Midnight Pyre: A Simple Releasing Ritual for Letting Go
This releasing ritual uses the liminal power of the Witching Hour to release what no longer serves you. Through burning paper, you will let go of the past and create space for something new. All you need for this simple burning ritual is a paper, pen, fire-safe dish and a match! Let’s get into it.
This post may contain affiliate links to products I use and suggest. As an Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Table of contents
Why Cast a Ritual to Release at Midnight
Midnight is a threshold: it marks the end of one day, and the beginning of another. These liminal spaces between are occasions where we can ritually release and transmute before beginning anew. And midnight, as the start of the Witching Hour, is especially considered to be a time of supernatural power.
With this releasing ritual, you will use the symbolism of this time and the transformative power of fire to burn away the old before stepping into a new day (both literally and metaphorically). Releasing the past can create space for something new.
Use this releasing spell as a symbolic ritual to cleanse what no longer serves you. Cast right before midnight, or on a threshold of any kind—such as a dark or full moon—and disperse the ashes at a crossroads (a space sacred to the goddess Hekate of witchcraft). Alternatively, you can discard the ashes from this releasing spell in a flowing body of water away from you or bury them in the earth to be cleansed.
The original inspiration of this spell was the theme of “midnight” when I was crafting a Midnight Wine Margaritas recipe. The Owens family in Practical Magic use their Midnight Margarita as a way to summon up fun and find magic in the mundane. Likewise, this burning paper ritual uses simple, practical magic to let go and let something new and exciting into your life.
Learn more about divine timing, ritual, and spells in my books: The Modern Witchcraft Book of Moon Magick and The Modern Witchcraft Book of Astrology.
Tools & Materials
Here is what you will need for the releasing ritual:
- Paper & Pen – to write down your intention
- A Candle – symbolizes guiding light and focus, but you can use your match/lighter to burn the paper instead.
- Match/Lighter – to the light the candle for the burning paper ritual (or for the paper, if not using the candle)
- Pinch of Salt (optional) – to cleanse, ground, and purify
- Fire-safe Dish – to safely burn the paper (in a well-ventilated space). I recommend having a good cast iron cauldron for rituals involving fire. I like to use this small one for burning papers
The Releasing Ritual Step-By-Step
How to Cast a Burning Paper Releasing Ritual
- Light your candle.
Just before midnight, light your candle. The candle symbolizes focus, intention, and inner guidance as you begin the burning cleansing ritual.
- Write what you’re releasing.
On a paper, write down what you are releasing. If it’s a larger paper, you can rip the part you wrote on from the rest of the sheet, as though ripping away what no longer serves you and leaving behind a blank slate.
- Sprinkle salt.
Set the paper with your intention down before you. Pour a pinch of salt atop it, an ingredient used in witchcraft to cleanse and protect.
- Fold the paper.
Fold this slip of paper (the salt enclosed) away from you, three times.
- Burn the paper over a fire-safe dish, in a well ventilated space.
Holding the corner of the paper to the candle flame, set it ablaze as you say:
“Salt to cleanse, Fire to purge. I release what no longer serves.”
- Disperse the remnants.
Allow the paper to burn on a fire-safe dish in a well ventilated area. As a new day approaches, discard the ashes of the spell at a place where paths diverge, like a crossroads.
FAQ
No, you can perform the ritual any preferred liminal time, such as a new or full moon, or even the end of the month.
You can also discard the ashes from this releasing spell in a body of water that flows away from you (a toilet flush can work in a pinch!). Or, you can bury them in the earth to be cleansed–this also symbolic of starting something new.
As often as you need! With a simple spell like this, you could perform it everyday. Other great occasions include the change of seasons, new or full moons, or even the end of a month or week for a fresh start. It’s a great way to honor and release the past, while making room for something new.
As you step into a new day, don’t forget to do something positive to bring better energy in! If you’re looking for a bit of fun and your own Practical Magic moment, you can try making my Midnight Wine Margaritas to enjoy while you cast the spell. For a mocktail option, check out my other Practical Magic-Inspired Midnight Margarita recipe here.
