Burning items with intention will transmute energy connected to them. To live more intentionally, increase your awareness of how things impact your life energetically. This process is done more easily by clearly identifying your main life objectives. You will likely come up with goals in health, career, relationships, family, and abundance. Knowing how you’d like to grow moving forward is key to assessing which items energetically support or hinder that growth.
What to Burn? Intentionally Transmute Energy of Items That Block Your Growth.
Begin by making a list of your general desires, goals, and intentions. Gently reflect on how you feel about the items on your list. Take it one at a time, don’t overthink, but instead tune into how your body feels (especially just above your navel) when you rest your consciousness on the intention.
Do you…
Feel relaxed, optimistic, tense, anxious, or unsure?
Quickly go from feeling to thinking and fall into old storylines? Or are old patterns of thinking or limiting beliefs coming to the surface?
If an intention leaves you feeling inner discord or ‘stuckness,’ or if intrusive thoughts prevent you from sensing yourself, then this is likely an area to transmute energy. For example, if you intend to be promoted at a job, but every time you entertain this intention, you’re brought to old resentments and negative expectations about being overlooked. When this happens, this tells you there are energies within yourself and your physical space that need healing and transmuting so they no longer block your growth.
Inner work is a journey of a lifetime. Energetic alignment is a huge part of this process. When thinking about choosing items to burn, consider the following:
What items (letters, journals, educational materials, artwork, etc.) hold energies that counter your highest life objectives? Think about how the things make you feel instead of any expectation you set upon yourself for keeping them. You’ll often discover that you’re holding onto items without considering why you’re keeping them, their actual utility, or your feelings about an item.
Examples of Energy Blocking Items.
- Negative correspondence. Letters, cards, or notes. Any type of negative, non-supportive written correspondence is ideal for burning. Intentionally burning these items can clear harmful attachments to past conflicts between yourself and another person or entity.
- Abundance blocking communications. These days, very few written financial documents need to be kept. Old late, overdue, collection, bankruptcy, eviction notices, BURN. There are suggestions for the length of time to keep tax documents, but most financial records can be accessed online. Current financial documents can be kept in a small folder. Never surround yourself with written representations of lack.
- Pictures, artwork, or photographs that do not elicit good feelings will block your energy. Even tucked away, these sometimes highly negatively charged belongings create energetic heaviness. The older the item, the longer it has had to be imprinted with counter vibrations. Rituals to transmute energy associated with depictions are often catalysts for becoming more energetically aligned with your higher intentions.
- Educational or work-related materials counter to your values, beliefs, or direction. Anything work-related that feels bogus or boring will not support your purpose and career aspirations. Burning these items will open space for you to acquire materials that align with what resonates with you and how you aspire to be.
- Medical information, psycho-education, pharmaceutical-focused materials that pathologize and align you with illness energy are not conducive to your wellness. You can read more about this topic here: Mind Body Wellness: Beware of Illness Energy.
Why Burning With Intention Will Transmute Energy.
You may be thinking, “Why don’t I just throw this stuff out?”. This process is part of increasing your awareness and helps you take energetic authority over the co-creative responsibilities in your life. My clients have burned with the intention for resolve and release; journals of writings about past abuse, bankruptcy and foreclosure documents, work presentations, clinical notes, and study materials from training or areas of study that were no longer relevant to their life paths and photos of abusive family members or others they felt harmed by. Personally, I have burned most of the mentioned, plus much more specifically intended for forgiveness and release.
These are some examples to get you thinking about what items you may include in a burning ritual. Through this process, your attention will expand your focus so that you may begin to see other ways your physical environment may be altered to create an intentional living space that supports your highest life objectives.
Not everything will be included in the burn pile! Re-homing larger items, trashing and recycling clutter will also provide great energetic resetting. These items may be energetically blocking but not necessarily emotionally charged. More on that here: 10 Tips to Declutter For An Energetic Fix!
A Few Ideas and Tips For A Burning Ritual
Now, don’t get squirrely about this. This practice should be whatever you are personally comfortable with. It is not reserved for people of any particular spiritual alignment, background, ethnicity, or other distinguishing factors. We are ALL part of the collective energy, and we are each responsible for our energetic imprint and self mastery.
Burning Ritual Preparations:
- Decide where you are going to burn? Not everyone is fortunate to have a fire pit in a private location. A hibachi, chiminea, or a budget metal trash can are all options, all things considered. If you don’t have an outdoor private space, scope out your local parks and beaches that have small grilling areas that may be used for this purpose.
- Intentionally collect a bag full of items for burning. If they fall into particular categories, you may want to sort the items and write down what you intend to release.
- Prepare burning materials; kindling, newspapers, branches. Tap into your innate fire-making skills. Make sure you have enough to keep a small fire going. Ideally, meditatively spend time outdoors grounding and connecting to your higher self before making your fire. Be patient! You want to have some coals before you begin so your time for this practice is not interrupted.
- Lastly, be smart about it. Don’t overdue and ignite any primal pyromania tendencies. You don’t want to set the world on fire, literally. If amenable, have a hose or gallon of water nearby. Don’t burn shit that shouldn’t be burned!! You may want to toss in your wedding dress… it’s a bad idea. If there are items you wish to clear without burning, there will be another blog about how to energetically clear items.
Create a Short Narrative, Format or Prayer
This is very personal. Remember that this is about you mastering your energy and not imposing your will on other people or manipulating situations for personal gain or meeting ego-based needs. An excellent phrase to include throughout this narrative is ” For the best and highest good.” The purer your intentions, the more effective they’ll be to transmute energy!
My own simplified format is similar to the following:
I release any and all lower energies, harmful thought forms, heavy emotions, and unforgiveness connected to the contents of these items. Transmute NOW anything that blocks the flow of good associated with... (Name specifically what is being blocked Abundance, harmonious relationships, creative flow, etc.) I retain all life-supporting energies, soul lessons, wisdom, and love gained from any connections to or experiences with the items being burned. I intend to (state your intentions). I AM open to receiving the maximum amount (healing, abundance, transformation, empowerment, etc.) in alignment with my higher good.
It’s important to trust yourself and allow for going “off script.” Come from your heart. I encourage you to vocalize, read some of what you are burning, and express what comes up for you. There is much power in the spoken word. A friend who completed a burning ritual with me on follow-up described her experience.
I definitely felt that putting a voice to what I wrote, feeling the agony, and shedding the tears all helped to transmute the energy! Working with fire is also healing as I have had many fire issues in my life and now see and feel how it can be healing.
Your approach and narrative are personal. Your practice is your own. Call in spirit guides, Jesus, ancestors, animal energies, or connect with only your higher self. Be authentic and true to who YOU are, and this practice will work for you.
For more information on how to transmute energy through a burning ritual and services related to intentional living, find me here: Estelle Bonaceto. Please visit my Metaphysical Services Page (Spiritual Tools 101) for additional services and coaching. Wishing you much growth, healing, empowerment, and peace as you work toward taking greater energetic self-mastery.
