This ritual does involve fire, so safety precautions are recommended. Once you’ve meditated and set your intentions, you’ll want to send them off to the universe. One of the best ways to do this is to write them out on small sheets of paper and set them on fire.

“When we burn something, we change the chemical composition of it. It becomes ash — it goes away — the essence of it is done,” Rawls said. “It is being released into the ether, the energy has gone back to the universe to be repurposed some other way. When we burn, we literally release the energy from our aura, from our being — we are saying we don’t want this and we release it back to the universe. We are not condemning anything, we just don’t need it. It’s OK to let go of things you don’t need.”

To do this you will need a fire-safe bowl, candle, lighter, pen and paper. You can also do this around a campfire or in your fireplace if you are concerned about burning in a bowl.

“Find you a fire-safe place — don’t be burning in your bed,” Rawls said. “Get a fireproof bowl and put some water in it halfway, that way you have a way to not get yourself burned up. Then, have another receptacle like a porcelain plate. Take your piece of paper and write down something that you want to release, something that you want to come true. You can also burn positive affirmations to release to the universe to come back to you.”

Burn statements can be as simple as writing, “I release everything that doesn’t serve me,” or as complex as listing out the actual things. Affirmations can be, “I am free from worry,” “I am powerful” or “I choose ease and pleasure in my life,” Rawls said.

If you’re worried about burning, you can also light a candle or an incense stick and watch the smoke flow through the air while you verbally state your intentions. Another nonburning method is to write your intentions on sheets of paper and either bury them or tear them up afterward.

“When I use incense, I am watching that smoke go up into the ether. It’s actually a better way for me to see that my intentions have gone off. It needs to be a physical act of release — destroy it in some way.”

Black Women Reiki

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