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An example of a transformative ritual
The purpose of the ritual described here concerns a deceased person who, in his current state, is beyond the reach of spiritual forces. He is struggling with a very burdensome final life – and probably several. The aim of the ritual is to help him leave the burden of his past behind and open himself up to a new life, so that he may continue on his life’s journey. The ritual described here has been devised to help him break through his stagnation. The focus is on purifying his last life.
As this is too much to cover in a single movement, for the ritual his life is divided into years of life and the stages of his soul’s descent, his time as a foetus, birth and death. These stages of his life are represented in the ritual by small stones: a stone representing the descent of his soul, a stone representing his life as a foetus, a stone representing his birth, a stone for his first year of life, a stone for his second year of life, a stone for his third year of life, and so on … a stone for his final year of life, which was not completed because he died during that year, and a stone for his passing. In this way, his life can be unravelled so that the helping forces gain proper access to his entire life and all its many-layered aspects.
the ritual table, awaiting
The Earth elements
To carry out this cleansing, I call upon the Earth elements: air, fire, water, earth and ether. Here in the West, where I am based, this is the traditional classification of the Earth elements. In itself, involving five elements in a single ritual is quite a lot. It is not usually necessary. Above all, let each element play its part in a ritual. However, this is a highly unusual situation because it concerns the stagnation of a deceased person who, in human terms, has had many reasons for his stagnation over a long period of life. He has already experienced a breakthrough once in the intermediate phase where he now finds himself, but at a certain point he turned out to have become completely inaccessible to helping forces once more and had become severely stagnant again. The energies causing blockages within him are vast and unmanageable, shooting off in all directions, and exist across – or have tentacles into – many layers, which makes his situation particularly difficult. Enlisting the combined help of the five Earth elements is by no means a luxury in this case.
Helping energies
Furthermore, the helping beings who make such a ritual possible are needed. This ritual can only take place within a large collaborative framework. I haven’t the faintest idea who or what is required for this. In any case, helping beings are needed, which is why they are called upon. And I call upon spiritual helpers I know. These are all steps in a ritual that anyone could devise.
Advice at the shaman’s tree
What I found particularly special was the advice regarding a special place, which I call the shaman’s tree, and where I have recently been able to go for matters of this kind. I explained the ritual and was advised to also make a connection with the animal soul consciousness of the person for whom it was intended. I had to think for a moment about what was meant, but it soon dawned on me. It was about the dogs he’d had. I was advised to ask for their help with the ritual as well. What I envisage is that these dogs can help the person in question to relax.
At the shaman’s tree, I was also advised to involve his ancestors. Good point. I can remember that myself next time.
Another piece of advice I received at the shaman’s tree concerned a part of the text that I would later post on this website. In the ritual, I also ask for help from three spiritual guides whom I knew personally during my lifetime. I was planning to remove this from the version for the website. At the shaman’s tree, I was told to replace these three with ‘shamanic help’ in the website version.
At the shaman’s tree, I was also expressly advised to ask my own guides for help. Do the same yourself when you create and perform a creative ritual.
Alone or together?
What I found difficult was whether or not to involve other people known to this person in the ritual. It certainly seemed to me that it would be nice if a few other people took part. But above all, I wondered about the capacity to bear the ritual – the first point described under the heading ‘Transformative rituals’. How was I supposed to interpret that? I was told at the shaman’s tree that I should not perform a ritual that I cannot bear myself – in the sense of doing it alone. Clear enough. However, I do not regard this as general advice. In my view, this is a personal advice – a very clear advice for me that is of great help. But that did not mean I could not involve others.
Because I remained in doubt, I ultimately decided against it. My doubts centred mainly on the fact that it was a highly sensitive ritual with a great deal at stake, and one that was very complicated to carry out on a spiritual level – or so I expected, given the intensity of the many layers of issues involved. The ritual was certainly not complicated to carry out on a physical level. But everything had to be 100 per cent right.
Looking back, I’m glad I did it on my own. It made it easier for me to stay fully focused on the ritual and to adapt the procedure intuitively. That was very important, and I wouldn’t have managed it if I’d been working with others.
Inspiration
Incidentally, this is the second ritual of such a spiritual nature that I have ‘conceived’ and carried out, unless you count the ancestor rituals. Yes, actually, those are part of it. But apart from the ritual ancestor constellations described on this website, transformative rituals are new territory for me. The first ritual I created concerned a unique situation that is not going to happen again. That’s putting it rather strongly – it’s unlikely to happen again – and that’s why I’m not sharing it. I’m only still hesitating about this because the description might well be helpful to anyone interested in creating and performing their own transformative rituals. Perhaps I’ll add that description at some point.
So here is a description of the second transformative ritual I have devised, although you can put that last remark in double quotation marks. I do not assume that I create and devise it myself, but rather that I am asked to carry it out in this way – whereby, of course, it must first ‘come to me’ in this form. And as a human being, you then say that you came up with it. That is the normal situation, as desired by the spiritual world. In that case, someone is supposed to say ‘I’.
You’ll soon receive a link to a file containing the entire ritual; I won’t be describing it here. Below are a few more things that aren’t included in it and which stood out.
The night as well
The first unexpected surprise for me was the fact that, on the evening before I was due to perform the ritual, I had already set the table with all the trimmings. I had pictured in my mind that all the items would be laid out ready somewhere to one side, and that I would set the table as the start of the ritual, as a preparation immediately prior to the more central part of the ritual. I regarded the creation of the ritual space as the first part of the ritual. That part was now brought forward to the evening before. I had expected that this would separate the creation of the ritual space from the actual ritual. But that wasn’t the case. In fact, it created a very special effect. I’d recommend this to anyone undertaking a somewhat larger ritual. Include the night before the ritual as part of the ritual itself. You do this by preparing the ritual space the evening before, and then fully immersing yourself in it. So, in effect, you do nothing else. I’d already been working on the ritual for several weeks. Every cell in my body seemed to be aware of it and to be assessing whether it could contribute anything, whether everything was going well, or whether I could pick up any advice or anything else. I was deeply engaged with it and connected to it. But once the ritual space was set up, well, that really was a completely different feeling. I was then at one with the ritual. It felt alive and real. I always leave the door to the living room open at night, but this time I did so to maintain a connection with the ritual space. It felt special this time.
Dreams
In the dream I had that night, I was connected to it too. I found myself in a vast, sprawling building containing extraordinarily large rooms representing all manner of eras, where entire periods of life unfolded before my eyes – whole villages with people, houses, clothing, animals, nature, the whole shebang – and I could walk from one period of life in the building to another, each with completely different clothing, customs and behaviours, and I saw it all unfold before my eyes as if it were real life.
Another dream image from that night, which was connected to the ritual, was of a completely different nature and concerned the actual ritual space. I saw a small hand sticking through a window in another part of the living room, belonging to a little creature you wouldn’t want around, but which was trying to get in. Through the glass, I could see its little face. It didn’t manage to get in, but it was clinging to the window frame. I was half-awake, half-asleep, and sent it away; I think I also did something to protect the house. It didn’t manage to get in.
I might as well just say it: that was a little demon, I’d estimate it was just over a metre tall. Little demons, especially the smaller ones, are very common but we don’t notice them. Bear in mind that a ritual space and a ritual require protection. Because you’re creating something on the astral plane that can attract many beings, including those you don’t want there. They can sense that something is happening there. Keep that in mind. Cleanse the space thoroughly and keep that in mind – calmly, mind you – but do be aware of it. That’s why it’s also important to stay connected to the ritual space once it’s been established. Don’t leave it on its own. A great deal is already happening there, and there is already much present of which we have no idea. That was my great discovery that evening and night. Wonderful. So I’m very glad I carried it out on my own; otherwise, I wouldn’t have done so and would have followed the plan, waiting to create the space until the moment of the ritual itself.
In the meantime, you can continue to purify and support the space with tranquillity, lighting candles, using scents, and asking for help and protection. Also, keep tuning into your feelings: what works? What does the space need? That’s why I also mention the little demon – otherwise you might think it doesn’t belong in a lovely ritual story. Yes indeed, it’s part of the reality in which the ritual takes place – that these lower-vibrating small forces and little creatures, and powers and beings, can come and disrupt it, and that the ritual must be protected against them.
To take this foray into the world of demons a little further: my guides once remarked about the demons that their existential question is: “Why do they not know love?” There is no ‘I’ or ‘you’ in that; it’s all about ‘them’. Is a light beginning to dawn? That is the level we’re on when we speak of others and say something negative like, "Why do they do ‘such-and-such’…?" Next time, we might consider the demon level: "Why do they not know love?" 😉
A guest
The following remarkable thing happened the next morning: someone came forward who also wanted to be there – in spirit, of course, as nobody knew about this ritual on that day. That person can then be physically included in a photo, if you have one, or represented by a symbol.
Preparation of the elements
A few weeks beforehand, I’d already explained the upcoming ritual to the elements – air, fire, water, earth and ether – outlined their roles, asked for their help, and thanked them for their willingness and for this opportunity. Then, whilst sitting somewhere, relaxing on the sand by a stream, I suddenly thought of doing this. It immediately struck me as a lovely idea. I can sense, as I write this now, that it was appreciated. In general, you can apply this principle: involve key elements in the ritual at an earlier stage, brief them, ask for their help, explain why you’re doing this, and so on. Give them a clear picture of the situation, just as you’d want for yourself, and engage with them; let them feel that you see them and that you’re connecting with them.
the five elements on the ritual table
Rest for the person in question
I did not address the person in question for whom the ritual was intended. I kept well clear of that. That is really a matter for the spiritual world. If I were to intervene, problems might arise because he is trapped. This is therefore not a general rule. A few weeks ago, another deceased person made contact with me. She indicated that she also wished to have a ritual performed. Apparently, she knew I was going to perform a ritual. That is a completely different situation. I have already sensed that, for this other person, the theme will be: coming closer to the reality of the soul. I have no idea yet how that will take shape in a ritual.
Fresh leaves
Around the performance of the ritual that is now being referred to, a few other things struck me.
For the outline of both circles, I wanted to use fresh leaves from the garden. I’d done a bit of pruning a week earlier and, strictly speaking, that had produced enough leaves, but I wanted them to be fresh. I decided that I did have a few sturdy plants in my small garden that would be happy to spare a few leaves for this purpose. I’d already let them know. That morning, I went to pick a rose from a potted rose bush, to place it on the spot on the ritual table where burning candles had stood that weren’t intended for the ritual itself. When I reached the pot, I saw a long, slender stem with leaves from a different kind of plant; it didn’t belong there and would have had to be removed anyway. It was lovely to come across that stem this morning. The branch provided exactly enough leaves for the ritual. That felt like a lovely start.
Arranging the leaves, switching off the telephone, unplugging the doorbell and drawing most of the curtains were the final preparations. I expected a long journey, as this person had lived well into his eighties.
the ritual table afterwards
The pace
In the ritual, all aspects of the person’s life and the letters of his name passed through a passage of purification, like pebbles. The passage was formed by the five elements mentioned: air, fire, water, earth and ether. As I went through them, I recited a text for each element, element by element, pebble by pebble. I began at a very gentle pace. A few times, I was prompted to pick up the pace a little. Once I had built up the confidence to do so, I was told after a while that I was obliged to take a short break. It didn’t have to last long, but I had gone a little too fast then. At one point, I had found the right rhythm.
In the meantime, it was pointed out to me that, after placing a stone in the other circle – that is, after a stone had passed through the entire passage – I should glance at the ritual area for one or two seconds to check whether everything was going well there, or whether anything was giving off a signal, or whatever. So that’s what I did: after each stone, I’d take a quick look across the whole table to check that everything was going well.
A surprise from the guest
After about 50 stones, I felt the need for a longer break and had something to eat. I hoped to be able to do the rest in one go, and I managed it. Shortly after that break, a clear message came through from the person who’d got in touch that morning and wanted to be part of the ritual. I sensed that she’d become very enthusiastic. She gave the impression of: “Wow, what’s going on here?!” I was, of course, happy about that.
Spiritual message
After guiding roughly 80 stones (from the letters of the name and the life parts) through the passage, I received the message that the entire ritual had been taken over by the spiritual world. In practical terms, this meant that I could have concluded the ritual from that moment onwards. I finished it anyway because I wasn’t sure whether it held any significance for certain attendants, and whether completing it might not still be supportive or pleasant in other ways, and out of a sense of: in together, out together. That’s why I did finish it in its entirety.
Apart from that, I didn’t focus on anything else for a single moment during the ritual other than guiding the stones through the passage and keeping an eye on the ritual space between the stones.
Afterwards, I let it go. At some point that week, I’d become curious after all, so I asked briefly how things were for this person now. I understood that the situation was still very delicate and that this person was in a situation where no news was coming through.
A good sign
The weekend after the ritual, I shared something about it for the first time with one of the few people who knew I would do so one day. I sent a WhatsApp message saying that the ritual had taken place the previous weekend, wrote briefly about the ‘wow’ effect and that the spiritual world had completely taken over at one point. Immediately after I’d sent the message, a little bird flew into the room. I’d left a small window slightly ajar, and that’s how it had got in. That had never happened to me before. In the living room, I only have two rather small windows that can be left ajar, nothing else. I was startled. But there was no need to worry. The little bird flew about a metre and a half in and took the same route back out again. What a good sign!
the small window left ajar
The file containing all the texts
In the links below, you’ll find the entire ritual – all the texts that were recited and all the actions performed – in PDF and Word formats. If it resonates with you, I hope it inspires you to take the step to get started yourself, whether in this way or another. Stay true to your intuition.
The whole ritual in Word: 56daf256-7124-42e9-bf5c-d6ee2e877fc8
The whole ritual in PDF: 2b1549ae-71a8-4492-aa72-3d471ad3729b