A Recovery Ritual for Letting Go & Calling In
There comes a point in every recovery journey where we feel the quiet truth rising: Something has to be released so something else can take its place.
A belief. Pattern. Coping strategy. Way we’ve been holding ourselves together that no longer fits who we’re becoming.
And one of my favourite rituals for moments like this is simple, ancient, and wildly clarifying:
The Fire + Cauldron Ritual for Release & Reclamation
This ritual works with the symbolism of fire - not as destruction, but as alchemical transformation. Fire takes what we no longer need and makes room for what we deeply desire to claim.
You’ll Need:
A safe place to burn (fireplace, candle, cauldron, fire pit)
A small piece of paper
A quiet moment where you can breathe and be honest
Step 1: Identify What’s Ready to Be Released
Close your eyes. Bring your awareness into your body. Notice what feels heavy, tight, or familiar in that “I’ve outgrown this” kind of way.
Name one thing you’re ready to give back to the fire:
The old story that “I’m not enough.”
Thoughts that keep you feeling small.
Outdated pattern you use to cope that no longer protects you.
Write it on the paper. Feel in your body - what you have written on the paper.
Step 2: Name What You Want to Call In Instead
Recovery isn’t only about letting go. It’s about reclaiming what’s yours.
So on the other side of the paper, write the energy, feeling, or truth you want in its place:
“I release self-doubt… and I welcome worthiness.”
“I release numbing… and I welcome presence.”
“I release the need to carry everything alone… and I welcome support.”
Step 3: Offer It to the Fire
Hold the paper for a moment. Feel the honesty of what you’re releasing, the longing of what you’re calling in and the power in choosing differently.
Then - safely - place the paper into the flame or cauldron. As it burns, imagine the release leaving your body too.
Step 4: Anchor the New Energy in Your Body
Take a slow breath in and out. Notice what - and how - you feel in your body.
Say out loud: “I choose this new way.” Let your body feel and anchor the truth of it.
Why This Matters in Recovery
Letting go isn’t an easy process. Sometimes it feels like grief and sometimes it feels like relief. Sometimes it’s both at once.
But rituals like this create a moment of clarity and commitment - a doorway where you consciously step out of the old and into the new.
You don’t have to change everything overnight. Just choose a new direction - one ritual, one breath, one truth at a time.
If you try this ritual, I’d love to hear what you released and what you called in - please share below!
With you,
Taryn
PS - If you’re in a season of releasing old patterns and learning how to choose yourself differently, I would be honoured to walk alongside you. The Threshold is my gentle, somatic recovery coaching for women who are ready to explore life without substances - supported, not alone.