If You’re Scared, Try This
Where the ocean, heaven and healing meet.
Just three months into our marriage, the oncologist diagnosed my husband with lymphoma. He had a grapefruit-sized tumor growing in the center of his chest between his heart and lungs.
He’s been cancer-free for more than ten years, but the terror of that diagnosis, and the harrowing treatment that accompanied it, made an indelible impression on both of us.
Coronavirus is triggering a lot of memories that I thought I worked through. During that first year of treatment, he was immune-compromised, and we didn’t travel, or visit highly populated areas, we didn’t eat out, or attend events; we didn’t do anything to risk unnecessary exposure.
A quarantine wasn’t mandated, but we certainly chose to shelter in place. There are so many parallels to what we are experiencing now, but what I’d like to share today is a healing ritual from Hawaii.
I know it’s not possible to schedule a spa visit, and some of you don’t live near the beach, so you’ll have to be creative with how you modify the instructions to suit your environment.
Before you begin, set up a healing or sacred space in your home or yard. You’ll need a quiet private spot that feels good, a small container filled with sand or salt, water (either a body of water or a pitcher of water), and the sounds of the surf (from the ocean or a soundtrack).
Read this in its entirety, then perform the ritual when you are in the right headspace to receive the healing.
Step 1
Find a comfy place to sit. Make sure you can hear the waves. Light a candle or use essential oils to evoke the ocean or tropical scents. Set your intention to release any fears, anxiety, or pain you are holding on to, consciously or subconsciously.
Step 2
Lie flat with your eyes closed and breathe deeply for 5 minutes or so. Feel the weight of your body, feel the cleanse of your breath, bring your thoughts to your body and your breath, and envision the ocean. Contemplate it’s depth, breadth, magnitude, and consistency. Sync your breathing to the ocean’s waves.
Step 3
When you feel like you are floating, start with your toes, and keeping your eyes closed, bring your undivided attention and focus to each body part, one by one. Linger as you go, from toe to head, scanning for tension, breathing through knots or blocks, releasing anything that doesn’t feel good.
Step 4
Visualize the negative energy, tightness, pressure, disease, hurt, anger, despair, disappointment, frustration, fear, anxiety, helplessness, and pain dissolving. Allow it to take the form of sand or salt.
Step 5
Take the sand or salt you prepared and give it to the sea. You can sprinkle it, throw it in, whatever you need to do. If you don’t have a body of water nearby, use the pitcher to pour water over a small mound of salt or sand. Watch it dissolve.
Step 6
Stare into the ocean. Close your eyes if you’re using imagination. Take in its enormity, appreciate its force. It’s been a part of the Earth since time began, and it will be here long after us. See your fears and anxiety as the sand or salt, small insignificant specks floating farther and farther away. Give it all away.
Step 7
Let the ocean take any beliefs that aren’t serving you or any thoughts that are holding you back — limitations, doubt, fear, and apprehension. The ocean can handle it all; relieving your burden won’t damage it or change its composition. It’s meant to restore and revitalize. Honor the incredible unlimited resource that it is.
Step 8
Feel the freedom of being worry-free. Delight in knowing that you are aligned with the planet and that everything will be ok.
Exhale.
When you feel fear creep up again, tap into the connection of your spirit that flows through the ocean, and choose freedom instead.
