Concluding the 40-day Intention Setting Process: Ceremony at Stanton Drew Stone Circle

On Winter Solstice, the 22nd December, I travelled to Stanton Drew stone circle with my partner Nandana to honour and release the intentions we had all been working with together. In my hands, I carried the papers containing all your photos and intentions which have journeyed with me and been held in sacred healing space these past 41 days. Through these papers, I have been offering you healing and prayers throughout our time together, including sending healing every night before bed, when I often fell asleep with your pictures held to my heart. It’s been an extraordinary privilege to work with you all, and I wanted to complete our journey in a symbolic and powerful way.

When we arrived at Stanton Drew, we stood outside the Great Circle and called on all the guides, teachers, and wise ones to be with us. We prayed for each of us to receive the support and guidance that we need. We asked for help and inspiration in our journey of manifestation.

What came through very strongly at the completion of this part of the process was the awareness that the predominant element that holds us back from fulfilling on all of our intentions is our negative beliefs about ourselves, others, and the world we live in. The feeling was that actually, our negative thoughts about the world and others are rooted in our negative beliefs about ourselves and especially in our belief that we are separate. We declared that as we stepped into the circle, each one of us would be set free from these negative beliefs, and especially from the pain of self-negativity.

We entered the great circle, walking slowly inwards, and stopped when we felt the energy of the centre. Lighting incense, we offered it to the earth. Several times we tried to set light to the papers there, but due to the cold wind, we could not get them to catch fire.

After a few minutes we realized that the stones were calling us over to use them as a shield from the wind. We walked towards the North East Circle, a smaller circle almost adjacent to the Great Circle, and stopped beside a large low stone placed between the two circles. As we approached this stone, we were reminded of the purposefulness we had felt at Avebury a couple of months ago and at Stanton Drew the first time we visited; the stones have a divine purpose to support the awakening of humanity. They want to work with us. They have been created and empowered intentionally to serve this purpose, and we perceive that they feel deep loss when they are not used in this way. (This is particularly evident to us at Stonehenge, where due to a protective fence, the stones can no longer interact with humans on a daily basis.)

We crouched together next to the large low stone between the two circles, creating a windbreak. We felt held by the stone’s embrace as we lit the papers; they caught fire immediately! Calmness settled over us as the stone emanated love, stillness and unity. It was like a magnanimous father transmitting acceptance and unconditional love to all his children who are limited by their perception of themselves as imperfect, separate beings. We were briefly carried into a state of Oneness with all of creation.

Working with the stones in this way connected us with the Divine Power that is always waiting to fulfil on our intentions, and bring us Home. This experience was an intimate, sacred interaction; a small opportunity to fulfil on the divine intention of these magnificent stones. We felt their power and generosity transmitted to all of your intentions as they were set free to return to the Light. As winter passes and the light returns, know that your prayers have been heard, your efforts recognised and your hearts seen. You are held in Love.

Blessed Be.

Set yourself free to thrive!

As we enter December, we become profoundly aware of the drawing in of the nights, the approach of the Winter Solstice and the end of the year. All of these signify completion; the ending of one cycle and the beginning of the next. It’s the perfect opportunity to take time to evaluate the year that has gone before in order to set ourselves free to welcome the New Year with a fresh perspective. What steps would we each need to take in order to have closure on 2011, so that we could move joyfully into 2012, with love and clarity?

Getting truly complete requires radical acceptance. It is easy to look back on the past and judge ourselves or another, forgetting that the wisdom that we have now we didn’t have then. Remember, as human beings we always do the best we can in any given situation. It’s the mind that comes in afterwards and condemns or judges. The heart knows acceptance, peace and letting go. The heart has no memory, it is only present, available to the moment. Getting the past complete is an opportunity to open the heart and accept life exactly as it is.

There’s a lot of rhetoric about looking to the future and manifesting our dreams. However the unprocessed past, which we have left unfinished in our hearts and minds, holds us back from really being able to move forward in creating all that we are inspired to create.

For most people, forgiveness is a crucial aspect of completing the past. I have written about forgiveness before, and about how important it is to have the correct attitude of love, compassion and acceptance when invoking the energy of forgiveness. We carry the past with us because we think it tells us important information about the world. We cling to the past in a vain attempt to keep ourselves safe in the future. Forgiveness is simply letting go of the need to hold on to the old perspective. It is the willingness to approach each new situation afresh, trusting our inner wisdom and listening to our hearts.

So what practical steps can we take to get closure on the past so that we can be free to create an inspired life that really speaks to us of the fullness of our hearts? The answer to this question will be different for each person. What I have done in this article is put together a few resources that are designed to support you in this process. Imagine if this Winter Solstice could be THE opportunity for finally declaring the past complete!

If reading this article inspires you to deal with a specific aspect of your life, I invite you to get in touch to book a session either in person or by skype/telephone. One of the things we focus on in individual healing sessions is releasing the past, allowing us to fully engage all our energies in creating lives that really inspire us. You can also work with the resources I have offered you below, including the Garden Meditation which I have recorded to support the release of old contractions and the creation of new intentions. Give yourself the gift of completion this Christmas! There’s no better time to do it, with 2012 just around the corner.

Resources

1) I have recorded a guided meditation to support you with this process, it’s available at Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/charusila The script is also available below, for those who would prefer to read it for themselves.

2) A ‘ritual of release’ is a powerful way to invoke the energy of closure. To do it, it’s best to choose a night when the moon is full or almost full. Gather a few friends, or do it alone if you feel safer. Take a bowl of water in which the moon can be reflected. Create sacred space by chanting Om three times, or whatever other invocation speaks to you. Invite everyone present to take a moment to invoke the energy that they are releasing at this time. One by one, approach the bowl of water and offer everything that you are letting go of into the water. Immerse your fingers in the water and focus on the reflection of the moonlight as you make your offering. You may choose to speak out loud, or you may simply speak in your heart. Do whatever feels natural. When each person has taken their turn, offer prayers of gratitude before picking up the bowl of water and carrying it to the sea/lake/river/pond – whatever body of water you have available to you – even the bath tub would do! Hold the bowl aloft and pour the water carrying all that you are letting go of into the bigger body of water, signifying the Earth’s capacity to receive and transmute it all. Spend a few moments in quiet contemplation.

3) Another way to create closure is to write letters to Spirit about the people/situations that you are incomplete with and burn them, setting the past and the people involved free in the fire. Be sure not to project the emotional energy that gets stirred up on to any of the other people involved. This activity is not about retelling your story, but rather about expressing it completely so that you can see through it and let it go!