When you find yourself enmeshed in a web of limiting beliefs, past issues, and confusion, moving forward can seem like hell. But how do you find composure? Releasing the past so that the future can come forward, clean and clear is something we all want and need… At least once in our lives. Personally, I find these situations creep up on me. Before I know it, I am tangled up, and with no end in sight.
Finding composure usually begins with stillness. Knots of anxiety cannot tighten if you stop flailing around for dear life. Composure comes in these moments of intentional silence. Taking time will unwind your thoughts and mind chatter, which tend to breed anxiety and far. We need to relieve the mental pressure, so our hearts guide us to clarity!
When you find yourself wild-eyed and wrought with anxiety and tension, become still. Do this by walking in nature. Your soul will be nourished and your mind detoxified. You might engage in some breath-work, or use a guided meditation. Stillness pulls you form the past, where anxiety multiplies, and into the present where clarity can take root.
Another technique to combat anxiety is to notice your present space. When the world feels like it is spiraling out of control look for proof that everything is perfectly okay. See the walls, floor, windows, your cup of tea, whatever is around. It is perfectly fine. Nothing is cracking, crumbling and falling apart.
Go a step further by being in nature, and noticing your surroundings. See the trees, hear the sounds of wildlife, smell the smells. Touch something. A rock, a tree, the ground, a plant. Feel the constant, secure, ebb and flow of nature. Everything is composed in this moment, right now. Begin breathing deep, deliberate breaths. Soon your mind will untangle, you will move into the calm of nature. Though it may be fleeting, you will feel safe!
I like to add a few drops of lavender and peppermint essential oil together with some almond or olive oil. Rub the blend between your palms to warm, and inhale the bold scent. The aroma of these two botanicals soothe, uplift and stimulate positive thoughts. Inhale from your palms, or rub it over your body paying special attention to pulse points. Keep a blended bottle in your purse, on your desk or next to your bed for sudden anxiety.
Another technique I use is to question my thoughts when I am feeling off-kilter. Begin by noticing your thoughts. Write them down on a piece of paper, or speak them out-loud to a recorder. I like to do this in a mirror so I can see the truth in my eyes. Go deep and get to the heart of what is happening in your mind. Then simply ask yourself:
- Is this thought true?
- Do I have proof?
- What is the worse that can happen?
- What if it is all a lie?
- What if it is nothing more than fear?
- What can I do to actively change it right now?
- Can I name this thought, or find its source?
Do this whenever you are met with anxious feelings. One time could feel like a fall down the rabbit-hole. However, with time, pulling your thoughts out of your head, and questioning them will reveal the content of your mind, how it is really narrating your life, and how limiting it truly is. Far too often we spend our time telling ourselves very scary things that do nothing but disrupt our internal state, and throw everything into chaos. It doesn’t have to be that way… This will help you cultivate intentional living.
Clearing Ceremony For Overcoming Anxiety & Empowering Yourself
When I am feeling really bound up, and emotionally drained I like to clear away these energies with a special ceremony. Using the above questioning technique will help you pinpoint what the source of your pain might be. Take note of where your thoughts are going, or what seems to instigate them. For this ceremony knowing this will be your point of power.
You might find yourself tangled in a web of bad habits, responsibilities, past relationships or feelings of being stuck in your life. Try to find a word, phrase, name or sentence that clearly conveys whatever it is. There is power in naming something. We are not trying to mend things… We are cutting them away!
So, if you find yourself feeling completely depleted, lousy, and in trauma from a relationship, work to release it. This could be a romantic or platonic, past or present. Again, you might find yourself grappling with a bad habit, or a fear based thought. Clearly name it!
What You Need:
Gather together:
- a fresh lemon
- a small white candle
- a half cup of sea salt
- a glass bowl filled with spring water
- a permanent marker (red or black)
- a clean knife.
When you have your ingredients and your issue written on a piece of paper find a safe place where you can work. You will end up in the bathtub, so you might choose to begin there!
Begin by focusing on your breathing. Let yourself relax, unwind and become present. Use the above technique of noticing your surroundings. Seeing, hearing, smelling and feeling what is in your present space. Let your breathing take you deeper, feeling your muscles relax, especially the face, eyes, mouth, neck, shoulders and upper back. We hold so much tension there that becomes toxic.
You can run through the questions above to catapult your intention of clearing away these issues. If you want to go through this process, and then reframe your statement that is perfectly acceptable. And remember, you can do this again and again. When you have a clear statement, name, or way of describing your issue, write it on the lemon with your permanent marker.
Write it in big, bold letters across the surface of the lemon! You can speak it out-loud as you write it. Feel yourself imprinting those words across the skin of the lemon. Lemon is used in this ceremony because it has long been considered a cleansing agent in the physical and energetic sense. Connected to the Moon, it helps eliminate our deepest emotions that keep us from living our highest good.
Hold the lemon in your hand and begin rubbing it over your body, as you would a bar of soap. Begin with the head, working downward in sweeping motions from head to feet. You can make as many passes as you feel guided.
As you do this repeat this affirmation:
I untie the bonds.
I release the hold.
I sever the connection.
I clear the pain.
I give this resistance away.
Repeat this affirmative statement at least three times as you rub your body in downward sweeps. You are essentially sweeping your energy bodies where negative, gunked-up energies tangle your thoughts and feelings, and attach you to limiting experiences.
Now, hold the lemon between your palms at heart center. Repeating the affirmation three more times. Gently squeeze the lemon, rolling it back and forth to soften the core. Let the clear aroma of the lemon fill and lift your senses.
Set the lemon aside, and begin mixing spring water and sea salt together. Feel, sense and imagine the bowl filling with golden light. Let the mixture pulse and radiate. This is vital, rejuvenating universal energy.
Carefully take your knife and cut the lemon in half. Again, repeating the affirmation above. Let the juice drip into the water. Squeeze the two halves with your hands draining as much juice into the bowl as you can. Let the scent invigorate you. Drop the lemon halves into the bowl.
Take your white candle and wash it with the lemon-salt water. Allow the candle to dry. You can shake it or gentle towel dry it to speed up the process. Hold it between both palms, and at heart center.
Repeat this affirmation:
This is the light of new beginning.
I am free and clear of limitations.
I unbind my constraints.
I move forward with grace.
Light the candle.
As the candle burns run a warm bath, soothing to the touch. Mix in the bowl of lemon-salt water as the faucet runs. Use your hand to disperse the contents so the salt dissolves, and the herbs are infused.
As you do repeat:
I am free… I am free… I AM FREE…
Slip into the tub, and soak for awhile. Let your tension fade, your mind release, and the energetic bonds untie. The mixture will draw out energetic toxins, and dissolve what is left of the pain. Be here as long as you need. Do not worry about washing yourself with soap, or body products. Let the lemon scent, salt and water work on you. Safely dip your head into the water. Take special care not to get lemon or salt in your eyes!
As you soak feel yourself being free. Repeat your affirmation again. Or speak from the heart. Your spirit knows what’s needed. Fill up with benevolent, glowing energy. Your spiritual light will grow and expand. You are calling back your power and potential with affirmative gestures!
Allow the candle to burn down completely. Take the lemon remains outside and dispose of them off of your property in the trash, or near a tree’s base. Let the ghosts of your past issues, heart-ace and pain remain there, in the past… In the trash. You’re free!
I find this ceremony cathartic, liberating and completely empowering. When we talk about working with intention, we need actions to set them into motion. This clearing ceremony helps you acknowledge, name and consciously give away whatever is holding you back. You can only move forward in this way, if you are brave, and ready for change. You are magic, and the Universe helps those who wish to help themselves.
Afterward, you will feel lighter, brighter and more alive. You may need time alone for introspection. You have done some deeply healing work. Be gentle, compassionate and aware of those needs. Sleep, rest, sing, walk. Remember, you can return here as often as you like. If you are dealing with an especially difficult situation repeating this for three consecutive days is advisable. Or longer. Trust your inner wisdom. Do other supportive work alongside of this to help bring balance, composure and clarity. Self-care is a lifelong commitment.
