Cutting the Cord
Do you remember those old house phones we used to have? Remember having to actually hang up the phone rather than just tapping “End Call”?
Imagine you had a phone call on one of those old phones with a friend. And at the end of the call, you both said your goodbyes...but neither of you hung up the phone.
All day if you passed by your phone, you’d hear little bits and pieces of their conversation and whatever was going on in their household. And they’d hear yours. You’d still be connected, even if you didn’t mean to be.
Energetic cords are kind of like that. With every conversation, every social media post you read, every text, every interaction, you create an energetic cord with someone.
Maybe you read someone’s emotional Facebook post. You close the app, but it pops up in your mind a few times. You find yourself feeling a bit tired. Maybe even emotional. This is just one example of how energetic cords can affect you.
Some people are afraid of cutting cords, because they like the people they’re energetically tied to and don’t want to cut them out of their lives. Cutting the cord has nothing to do with whether or not you like someone. They can still be a huge part of your life. In fact, you can even have a stronger energetic cord - a cord of love - that ties you to that person in a healthy way. Cords of love can never be broken.
When I visualize cords of love, I remember that scene in Hercules where Hercules is swimming through the River Styx to save Meg and the Fates are about to cut his thread, but suddenly it turns solid gold because he’s a god now and immortal. That’s how I imagine cords of love.
The Fates attempting to cut Hercules’ thread of life.
Other energetic cords are different. You can imagine them however you’d like. I visualize them as little spider web-like strings that attach me to others. You could also see them as ropes pulling you in all different directions.
At the end of the day, and even just at the end of twenty minutes or so scrolling through social media, we are covered in these energetic cords. We carry cords from past lovers, old friendships, coworkers, and even people we see on social media.
The biggest problem with these cords is that they’re sticky. They muddy up your energy so that it’s difficult to tell if the fatigue or anxiety or sadness you’re experiencing is yours, or someone else’s. They are exhausting. And they make it difficult to focus.
So how do we cut these cords?
The Ritual
The cord cutting ritual can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like. It’s recommended to do this ritual frequently. At least each night before you go to bed. You may also do a brief version of this after every interaction - especially emotionally charged ones.
First, get into a sacred space. If you have a sacred space or altar in your home you can certainly use that. You can also set up a sacred space by lighting a candle, burning incense or sage, or by calling in your guides, ancestors, or the Four Directions.
Next, sit in meditation a moment. Get grounded and present. Visualize the cords you’d like to cut. Imagine them however you’d like, as spider webs, threads, ropes, or anything else that comes to mind.
Then, imagine a tool you can use to cut these cords. You could see a beautiful pair of golden scissors, an elaborate sword, a light saber, a steak knife, or any other tool that suits your imagination.
See yourself holding this tool and make cutting actions all over your energetic field. See yourself cutting through every last cord until your energy field is free, clear, and truly yours.
Then visualize yourself gathering up all of the cords. Give thanks to these cords for the connections they gave you. Express gratitude for your ability to connect energetically in this way. And then see yourself burying these cords deep into the earth. Allowing the earth to transmute them and use them to grow something marvelous.
Energy is sticky. Either wash your hands with cool water, or dust your hands off like you’re shaking off dirt.
At this point I like to sit and feel my clear energy field. Get familiar with how you feel without attachments. So that when your energy feels muddy, you’ll remember to do this ritual again.