3 Rituals for Moving Through Anger
Anger is a destructive emotion, and when allowed to run rampant, it can create devastation on a grand scale.
We have all felt it.
The heart-pounding, strange, snake-like rise of energy that shoots up from our stomach and lands in our head, where it thumps menacingly. Some of us experience rage to such a degree that we turn into a different person completely. It’s as if a red mist takes over, and we can’t see straight.
This anger can result in us doing and saying things we regret. Anger release exercises can help enable us to control our anger, though it is something that takes a lot of practice.
Anger can be slow to build for some, while it can happen at the drop of a hat for others! Which one are you?
Emotional Healing Rituals
Having gone through a global pandemic this past year and a half, many of us feel the strain on our mental health. Along with stress, anxiety, and depression, anger is another emotion taking its toll on us.
Confinement and an inability to see our loved ones naturally pulls up a host of negative emotions, anger being one of them.
But like all emotions that exist within us, we do not have to be a slave to them.
Anger is especially tricky because it can be explosive. Or it can build slowly, lasting for days and releasing itself in a passive-aggressive manner.
But whatever way the anger is released, it aims to destroy. The key is to prevent it from building in the first place. This is why emotional healing rituals should be implemented into our routine throughout the day.
Anger Release Exercises
Below are three anger rituals that can be very helpful in moving through anger. Moving past anger can be challenging. It is often very tempting to sink into it because it comes with a thoroughly satisfying feeling, which is almost sadistic in nature.
It is, however, almost always followed by regret.
These three anger release exercises can help you move past this anger.
1. Crystal Ritual
Crystals are gifts from the earth which are here to assist us in a variety of ways. Aside from looking pretty, they have a host of benefits and properties that are unique to each one.
A crystal anger ritual is designed to release all of your anger into the chosen crystals.
The best crystals for this are:
- Fire Agate: has a calming energy and shields you from negativity.
- Black Obsidian: a protective stone that shields you from negative energy.
- Rose Quartz: a crystal to promote love and harmony.
- Rainbow Obsidian: provides support if you are grieving and promotes positive energy.
Lay these crystals out in a circle. When you feel anger rising, go to your crystal circle, kneel or stand in front of it, take a deep breath and blow onto the crystals, imagining all of your anger releasing from your body and entering the crystals.
Repeat this as many times as necessary. Be sure to cleanse your crystals after each ritual.
Read this next: Stone & Crystal Healing for Beginners
2. Simple Breathing Ritual
Though one of the most simple rituals, it is one of the most effective.
If you feel anger rising because of something someone said to you, something you heard, or something you witnessed:
- Stop and close your eyes.
- Breathe in for 7 seconds.
- Then breathe out for 5.
- Repeat this 5 -10 times (more if necessary).
The goal is to centralize the body’s energy again so that the anger cannot spiral out of control. This breathing exercise helps to neutralize the anger and spread energy evenly throughout the body again.
It can be seen as a “quick-fix ritual,” but of course, the source of anger must be addressed in the long term.
Read this next: Breathwork for Releasing Negativity From Your Life
3. Bathing Ritual
What’s one of the best ways to put out the flames of anger? With water.
This is where a bathing ritual can be very effective.
You can have a bathing anger release ritual in the bath, shower, or even with a bowl of water in front of you.
When accompanied with essential oils or bath salts, this ritual can be even more effective. Clary sage and lavender are especially helpful during this ritual, as they calm the mind and stabilize your energy.
- Fill up your bath or bowl of water and add a few drops of essential oil (mixed with a carrier oil).
- Immerse yourself in the water (or your hands in the bowl).
- Breathe deeply.
- Let the anger release from your body while you feel the sensation of the water.
The cooling effects of water help to calm you down. You can do this in the shower, too, and repeat thoughts to yourself such as, “I release all anger from my body.”
Repeating this ritual several times a week can help to balance your energy on a more permanent basis.
Let Go & Take Control
Ultimately, the global pandemic has triggered a host of negative emotions within us. Many of us continue to struggle mentally, and anger is one of those emotions that threaten to overpower us.
The Buddha said a very famous quote about anger: “Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.”
Ultimately, anger hurts us more than anyone else.
It is a self-destructive emotion that benefits no one. While anger can contribute to higher adrenaline levels, which can sometimes give us the necessary courage, most of the time, its effects are negative. They have no benefit to ourselves or others.
Anger is a defense mechanism that proved very useful in the time of our Palaeolithic ancestors when they needed to protect their tribes from enemies. But in today’s world, this emotion can be extremely destructive and harmful to ourselves and those we care about.
We are the masters of ourselves without exception.
However, it is up to us to claim self-mastery and take control of the emotions that consume us. Our emotions are our responsibility, and the more we practice balancing ourselves - with the help of rituals such as these - the more we become the masters of who we are.
Related article: How to Confront People the Right Way
