A Ritual for Letting Go

In The Artist’s Way, Julia Cameron introduces a tool called the God Jar—a place to symbolically hand over your worries, fears, and blocks to a higher power. As with many things in the book, the name didn’t quite fit. But the concept of creating a physical space to let go of what weighs me down? That made sense. So I made it my own.

​I repurposed a small decorative box I already had and began collecting blank cards and envelopes—ones I’ve had lying around for years, waiting for the "right use." Now they’ve found their purpose.

Here’s how it works:
Whenever I feel weighed down by something—fear, resentment, worry, guilt, or shame—I light a candle and some incense. I take a breath. Then I write down what I’m ready to release. I name it clearly and honestly on a card, place it in an envelope, and seal it. Sometimes I’ll clip something to the outside—a quote, song lyric, or sticker that reflects what I’m letting go of, or what I want to feel instead.
No rereading. No revisiting. Just a ritual of acknowledgment and release.

It’s not about fixing. It’s about freeing.

Things I've let go of:

• Fear of failure
• Fear of success
• Guilt about past choices
• Resentment I’ve been carrying too long
• Worry about things I can’t control
• Shame that doesn’t belong to me

The Ritual:

1. Lighting a candle and incense to signal an energy shift.
2. Writing the thoughts I want to release on a card.
3. Sealing it in an envelope.
4. Opening the box gently, like opening a conversation with myself.
5. Placing the envelope inside with a small pause—a breath or a word.
6. Closing the box with intention.
7. Releasing the emotional grip that thing had on me.

It’s a small act, but it’s sacred. A physical way to move energy and emotion, to remind myself: I don’t have to hold it all.
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It sits quietly on the top shelf—not flashy, not performative. Just present. Just available. Just enough.

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