12 Days of Christmas
Day 2: Gift of Letting Go
Check out the first gift to your success! I shared a few questions for you to ask yourself to help you arrive at a place of clarity and better perspective in the coming weeks. Once you have clarity and perspective, you can move forward with intention against your current situation and go after what you want.
Intentionality is a powerful tool. What you want is not left to fate or your crystal ball, but rather to your own ability to bring it about. It will be helpful to let go of what is not serving you, so you don’t carry unnecessary baggage around. Create circumstances in your life to achieve what you want. I truly hope this year has been filled with blessings and accomplishments for you. Whether it has been a year that you loved or you’re ready to say good-bye to, here is one way to set yourself up to create a year of getting more of what you want.
For a few years, I participated in my Unity Church’s “Burning Bowl” ceremony. A “Burning Bowl” ceremony is a way to let go of the things that did not serve you well in the current year. You have time for reflection and commitment of what you want for the coming year. The ceremony is conducted with two guided meditations:
1. Those in attendance are encouraged to write down everything they want to let go in their lives. Soothing music plays and participants are given time to reflect and write. When ready, people are invited outside to place their notes in a fireproof “burning bowl” to let go of the things they wrote down as they watch the paper burn.
2. Soothing music plays in the background and time is given for the audience to reflect and write. Those in attendance are encouraged to create a list of what they want to experience in the coming year. They are asked to commit to a date for accomplishing what was written. The created list is placed in a self-addressed envelope and kept in a safe place by the church. The lists are mailed later in the coming year on a day specified on the outside of the envelope.
I always choose my birthday. I find this ceremony an insightful and a practical way to close out the current year and move forward in the upcoming year. If you have a Unity church near you, check to see if they provide the “Burning Bowl” ceremony. If you don’t have a Unity church near you, with a few minor adjustments to the above description of the ceremony, you can have a similar ceremony at home. You can simply shred your “letting go” notes instead of burn them. Give your list of what you want to experience in the coming year to someone you trust. You can ask them to return the sealed envelope to you at the date you determine.
Over the years, I added a third step to the “Burning Bowl” ceremony and we will be discussing this step in Day 3! You may want to wait until you read tomorrow’s post, before you seal your envelope. May the gifts of joy, peace, and happiness be yours this holiday season.