The Sacred Hearth

We often find ourselves in relationships that cause us pain and sometimes these relationships are with people we are bound to, like it or not. Parents, children and siblings can cause us the worst pain and the fact is, we are stuck with them. We have to make it work, forgive and move on, regardless of their behavior. The most important thing to realize her is, of course, that we can't control their behavior. We can only control our own behavior and our perception of others. If the situation is a dangerous one, you must of course work to protect yourself first. Once this is done, the work of healing can begin. Realize that this rituali is not intended to fix the relationship itself. Instead it's intended to help heal the pain that the relationship has caused you in the past so that you not hindered by resentment when you begin the work of rebuilding the relationship.

You will need
Your favorite incense
A candle
Several pieces of paper
A pencil
pleasant looking stickers (smiley faces, flowers, butterflies)

Open your circlei or establish your sacred spacei in whatever way suits you. Light the candle and the incense.

Settle into a comfortable position. On one piece of paper draw an outline of a human body. (alternatively, you could use a candle in the shape of a human body) Now close your eyes and think about the person that you feel hurt by. Think about your relationship with him or her. Run it back all the way to the beginning and run through all of your interactions, as many as you can remember. When you get to one that is particularly hurtful, stop. Experience that episode all over again. Feel the emotions and when you are in the midst of them, draw your attention to your body. Your emotions affect how your body feels. Make a mark on your human outline where the pain of that incident affects you on your body. (If you are using a candle, you can stick a tack or a pin into that spot instead) Then settle back and continue experiencing your relationship. Move on to the next incident (don't feel you have to move in chronological order either) and repeat.

If you come to a particularly happy or pleasant incident, write it down on another piece of paper.

When you feel you have gone through all of your memories of that person, take a minute or even a whole day to relax. If this was a particularly taxing exercise for you, you may wish to rest and starti again the next day.

When you are ready, look at the pain marks on your human drawing. Close your eyes and imagine those marks on your body glowing red or whichever color your feel is appropriate. Imagine a great big snake coming up from the Earth, from the womb of the Mother to wrap around you. It's not harming you, it's just moving all over your body and when it gets to a pain spot, it's opening it's mouth wider and wider and slowly swallowing it. Feel the pain move out of that area as the serpant of the Mother swallows it! As each pain spot is swallowed, place a sticker over the mark on your human body drawing (or pull the needle out of your wax person). When all the pain has been swallowed by the serpant, watch it slide away, back into the womb of the Mother and slowly open your eyes.

Roll the paper up like a scroll and tie it with a ribbon (or tie the needles together with a ribbon and hang them around the neck of your wax figure) and bury it in the yard.