Spells & Rituals
A Cord Cutting Spell
Energetic cords come into existence because you have an energetic interest and connection to another person, place or experience. They can continue to exist long after your relationship or shared experience with this person has ended (and even well into following lifetimes). Healthy energetic cords foster the connection of love, fondness, empathy, shared experience, affection, collaboration, etc. This is what allows you to look back fondly on certain past relationships without experiencing any ill will or discomfort. This also helps you nurture and grow your current relationships and connections.
But what about the relationships that bound you? That left you feeling angry, hurt, discarded, or trapped? The unhealthy cords formed by these experiences maintain all of the negative influencesof the relationship. Unhealthy cords drain you of your energy and keep you from being able to truly move on and move forward. Cord Cutting is a ritual that ends this connection.
What is most important about a cord cutting ritual is not just identifying that the connection to a person, place, experience, trauma is detrimental to your life, but also acknowledging the ways this connection manifests into your life. What behaviors, patterns, thought processes, decisions, etc in your life are affected by this connection (or are results of this connection)? How do they affect your relationships with others? How do they affect your relationship with yourself?
You are cutting the impact of the cord on your life as well as the connection to the person, place, or experience. There are a few different ways you can perform the ritual, depending on your resources. You can literally perform a cord cutting with nothing but yourself and a quiet, peaceful space. Here is a cord cutting ritual that has worked for me. I pray that it serves you well, my friend.
Tools:
A small black candle
One or three lengths of cord
A picture of yourself and who or what you want to cut cords from or two pieces of paper to write their names on
If using three lengths, braid them together. As you braid them together, focus your energy on all of the shit and muck in your life that has come from this cord connection. Focus on why this is unhealthy and why it needs to go. Think about how it’s affecting your life now and how it was affecting your life while you were still involved.
You can get creative and choose colorful string that corresponds with the work you are doing (ie if this is about a past lover, you can do red cord, a pink cord for a traumatic experience you feel responsible for and want to replace with self-acceptance and love, white cord for purification and restoring peace within, and purple cord for keeping your psychic eye and intuition strong going into new relationships). Being a witch is basically arts and crafts. If you don't have a black candle, white will work as well. If resources are limited, if you only have one cord or string, use just the one!
Light your candle and call in your spirits, ancestors, guardians and guides. Leave any offerings you may want to give to them for the service being performed.
Roll up or fold a picture of each of you (or your names written in pencil), then tie them on either side of the string. As you tie them, focus on your intentions. Once your cord(s) are ready, hold the braid or single string out at it’s full length. Recite your incantation, then lower the center of the cord or braid onto the flame.
Allow the flame to touch the cord or braid until it has completely severed. It may be helpful to keep a bowl of water nearby to toss the cords into in case they catch too much flame. Here is an incantation that I have used. Feel free to create your own, use this framework for your own, or use it as is:
By the light of this Moon, by the power instilled in me through the Divine destroy the cord that binds me to XYZ.
The influence, hold and power XYZ has over me is no more, from this moment on
As the flame cuts through this cord,I am free from the chains of the haunts of my past, present and future.
As I will this, so mote it be.
The incantation above is just an example. It does not need to be those exact words. Sometimes i spend a lot of time and intention on writing carefully crafted incantations. Other times I just wing it in the moment and say what I feel. You do you.
Burn the cords, photos or name papers in a fire safe container like a cauldron or cast iron pan. Let the candle burn out and review the wax remains. Are there any symbols or messages in the wax? Pull a tarot or oracle card or use other divination tools to confirm the success of your ritual. Close your circle, ground and cleanse.
Dispose of the remains and cords at a crossroads. Toss over your left shoulder and never look back. You can also leave at a graveyard, asking the spirits to continue the work for you. I would leave a cookie, piece of cake, cigarettes or rum or something as an offering with this option. If you have family buried near you, leaving your spell remains with them is all the more potent.
However you dispose of it, I do not recommend burying or disposing in your own trash or yard or anywhere near your home. If you can’t dispose of it properly immediately after the ritual, then wrap it up in a plastic grocery bag or doggie bag, tie it up and leave it outside until you can dispose of it.
If you do not have access to any of the tools I mentioned here, you can perform this with a single candle. Rather than performing the actions, stare into the flickering candle flame and allow yourself to fall into a trance like state. Visualize yourself performing the ritual mentioned above. Repeat the incantation and discard the candle once it’s finished burning out.
Once your disposed, move forward in life knowing that the space the cord once occupied has been cleared and is ready to be filled with that which serves you well. Be well and be blessed, my friends.
Other options for disposal: Bury away from your home. Stomp on the dirt where it lays below three times. Spit on it too, if it feels right.