Friday, July 12, 2013

Spiritual Ritual Of All Kinds, Part 3

Good morning, everybody!  Are you all glad it is Friday?  I hope everyone is looking forward to a relaxing weekend and maybe even some sunshine.
  Today I am posting about  the "Bidding Farewell Times", as I call them.
These are times in our lives when we must say good-bye to people, places, and situations that we love.  The farewell times can be the most difficult times in our lives.  We must move on in some way, and sometimes this is not our choice.  Fate, destiny, and sometimes just plain bad luck can play a role in the farewell times.  Sometimes we are thrust into the farewell times without any warning. A sudden death in the family, or the unexpected loss of a job are examples of this.  We must now let go of something or someone we have cherished in our lives.  Emotions involving the farewell times can range from simple sadness and a sense of resignation to deep and abiding grief.  We must all deal with some kind of farewell time over the course of our lives.  This is part of being human and part of life.
  There are many times we may choose to say farewell for our own good.  We may be involved in a unhappy and painful relationship that is only getting worse.  We may choose to leave a home that we care about for a better job in a different location.  There are many reasons we can choose to move on from something or someone that we have previously held in high esteem.  That we may choose this leave taking does not make it any less difficult.  In fact, it may be worse.  We can have deep doubts and questions about our decision.  Have we made the right choice for ourselves and all concerned?  Are we leaving behind something that we will regret later?  Most of all we may ask ourselves if we are making a major mistake in our life. 
  It may seem that farewell times are the last thing you would want to celebrate.  That may be true in some cases, but farewell times can involve celebrations.  As an example,  think of an Irish wake after a funeral.  Yes, there is great sadness following a death, but the wake celebrates the life of the person who is gone.  There is drinking, feasting, and much laughter.  The tears and sadness are there, but a wake can be a true celebration. 
  Divorce parties have become fashionable in some locations these days.  Divorce certainly is difficult, and often sad.  A newly divorced person however, may choose to celebrate their freedom and throw a party.  Yes, there may be bitterness and sadness involved, but this type of party celebrates moving on and leaving the old life behind.  The new life is embraced, even if it was not chosen, but rather thrust upon the person.
  There can be many rituals that would be appropriate for farewell times.  In this case, a ritual would be acknowledging the loss and the need to move on.
You would be telling the universe and all concerned that you accept this loss, sad though it is.  This type of ritual should only be done when you are ready, when you can accept it is time to move on.  Depending on the loss involved, it could be months or even years before you can accept that it is time to say farewell. Grief has no limit, no time involved.  It is only when you can truly turn your face towards the new life that you are ready for a ritual.
  When you are ready for your  ritual, go to a  quiet and soothing place where you will not be disturbed.  You may choose to do your ritual alone, or in the company of loved ones. This ritual does not have to be at your home, it could be in a serene forest or by a lake.  Whatever seems calming and peaceful to you.  Have with you a photo or object that represents your loss, or loved one.  A picture of someone who has passed on,  or an object from your home if you are moving away.  These are the kinds of things you might choose. Hold the object and take some time to think about your life or experiences with whatever you are leaving behind.  You may cry, you may laugh, whatever you feel is fine.  Now draw a small line on the ground with a stick, or if necessary just draw an imaginary line.  You can simply envision a line, glowing and quiet clear.  This line represents your old life and what you are leaving behind on one side.  On the other side of the line is your new life.  When you are ready, take a deep breath and step across the line.  You are now ready to embrace your new life.  Take a few minutes and envision what your new life will be like. You may not know yet, perhaps the new life is still taking form. If that is the case, please envision what you would like the new life to hold.  Say a brief prayer of thanks to your higher power, your God/Goddess.  Now you are ready to move on.
  Even though you may do a ritual of farewell, this does not mean you have to leave your memories behind.  Cherish your good memories and let the bad ones go.  You are in the new life now and there will be new memories as well.  Until next time, blessings from Psykiksister.

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