A Ritual for the Child Within the Flame

The sun is high, but something feels tender.

A spark. A child. A truth too soft to burn.

We often forget that in the season of heat and harvest some parts of us still long to be held. To be rocked. To be told: "You don't have to be strong all the time."

This ritual is for that part.

The one you don't always show.

The one who remembers the first wound.

The one still learning to trust the fire.

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Tending the Child Within the Flame

You will need:

• A bowl of cool water

• A candle (or gentle light source)

• A soft cloth (a scarf, a square linen, etc)

• Anointing oil (serpent fire, quiet moon, or anything sacred to you)

• A small item that feels like "childhood" (stone, photo, toy, shell, etc)

Step One: Prepare your Space

Find a quiet space and dim the lights. Place your candle in front of you with the bowl of water beside it. Lay the soft cloth nearby and keep your sacred item close.

Sit with your spine supported and close your eyes.

Take three long deep breaths and say softly:

"I call back the one who still glows. The one who never stopped dreaming.

The one who waits to be held."

Step Two: Water and Oil

Dip your fingers in the water. Touch your cheeks, forehead, and your heart. As if wiping away tears or sweat. Then take your oil and apply it gently to your pulse points (wrists, behind ears, womb or belly).

As you do gently say: "You are safe now.

You are sacred.

You are seen."

Step Three: Witness the Flame

Look into the candle. Let the flame remind you of that child self. Flickering. Brilliant. Vulnerable. Hold your childhood item in your hands and speak to it like you would a small friend:

"What do you need to hear today?"

Listen. Write it down or just sit in silence. Allow the fire to keep watch.

Step Four: Close Softly

Pick up your cloth. Let it represent what you never received, and what you now offer yourself: care, protection, presence.

Wrap your sacred item in it or place the cloth over your heart with your hand on top.

Say softly:

"I see you. I claim you.

I carry you home."

Blow out the candle and whisper:

"As the fire dies down let it be lit in my heart.

The flame lives in me now."

Leave the cloth on your altar or tuck it under your pillow. Let it remind you that you are held. always.

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Why This Matters

Healing is not always loud.

Sometimes it's in the quiet moment at your altar

when your hands tremble and your heart opens

You are allowed to be soft, even in summer.

Especially in summer.

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If this ritual moved something in you, I invite you to share your altar, your flame, or your reflection by tagging @theserpentandtheseed.

And if you'd like to go deeper into this work. Join us on July 30 for a full cacao ceremony devoted to inner child healing and sacred reparenting.

Your fire remembers you.

Return to it.