Stress Relief - The Burn Method21:13 Mar 15 2017
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As an introduction, I will start off by saying that this particular post walks the line between a spell and an exercise for good mental health. What I have found is that many people overlook the potential of this particular spell (and I call it a spell pretty loosely, for lack of a better option). I would encourage anyone to actually try this one at least once to give it a chance, because it works rather wonderfully to remove all sorts of junk from your life that brings you down.
Purpose:
This spell can be used to help purge out negative thoughts, harmful memories, fears, compulsive ideas, and stress. Realistically, anything that lurks in your head that you have problems getting out can be targeted by this spell. Essentially, it works to draw out things that otherwise clutter your mind. My most common uses are to let go of stressful ideas or to vent when negativity clouds my mind.
What You Will Need:
Pen, paper, some alone time, fire. Honestly, the time part is usually the hardest to get. You may also include incense or pretty much anything else that you find helps you unwind a little. A glass of wine. This is quite possibly the simplest spell you may come across, so don’t over think it. Obligatory note to remember fire safety.
What To Do:
Take a few moments to just sit back and relax as much as you can. Get your paper and your pen, and just start writing about what it is that is haunting your mind. If possible, don’t edit, don’t backtrack and rethink anything, just keep writing. Your goal is to give whatever it is form. Be descriptive, and don’t censor yourself any. Pour all your thoughts and energy into making this thing real. No one else will be reading this, just write. This is where the time comes in - you want to leave yourself enough time to write out every little piece of what it is that you want to say on your topic. If your mind strays any, or shifts to something else, just flow with it.
I cannot stress enough the importance of not censoring what you’re thinking. Seriously. Just roll with it. Pour all of it onto that page. Keep writing until there isn’t anything left to be said. Remember that you are not making an argument, you’re not doing this to prove anything, and it does not need to make sense to anybody (including yourself).
Once you have gotten all you wish down on the paper comes the fun part. Take your paper(s) and set them all on fire. One by one, piece by piece, turn them into confetti and throw them on the fire…whatever you feel like at the time. Allow the fire to burn away the negativity and consume it. Do not hold on to the concepts, you’re burning them for a reason.
Now comes the part where you go about your night or day and set your mind to better things.
How It Works:
Seemed simple enough, right? So how does this thing work exactly? Well, as I said, it’s more a psychological exercise than it is a spell. What you are doing is taking an abstract thought and giving it a physical form. You’re putting your energy into making it tangible. Then you are removing the tangible piece of it. This works in a couple ways. The first image that comes to my mind is that of the voodoo doll. You are making a thing that is a representation of something else. You’re making an image and asserting your control over it.
The second way in which this may help is that you are creating a record. Instead of these issues being stuck in your own head, you are making them reality. Even if they are not shared with others, they are still being brought into the world and shared in theory. Perhaps you’re writing issues down that you’ve never spoken with anyone about before. Perhaps it is something you’ve never fully conceptualized. Either way, it is being drawn out of the shadows of the mind and into being. You are removing their power over your mind because they are no longer solely yours. They become a thing. A thing which can be burned. A thing that can be harmed.
Other Variants:
I have also seen people do this method with artwork, in that they paint or sketch something that represents what they are feeling or struggling with. Canvas is really expensive though, so I wouldn’t suggest lighting a canvas up. There is nothing that says you can’t sketch or draw out a concept if you just don’t have the words for it, for example. Or perhaps that is a more engaging method for you.
For those who are more technologically inclined, or without access to a safe burning space, similar ideas are to open a blank word document and start writing. The hard part here is to try not to censor it, go back, make changes. You want to keep flowing forward, not doubling back and editing. Why not go back? You may ask this, I suppose. The simple answer is that moving forward stops your urge to continue to re-visit the problem. You don’t want to revisit it, you want to rant it out, and then get rid of it. You want to move only forward here. Anyway, once you’re done with your electronic version, there is an option to just print it and go light it on fire as above, or just pitch it in your recycle bin and delete the file. Just get rid of it. Often for little venting, I just open the page and just close it without ever saving it. Then it goes away, but I still got it all out.
Comments? Thoughts? Other variants? Feel free to leave some comments or messages.
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