A Spring Ritual for Alchemizing Beliefs
Rendition of Onyi Love by Aus Matthews
This season (or perhaps lately) some of you may have been asking yourselves:
How can I open myself to receive the new blessings of this season?
In what ways can I tend to the seeds of my dreams with greater trust and devotion?
What old stories, patterns, or energies are ready to be transmuted now?
How can I move through inner resistance and trust the timing of my growth?
What have I been overlooking that could shift everything for me?
You want to know something special:
This message is being released into the ethers at a time when we’re about two-thirds through spring, and just one month away from the Summer Solstice—which will take place on Friday, June 20, at 7:41 PM Pacific Standard Time, in the Northern Hemisphere.
While these specific locational markers are meaningful to me and those who share in them, I invite those of you outside this timeframe to embrace this reflection anyway. As with all the messages that flow into and through me, this one is timeless—it will do what it needs to do, whenever, for whomever, and however it is needed
But to focus on those of us currently in springtime... what has come to me is that many are still stubbornly holding onto—or imagining they are being held against their will by—negative beliefs, or simply outdated ones, regardless of the charge assigned to them.
As we continue to spin through a myriad of social, political, environmental, and global experiences (madness was actually the first word that came to mind), Spirit keeps showing me the consequences of weighing ourselves down with that which does not support or serve us, individually and collectively.
We literally will not… cannot… survive it if we don't lighten up.
Harnessing the energy of this spring season—a time of new beginnings, warmth, rebirth, hope, beauty, and renewal—is not only strategic but deeply supportive.
For those of you who are ready to finally begin, or even complete, the work, this ritual for alchemizing beliefs is for you.
To alchemize something is to transform its nature through a process often considered magical. However, consider that there is magic in what we perceive as mundane. By doing so, you open up a whole world of possibilities from which to choose.
For those who are confused but know something needs to change, this is for you too.
And for those unwilling—at least for now—to step into the space of courage called I remember my power and freedom to choose how I respond to and utilize everything, it's okay.
That choice, too, is valid.
When you are ready for something different, this resource (or one that is more aligned) will meet you.
What You Will Need
The desire, willingness, and courage to be strategic with and resilient in the face of your negative beliefs—or any belief, for that matter, that is no longer relevant for you, regardless of its energetic nature.
2 sheets of paper and a writing instrument. (For this work, I highly recommend handwriting on physical paper rather than typing into an electronic device.)
A bowl of water that can be placed under or next to your bed without disturbance.
The Process
Step 1
At the top of both sheets of paper, write:
#1: All beliefs are valid and have equal weight.
(See the section Working with Negative Beliefs below if there is a trigger, or if you're just curious. Otherwise, proceed.)
Step 2
Ground yourself in ways that align for you.
Place one hand on your head and the other on your heart.
Take 3 deep, nourishing breaths.
Ask out loud: Body, what beliefs are you ready to alchemize at this time?
Wait for at least one minute.
Write down up to 8 beliefs that come up, numbering them starting at #2 (you already have #1 as provided above).
Step 3
Read the list aloud, starting from #1. Read each belief with conviction — no matter how negative some (or all) may be.
Take your time. If you find yourself having a response — no matter what it is — let the energy shift itself. Breathe, move, shake, dance through it all as needed.
Step 4
Put the list down.
Place one hand on your head and the other on your heart.
Take 3 deep, nourishing breaths.
Say aloud: I give gratitude for the opportunity and courage to alchemize these beliefs.
Step 5
On the second sheet of paper, write down the positive, elevated, or newly preferred expressions of the beliefs from the first list.
For example, if #2 on list one is:
I will never find true love,
a counterpart on list two could be:
There is an abundance of love within, outside of, and for me.
Step 6
Read the second list aloud, starting from #1. Read each belief with as much conviction as (if not more than) how you read the first list.
This time, touch your head to the ground after reading each belief.
With each head-to-Earth touch, really imagine the energy of connection, grounding, and rewiring.
If you find yourself having a response — no matter what it is — let the energy shift itself. Breathe, move, shake, dance through it all as needed.
Step 7
Put the list down.
Place one hand on your head and the other on your heart.
Take 3 deep, nourishing breaths.
Say aloud: I give gratitude for the opportunity and courage to integrate and embody these new beliefs.
Step 8
Take the bowl of water and speak words of gratitude into it.
Ask that it continue the alchemical and cleansing work in your sleep and dreaming.
Place the bowl of water under your bed (if possible) or on the ground next to it.
Step 9
Place the list with the positive/elevated/new preferred beliefs under your pillow.
Put the list with the old/negative beliefs aside in a pile that is not in your way.
Step 10
Document everything that comes up after you wake up the next day (and throughout the day).
Remove the list from under your pillow and either keep it, or place it with the other list and choose how to release them: rip and discard, burn, bury—do whatever feels most aligned.
Working with Negative Beliefs
In the event there is some triggering around the idea of all beliefs being valid or the practice of saying your negative beliefs aloud…
Consider the perspective that regardless of our preference for something, the fact that it exists is evidence of its validity — because otherwise it wouldn't be here.
However, something being valid does not equate to us preferring, liking, loving, agreeing with it, or in other ways condoning it. Multiple truths can exist at the same time.
For the purpose of this ritual, we are playing with the idea that many of us give more weight to our negative beliefs than our positive beliefs — and thus keep ourselves stuck under the illusion of their power over us.
I have literally heard individuals espouse the belief that negativity outweighs positivity and cite statistics around it. I am choosing a different perspective by giving them all the same weight; hence, including the step of writing the same line on both sheets of paper.
I find there is grace and acceptance in this practice of equity. It moves in a different direction than what we are accustomed to doing — invalidating what we don't prefer — in light of our conditioning. Making this radical choice lends itself to the process of neutralization and alchemy.
If we choose the belief that All beliefs are valid and equally weighted, then there is no reason the new and positive beliefs you choose through conducting this ritual could not easily take the place of — and be just as true as — the negative beliefs.
It is always our choice as to which direction we focus our energy.
To lean into what is truly coming up around the trigger here is to catch any ways in which you are tricking yourself away from your metamorphosis.
All of that being said: if you cannot get past the triggers — if you have a taboo against any degree of proximity to speaking negativity about yourself given specific sensitivities you need to be mindful of — release the ritual and do something else that works for you.
You get to choose. Life is abundant. There are an infinite number of practices, modalities, permission slips, and other resources to help you help yourself.
The ability and courage to say "No" to something that truly isn't aligned for you is a powerful thing.
Onyi Love blooming by Farah Sosa
Final Note
Conducting this ritual even once can be powerful. Even if the shifts feel subtle, they are absolutely happening.
If it feels aligned to engage with the practice a few days in a row, or to spread it out over a specific timeframe, listen to yourself. Trust the rhythm of your own becoming.
After you’ve had a moment to sit with the embodied practice of it all, you may find that you can more easily answer the questions…
How can I create a ritual for transformation that aligns with nature's cycles?
What role does belief-alchemizing play in healing and personal growth?
Why is Spring the perfect time to begin this type of transformational work?
After all…
You are the alchemist, the dreamer, the creator.
And as always, if your curiosity and inquiry linger, if you wish to dive deeper into these or other questions, or if you want to explore more practices, resources, and support for your journey:
© 2024 ONYI LOVE ® LLC & Felicia Richards [Updated 2025]