fire, giving them to the sacred powers that fire holds for transmutation and transformation.

Then we wrote down what we were calling in and placed those intentions in a beautiful communal handwoven basket. They sat together for the remainder of the class experience and then I brought them home with me. I had a clear knowing they needed to be wrapped in an old Japanese furoshiki cloth I have (wrapping cloth) that was dyed with indigo and hand stitched many years ago. I gently placed each blessing inside the cloth and wrapped them up together, then burned cedar and sage around it and placed a candle on top.

Then I knew I needed to take the burnt embers of the papers with our released burdens into the woods behind my house so I walked outside with the metal singing bowl, picked up a branch of pine off the ground and placed it on top of the burnt paper. I found a spot that called to me under a fallen tree and released them to the earth to complete the transmutation process for all of us. It was profound and peaceful.

The blessing bundle sat on my art table for two months and then today, I felt a sudden, clear knowing that it was time to unwrap them.

As I did, I read each one again, feeling the presence of these powerful, amazing women and was guided to listen to the song, “Rise Up” by Andra Day. These lines resonated deeply in my heart…

And we’ll rise up…rise like the day…we’'ll rise up, in spite of the ache…we will rise, a thousand times again…

Then I was guided to carefully put each blessing into my journal, stitching some of them down with a naturally dyed linen thread. I heard a whisper to listen to the song, “Rose” by Ayla Shafer with these lyrics jumping into my heart as the tears flowed from my eyes…

Softening, softening, softening all the hardness

Melting, melting, melting all that’s frozen

Letting go, letting go of the sorrow

Dissolving into love all the shadow

We are woman, we are bringers of life

We are vessels of love, we are expressions of the divine

Sisters hold my hand

You are stronger than you know

We are opening to love

We are learning how to grow

We hear the call

We are returning, we remember

We are like the rose, we are stronger than we know

Medicine woman, daughter, mother and love

Reclaiming the power of our sacred memory

We are woman, we are bringers of life

We are vessels of love, we are expressions of the divine

Sisters holding hands, in this circle we are held

Sisters holdings hands, in this circle we are strong

Sisters holding hands, in this circle we remember

Sisters holding hands, in this circle we belong

We are like the rose

We are stronger than we know

This whole experience was deep, empowering and transformative. I hope you enjoy looking at some of the photos from this profound experience below.