I fully and freely release this ____________.
I loose it and let it go.
I let go and let God’s perfect good manifest in me and for me
through every phase of my life now.
I welcome change, and I claim my good! 

--Catherine Ponder

Candles are one of the simplest and most powerful spiritual tools. A candle contains all four of the elements—earth (solid wax), air (oxygen to feed the flame), water (melted wax) and of course, fire.

And a sacred flame, lit with purpose and intent and accompanied by prayer, is ritual at its magical best.

For this week’s Exprayeriment, make a list of what you want to release from your life. (You can go back to the list you made for Exprayeriment # 7 if you want.) Your list can contain any or all of the following:

                • something taking up physical space

                • a recurring thought or story you tell yourself

                • a fear that has been particularly real for you lately

                • a habit or pattern you’d like to change

                • a relationship, or a situation with another person

                • a decision you’re struggling with

Since the Exprayeriments are only a week long, we suggest choosing just one thing from your list to focus on. If you find this ritual to be particularly impactful, you might choose to continue it for a month or so, focusing on your entire list. Trust yourself.

Procure (isn’t that a great word? :-D ) either a black or a white candle. Both colors are considered cleansing or purifying colors, so you get to choose which one feels the most appropriate for you.

Get into a quiet, contemplative state, then light the candle and recite the prayer of release above, preferably out loud. Visualize whatever you are releasing being burned away in the flame of the candle as you repeat the prayer.

Do this simple ritual every day for 5 minutes, or longer if you desire. At the end of the week, burn the list and discard the candle. Then pop in the comment box and let us know what you experienced!