Burning, Cleaning, & Releasing for New Life
“Why are they burning the crops?” I asked our guide as we were driving through the Serengeti National Park. “They burn the crops to breathe new life into the earth. The ash creates minerals that provide the soil with rich nutrients to produce new crops in the next season.”
In the summer of 2016, I went the trip of a lifetime with my two travel buddies on a safari in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. We came during the dry season which was the perfect time to see wildlife from afar and up close. This was also the season in which they burned the crops to create new life.
Fires blaze to burn off the old to create new, sustainable life.
I’ve experienced the sacred, cleansing power of burning off the old during various Fire ceremonies I’ve attended while on retreat and in my travels. There is power in burning especially when you set intentions to release what no longer serves you.
As someone who is a Fire sign (Sagittarius), I am accustomed to burning off the old to create new—yet it’s not always with surrender. Fire signs have a passion for life which often changes shape and adapts to new forms. I can look back at moments in life and see where letting go/burning off/cleaning up has been necessary to breathe new experiences into my life.
If you ever wonder why the same lessons in life keep repeating themselves, it might be time to take stock of what’s not working, clean it up, and release it.
This theme of releasing the old and burning away what is no longer needed has been very present in my life lately. I’ve pulled the ‘Clean It Up’ card three times in the past 2 weeks from my Wisdom of the Oracle deck. Anytime you receive the same message over and over, it likely means you’re not listening or there’s more for you to discover. In my case, this message is beckoning me to clean up my side of the street in certain relationships, take time to go through my bills and finances, and declutter.
Cleaning (when done with intention) can be very meditative and cleansing.
The process of cleaning and burning off the old begins by taking stock of what is out of place, no longer needed, and ready to be released. Think of it as a Marie Kondo for your life. If you’re new to this or haven’t cleaned up your side of the street in a while, start with something that will be easy to knock off your list.
“Ever feel so bogged down with emotional gunk that you can’t think straight? Could you be surrounded by physical clutter in your home, also? Too much work? Overwhelmed? Time to clean house! Every item out of place natters away at you. Every unresolved resentment, every comparison to others that leads to a sense of lack, takes up energetic space. Every unpaid bill just adds up to an unnecessary feeling of being overwhelmed. Now is the time to free yourself by energetically cleaning house. Just do it! Make room for the miracles that are lining up for you.” - Clean It Up, Wisdom of the Oracle
I started my day today by setting my intentions for this new month. I then took those intentions and put them into action by setting my space up so that it’s in alignment. I wrote out my intentions on my white board and began the process of organizing my desk and cleaning my space. I then opened my computer and pulled up what I’ve been hiding from…my finances. I created a spreadsheet and went through and listed every bill I have due and the amount owed. I’m still in the midst of creating (what I’m calling) my financial makeover. I’m learning to see the beauty in everything including less attractive things like chaos and debt.
The more we avoid our version of clutter, the greater the pile will become, and the more stress it will cause.
I then moved on to relationships and conversations I’ve been avoiding—even down to something so simple as telling someone, “I’m not able to join their program at this time". We often hold resentments towards other people when we’re not owning our mess in the situation.
In 2017, I was getting really restless at my job. I created this whole story in my head that my boss wanted to fire me and that my coworkers were out to get me. I was left out of a project that everyone else was a part of; I was expecting a large raise and got less than I anticipated. I began building “evidence” and was sure they were going to let me go. It was also around that time that I went on my first meditation retreat and got clear that I was playing it safe in life and knew it was time to take a leap. After I returned from my retreat, I hit my 10-year anniversary. My coworkers picked out the perfect pair of Kate Spade Sunglasses. I remember my eyes filling with tears. While the gift was wonderful (and still are my favorite sunglasses I wear to this day), I was in awe of the love they had for me. This whole time I thought they were wanting me out.
It’s easier to build evidence against another than it is to own responsibility for what we did or didn’t do.
What was really at the core of the situation was my being unsettled. I knew it was time for me to move on. Rather than admitting that, I made my life and most likely my team’s life at work very difficult. I finally came clean to my boss and my team and apologized for being checked out and unfocused. I made a choice to take ownership for what I did and didn’t do rather than making everyone else wrong.
photo of being cleansed with burning sage, wildhearted mexico, my sweet melissa photography
Sometimes what natters at you is internal and begging to be released.
Every month during the Full Moon, I create a list of what is no longer serving me and release it. Depending on the brevity of what I’m releasing, the type ceremony I choose to create varies. Sometimes I meditate and say out loud what I’m releasing or no longer available for. While others times, I create a whole ceremony that involves writing out what I’m letting go of and burn it in a sacred fire. You can also burn sage or palo santo afterwards to cleanse your space. Whether or not you believe in the power of ceremonies, burning and cleaning create a symbolic way to release what no longer serves you.
Simple things like opening your mail, paying bills, sorting out your timetable, making lists, and getting organized; Taking inventory of what’s yours and what’s not yours to clean up in a relationship…rituals like these make room for miracles to show up.