When you lose someone you love, it can be taxing on your mind and your spirit. A lot of societies have rituals to respect the deceased and keep the living safe. Even while each tradition has its own norms, many spiritual advisors, healers, and elders agree on one thing. You have to set fire to the dead person’s pillow.
What about the pillow?
It’s not only a place to sleep on the pillow. It gets energy from our ideas, dreams, and even feelings we don’t voice out loud. It’s where someone sleeps, cries, worries, and dreams every night. When someone dies, their energy doesn’t come back right soon. Some people feel it lingers around, especially in things like pillows that have a lot of emotional and spiritual energy.
People who are spiritual are frightened that keeping or using the deceased’s pillow could keep energy in your home. Some people have had very real dreams, strong feelings, or even the feeling that someone was always in the room. These things might not be bad for you, but they can make it harder to get over things and heal.
Not Just a Thought
In both Eastern and Western traditions, burning or throwing away some objects that belonged to the dead is a way to symbolize that their soul is still alive. Because the pillow is so close to the mind and spirit, it is quite sensitive. Some cultures say to burn it within 49 days of the person’s death, during the spiritual “transition period,” when the soul is supposed to be finding its way.
Letting go of things like this might help you mentally, even if you don’t believe in God. It’s a clear sign of independence. You tell yourself and the universe, “They’ve moved on, and so must I.”
What if you can’t set anything on fire?
If you live in an apartment or can’t burn goods for some other reason, you might want to try a different ritual:
Wrap the pillow in a white linen. White is a hue that represents tranquility.
Thank the person for their time with you by saying a prayer or words of release.
Throw it away or bury it distant from your home to get rid of it in a polite way.
The goal is not to destroy but to divide. This method encourages tranquility by giving the spirit a break and helping the living start to heal.
What not to do?
Don’t use the cushion again. You can provide emotional residue to someone else or use it yourself to get rid of it.
Don’t keep it just because you miss it. At first, it could feel fantastic, but after a while, it might make you sad.
Don’t hide it in closets or under beds. Things that are hidden can make your area seem uncomfortable or get in the way of your feelings.
Final Thoughts
There is no one perfect technique to deal with loss since everyone is different. yet if your home feels heavy or your grief process seems to have come to a halt, you might want to try this simple yet effective approach. When you burn the pillow, it’s not about forgetting; it’s about letting go.
Sometimes, the first step in healing is letting go of the one object they held every night.