Spring Purification Ritual

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Spring

Purification Ritual

By Cait Johnson, author of Earth, Water, Fire, and Air (SkyLight

Paths, 2003).

 

Many indigenous people know the power of natural incense as a means

of purification, prayer, and transformation. As we watch incense

smoke rise up to the realm of clouds, birds, stars, and sky, we can't

help but be uplifted as we envision our intentions and prayers rising

up as well. Here is a simple incense purification ritual based on

native ways:

 

1. Choose 1/8 cup or so of any of the following, or use a

combination:

 

Dried needles of--

Cedar

Juniper

Pine

 

Dried flowers or leaves of--

Lavender

Peppermint

Rosemary

Sage

Thyme

 

If no dried natural material is available, use an all-natural incense

stick in a scent that is pleasing to you.

 

2. Find a flameproof container, such as an ashtray, and take it, some

matches, and your incense to a place with adequate ventilation and a

container of water nearby (just in case your flame gets out of hand).

 

3. Heap the dried materials you have chosen in the middle of your

container, knowing that the ritual you are about to perform has been

used by people for millennia. When you do this, you are making a

connection to your ancestors, and to the traditional earth-based ways

that have comforted and connected humans since before the dawn of

history.

 

4. Make a clear intention, silently or aloud, for purification, a

fresh beginning for this new growing season. Light the incense

materials until they flame, then gently blow out the flame so that

the incense smokes.

 

5. Visualize placing your deep desire for a clean start into the

smoke. Watch it for a time as it curls upward. Imagine that the smoke

is carrying your prayer to the sky, to the great Above.

6. When the incense has burned out (you may need to relight it a few

times to accomplish this), give thanks, and use the ashes to

fertilize your houseplants.

 

 

 

 

“Fortunately

art is a community effort - a small but select community living in a

spiritualized world endeavoring to interpret the wars and the solitudes of the

flesh.”

 

-Allen Ginsberg

 

 

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