by @ambthegoddess

Many people know me for my positive vibes, because I normally keep a smile painted across my face. I find joy in the minuscule and normally overlooked details of life. I take pride in being an empath, although a blessing and curse at times. Even the sunniest of days have shadows lurking around. We all have memories that are drenched in embarrassment, regret, or a combination. If you have experienced these memories, you may have confronted them in the moment and moved on. However, I am sure some of you are like me, burying them deep in the back of my brain and praying they will disappear as if they never happened. These memories may not be tangible, but they bare tremendous weight. This negativity is just way too heavy, and I refuse to bring all this weight into 2019!Back in 2016, someone purposefully vandalized my precious new car. Over FOUR THOUSAND DOLLARS worth of damage. In the moment, my attitude remained calm, cool, and collective. I did not want this person to have any power over me. I got my car fixed, but I never let go of the anger.  For the past two years, any time my mind went back to this painful memory, I played out all my ways of revenge. I’m talking painful and carefully planned out. Instead of handling this situation with confrontation, I decided to create my own way to heal.One of my best friends and I orchestrated the first (of many) Hate Release Ceremonies! To combat my unhealthy grip on hateful memories, I symbolically burned them away as I literally set a letter on fire. This handwritten letter expressed all my repressed emotions regarding some low points of my life. We read our letters and set them a flame with other tokens connected to the memories. We gazed at the reds and yellows of a new inner peace.

My friend and I howled into the purples and blues of the night. I felt like my gratitude reached deep into the stars. I walked away from those ashes feeling so much lighter. I really felt the impact of what took place in that ceremony. I am sure the future holds many embarrassing moments that will need to be cleansed from spirit. I plan on holding this ceremony with my friends as many times as needed whenever needed. If anybody else is thinking about trying this for yourselves, please comment any ideas on improving the ceremony.

Love and Light,

@ambthegoddess