Self Love Ritual By: C. Ara Campbell, The Goddess Circle
The Goddess spoke softly to me: "My child, my deepest wish for you is for you to honor yourself as you honor me. Give yourself a deep bow of reverence. Decorate the sacred altar of yourself with love, respect and praise. Dance and sing in honor of all that you are. Place flower petals where you walk and anoint your brow as divine. Celebrate all the brilliance of your unique being and shower yourself with the open arms of self-love. You deserve your love more than anyone else. We are one in the same, my child. Love yourself as you would love me. ~C. Ara Campbell
**NOTE** As with all practices and sacred workings, go with the supplies that resonate with YOU. This is your ritual, make it how you wish. You are invited to use the timing, crystals, colors and associations that you are guided to if the ones that are provided don t vibe with you. Be open how this wants to show itself to you. A practice of self love is to honor the intuition and desires that are rising for you and to hear them. Supplies : - Rose quartz, Rhodochrosite, Rhodonite, pink Calcite (self love) - Citrine, larimar, carnelian (for increasing esteem and self worth) - Whichever stones resonate with you - Candle (green, pink, white or whatever resonates with you) - Flowers to adorn alter or yourself - Statues, nature items to add to altar space - Scents that resonate with you - Words of self love dedication: This is like a love letter or wedding vows to yourself, however you feel comfortable and are called to pen them (see below in the ritual for an example) - Small bowl or glass of water - Bowl with small amount of dirt - Bell, feather or representation of flight/air - Token, a ring or a talisman
Set up: Take some time to set up your sacred space in a way that you feel comfortable. Arrange the candle in the center of your chosen crystals or items, and you can further enhance the energy of the crystals by making a grid pattern if you wish. You can prepare further for your ritual by having a bath with herbs, oils or salts to cleanse and clear any unwanted energy and to calm you. You can do a cleansing of the space you are going to do the ritual with sacred smoke or sprays to rid of unwanted energy. Take some time prior to the practice to ground, center and bring presence back to your body. This can be done simply by taking some calming breaths while sitting outside in nature or holding a grounding crystal. You can also visualize yourself being rooted strongly to the Earth in a meditation. You can also take a few moments to release anything that you feel is sort of stuck in your energy right now. You can symbolically do this by writing down what you want to be released from and placing it in the flames of a sacred fire if you are having one or by mentally cutting the ties to what is weighing you down. You can also set intentions during this potent time of growth. Set things you wish to bring into your life such as abundance, happiness, joy or deeper intuition. When you are finished your ritual, celebrate! Dance, sing, drum, do divination, have a sacred fire or continue to do workings at your altar sacred space. You can celebrate alone or you can invite friends to join you. There is no one way to celebrate so go with what you feel called to.
Practice: Light the candle or candles on the altar: As I ignite this fire, I ignite within me the spark of love for myself and for my whole being. May the flames of self love burn ever brighter with each passing day keeping me warm, setting fire to my creative flame and fueling my desires. Place a hand on the dirt: Gaia, as I connect to your soil, I connect to my own roots digging them deep in my truth and into self love. As I walk upon your Earth, may I be grounded in a place of knowing my worthiness, my dreams, my desires and the depths of my own body. Take a sip of the water: As I drink deep the waters of the world, I drink deep of my own wisdom, intuition and guidance. May I trust the whispers of my inner knowing and read carefully all that is written on the walls of my heart. Pick up the feather or ring the bell (or your representation of Air): May the love I hold for myself take flight, soaring ever higher in the skies. May I be open to my dreams, my goals and the gifts that I bring into this world. As I will it, so it is. Self Marriage or Dedication: Read aloud to yourself the words of dedication and love that you have written for yourself. Feel free to add anything additional to your vows. Here is an example of what can be said: I (name) promise to love myself with every fibre of my being. To be here to listen with an open ear when my intuition has words of wisdom for me, to honor and care for this temple and to walk the path of my deepest truth. I pledge to be the heroine/hero of this journey of mine, follow the call of my desires, ask myself for what I need, and honor what it is that I want to do. I promise to take myself on dates, to the park and on drives in the country. I pledge to embody this Earthly form and take up space, speak my truth and never put myself on the shelf again. I, (name) dedicate myself to me from this day until the end of my days. In deepest dedication to myself and my heart, as I will it, so it is, blessed be.
You can give yourself a token, a ring or talisman to seal your pledge to yourself. Feast and celebrate! You can celebrate with sacred fire, friends, or continuing in solitary practice. You can take the dirt, water and any flower petals you wish to release back to the Earth outside in offering. Self Love Affirmations: You can continue to tap into your self love on a daily basis with affirmations. - I love and accept myself unconditionally - I radiate self love - I fully respect myself - I am worthy of unconditional love from myself - I love myself every day a little more - I acknowledge my gifts and the medicine that I bring into this world - I am worthy of my needs, desires, and goals Feel free to adapt and add some affirmations that you create that resonate with you. Much love and deepest bow as you dedicate yourself to you. Ara Join us as we gather in sacred circle for the Inner Priestess Awakening 2016 Program with Ara of The Goddess Circle: thegoddesscircle.net/program-inner-priestess-awakening/ The Goddess Circle 2016 www.thegoddesscircle.net info@thegoddesscircle.net