I recently felt the need to hold a release ceremony. I had visions
of burning things on my balcony and subsequently setting off
the fire alarm in the apartment. Or perhaps setting the whole
building on fire. One never can tell just in which way these things
will unfold.
I enlisted the support of three willing friends and it was agreed
that we would go out into the desert with the next full moon and
even camp out there for the night.
It turned out to be a truly liberating experience. Each of us had written
down the things which we wanted to let go of on a piece of paper.
We took turns throwing it into the fire and releasing whatever it was
we felt no longer served us in our lives, be it old relationships,
ideas or habits.
We then proceeded to crack open the Bailey's irish cream. Releasing is
thirsty work, you know.
The next morning, I had a a bit of a hangover, but overall there was a
feeling of lightness. The heavy feeling which had hounded me and sat
squarely on my heart for years, had finally gone up in smoke.
As one of my favourite Capetonian yoga teachers, Henry, used to say in
his inimitable way, 'let go yourself, let loose yourself'.
And in a weird way, I think I finally get what he was trying to tell us.
