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Ceremonies as a Bridge Between the Sacred and Everyday Life
Ceremonies are occasions where we bring the sacred into our ordinary lives. It’s important not to confuse them with rituals. When we talk about the “sacred,” we are not referring to something religious in a strict sense, but rather to the simple act of dedicating time and attention to something special, of making something “sacred” (from the Latin sacrum facere).
Ceremonies are held to celebrate specific and significant moments in life, such as births, weddings, or other important transitions. Rituals, on the other hand, are practices that are repeated regularly on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis to maintain a continuous connection with the sacred.
Earthly life is a continuous cycle, made up of countless other cycles. Think about how a seed germinates, grows, produces new seeds, and then dies, returning to the earth. The phases of our lives are similar to this cycle: they open and close, creating circles that mark the beginning and end of periods of transformation.
The Sacred in the Closure of a Cycle
We often celebrate the beginning of a new cycle — marriage, the birth of a child — but we rarely stop to celebrate the end of a cycle. The end of a year, a divorce, the loss of a friendship, the abandonment of a job, or the sale of a house — all these experiences deserve to be acknowledged with the same sacredness.
I believe it is essential, through a ceremony, to embrace the blessings and lessons that the previous cycle has taught us, and to free ourselves from the challenges that may reappear in the future. When we don’t face difficulties consciously, we run the risk of repeating negative patterns that we’ve never truly closed.
The magic of a closing ceremony lies in this: it helps us to be grateful for what has been, but also to let go of the past, to close a cycle, and to open ourselves with full awareness to the new. By doing this, we can embrace a fresh start full of possibilities.
How to Perform a Ceremony to Close a Cycle and Begin a New Phase
To perform a closing ceremony, find a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed. Sit comfortably and bring your attention to your breath. Breathe deeply, performing 10 cycles of diaphragmatic breathing, to center yourself and connect with the intention of the ceremony.
Purify the Space: Light some palo santo or sage to purify the environment. Speak from the heart your intention to purify the space in order to welcome the ceremony of thanksgiving and closure of the cycle, ready for the start of a new one.
Choose the Number of Candles: Before deciding how many candles to light, take a few minutes to reflect on the challenges you’ve faced during the past cycle. Each candle will represent a challenge you wish to release. Prepare one candle for each of these difficulties, plus an additional one.
Light the Candles: Light all the candles except for one, then sit and allow the light to surround you. The light of the candles represents the presence of these challenges, which you are now about to release.
Release the Challenges: Each lit candle represents a challenge you wish to quiet. Take one candle and focus your attention on that challenge. Feel it in your body, your mind, and your soul. Ask yourself: How did this challenge arise? How does it live in me today? Which part of me needs healing to release it? While holding the candle, channel the energy of this challenge out of you, through your hands and into the flame of the candle. When you feel you’ve released the energy, extinguish the candle.
Repeat the Process: Continue with the same process for all the lit candles, extinguishing each one until all challenges are released.
Light the Last Candle: Now take the last candle, the one you haven’t lit yet. Focus on the blessings the previous cycle has brought you. Allow these blessings to manifest in your awareness. Move the energy of gratitude and blessing through your hands and infuse this energy into the candle. When you feel that the candle is filled with these blessings, light it with the intention of bringing these positive energies into the new cycle.
Meditation and Intentions: Sit in meditation with the lit candle. Express your specific intentions for the new cycle that is about to begin, feeling ready to face it with new energy.
Closure: When you feel ready, close the sacred space. Express gratitude for the work done and for the intuition that has guided you. Extinguish the last candle, symbolically closing the cycle and opening your heart to the new path.
Conclusion
Ceremonies are not just moments of celebration, but also of deep reflection and transformation. When we pay attention to closing cycles and honor them with gratitude, we can truly let go of the past and make space for a new beginning, more aware and free. The ceremony of closing a cycle offers us the opportunity to acknowledge the challenges, honor the blessings, and open ourselves with clarity to the future.
