While it can be therapeutic to put something off, procrastination or ignoring a problem isn’t self-care; in fact, it’s the opposite.
Ignoring a problem just makes it more of a problem.
Self-care involves scheduling things so that they don’t reach problem status and includes being kind to your future self by not leaving you a mess to handle.
So often we carry around our guilt and let it fester within us.
This is not healthy!
Healing guilt can be very helpful in learning to prioritize self-care.
Use the following ritual to let go of some of your guilt and allow yourself to feel the burden of it lifting away from you.
Ritual to Healing Guilt
This is a burning ritual in which you burn the thing you are trying to banish or release.
This type of ritual can be very therapeutic when you are trying to process painful memories or work through heavy emotions.
You may have to do this ritual semiregularly if you tend to feel guilty about different things, or if your guilt about a specific thing pops up again and again.
Do it as often as you feel you need to.
This ritual calls for grounding, centering, and optionally casting a circle.
What You Need:
Trivet or hot pad
Fireproof or heatproof container
Frankincense incense and a censer
White candle and candleholder
Matches or lighter
Paper
Pen or pencil
What to Do:
1. Center and ground. Cast a circle if you feel you need one.
2. Place the trivet or hot pad and the heatproof container on top of it next to the incense and candle.
3. Light the frankincense incense. Light the candle.
4. Sit with your eyes closed and think about your sense of guilt.
What is it related to?
What triggers it?
Can you pinpoint what you feel guilty for?
There may be associated feelings, such as resentment, sadness, shame, or anger.
5. When you’re ready, write these things on the paper.
6. Fold the paper in half or quarters to fit the heatproof container.
Hold the paper and say:
I release this guilt to the universe.
I invite peace and serenity to take its place.
Open my heart to the positive energy of this lesson.
And support me as I learn to care for myself freely.
Thank you for your many blessings.
7. Touch the corner of the paper to the flame of the candle.
When the paper catches, place it in the heatproof container and allow it to burn to ash.
Allow the incense and candle to burn out.
8. Later, take the ash from the paper and either dispose of it under running water outdoors, or allow the wind to take it.
