I discovered the Burning Bowl ritual while visiting a Hindu temple in Kauai. Upon returning home, I did some research and discovered that Burning Bowl rituals are done in various churches as well.

Basically, the Burning Bowl consists of writing things that are burdening your mind on a piece of paper and then burning the paper in a bowl.

My methodology has changed over time as I have learned more about the ritual, the power of words, and watched the way the papers burned in the bowl itself. I will start with how I began doing the ritual and end with how I do it today.

Burning the bad: My first experience with the Burning Bowl was at the Hindu temple. The instructions at the temple directed us to write down any fears, regrets, negative thoughts, worries, confessions and areas needing emotional relief. You then struck a match, lit the paper on fire and dropped it into the bowl provided.

My boyfriend Marc and I liked the ritual so much that when we returned home, we decided to continue the ritual. We found fireproof bowls, tore pieces of printer paper into fours and typed up the ?instructions?. He found it tremendously helpful so we decided to add to the list. We included people we had hurt, people who hurt us, things we wanted to let go of, destructive relationships, bad habits and grudges.

We scribbled furiously every single morning, sometimes using two or three pieces of paper. We included a tall white candle (signifying purity) in our ritual as well. We lit the candle, carried it outside to the burning bowl, loosely crumpled the paper, then lit the paper from the candle and set it in the bowl and watched it burn. I would often times recite my intention for the burning before lighting the paper. While it would vary, my intention would go something like, ?By burning this paper, it is my intention that these items be permanently removed and released from my heart, body, spirit and soul, and will be absorbed by the white light to be healed on the other side?.

It is noteworthy to mention that I was experiencing some frustration by how slowly my papers burned. Marc?s paper usually burned quickly and thoroughly. Mine struggled to stay lit, burned slowly or barely at all. That should have been a clue that I needed to change something in my ritual, but I didn?t discover what the needed change was until much later.

As you can imagine, writing out ALL the things we wanted to burn was getting time consuming! We decided to simplify things by only writing out the first letter of each word. ?I forgive my brother for bullying me as a kid? turned into ?IFMBFBMAAK?. Good for privacy, too!

For items that were especially burdensome, we would write out the item several times. The most serious ones were written out 11 times (since 11 is considered a ?master? number). Others were written out 3 times. Many times if a person was aggravating me, I would simply write his or her name until I tired of it.

For some reason, we skipped an important part of the ritual that is frequently done in churches. After burning the things that are burdening you, write on another paper the things you want to bring into your life (i.e., a loving relationship, a new job). That paper goes into a sealed envelope to be opened by you later on. Many find themselves surprised when they open the envelope months later and discover how many of the things they asked for actually showed up in their lives.

Although we skipped the ?asking? part of the ritual, this was our approach for many months and we found it quite effective. Both of us experienced a ?lightening? of our spirits after the ritual. Things that were bothersome felt much easier after the burning bowl. It literally seemed to burn away the dark, negative energy. And this worked fine for a while.

Burning what I ?have?: Perhaps we got bored with our approach to the Burning Bowl (we just love change), but Marc and I began tinkering with the ritual. Not only did he change the way he crumpled his papers, but he changed how he worded the items on his papers. After attending a spirituality workshop where we discussed the power of the words we use, he began writing things like, ?I welcome wealth into my life? so I followed suit and began welcoming peace of mind, joy, a new job and boundless wealth and income into my life.

I noticed that this time my papers burned more easily.

In the weeks around that change, we noticed that several people were mentioning ?The Secret? movie. Although neither of us were wholly inspired to check it out, we took this as a sign from the Universe and eventually broke down and bought the movie and the book.

From ?The Secret? I learned to focus on what I want. When we talk about the negative, the things we lack, the things we need, we are simply reinforcing the fact that don?t have what we want.

When I considered my original approach to burning bowl, I saw how this made sense. Every time I wrote, ?I am releasing my fear of public speaking?, all I did was confirm and draw attention to my fear of public speaking.

Instead, I began talking and thinking like I already have all the things I want. Furthermore, I began acting, feeling and expressing joyful appreciation and gratitude for the things I have in my life (even if I haven?t realized them yet). Today, I fill my burning bowl papers with things like ?I am so grateful and joyful now that I have an abundance of wealth and income in my life?.

The first time I used this approach, I noticed something different. My paper burned quickly and thoroughly. Every single time. I don?t know if the burning pattern really matters that much, but there was something in what I observed each day that made me think that maybe it is worth paying attention to.

Marc and I have added another element to our ritual. After the papers finish burning, we say, ?And so it is? and blow out the candle. This seems to confirm our statements as indisputable fact and close the ritual.

Although we were initially seduced by the simplicity of the Burning Bowl ritual, Marc and I discovered that this one, much like anything else in life, was deceiving. It is a fluid process, ever changing and evolving. We modified the ritual to make it our own. Although we liked the initial results, we continued incorporating our learning and experiences into the ritual, and will continue revising it in years to come.

Ready to get started on your own Burning Bowl ritual?

1) Write out your paper using statements such as?

I am so grateful and joyful now that I have?

? Nourishing and healthy relationships
? A job offer for at least $80K a year
? An abundance of wealth, income and money in my savings account
? Perfect health
? The recognition I deserve at work
? An abundance of good luck
? A manager who helps me succeed in my career
? Published my first book
? International fame for my theatre performances
? Reconciled my relationship with my brother
? Complete confidence when speaking before an audience
? Attained my ideal weight/dress size/pant size

2) Loosely crumple your paper(s). If the paper is crumpled too tightly, it may have trouble burning all the way through.

3) Light a white candle (or use whatever color candle feels right to you).

4) Light the paper using the candle and drop into a fire-safe pot or container outdoors.

5) After the paper burns entirely, say, ?And so it is? and blow out the candle.

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