A ritual to inspire radical change of the self

Before the eclipse, prepare ashes of cedar and mesquite wood

Make a pitcher of the following and be sure to charge under the sun for several hours. (Do not drink!)

water

rosemary for mental power and motivation

bay leaf for manifestation 

sage for wisdom

lavender for peace and acceptance 

cinnamon bark for personal strength 

comfrey for protection during transition 

Prepare three offerings of your choosing for the sun, moon, and earth.

Just before the eclipse, invite the mind, body, spirit to the ceremony

"I invite the Human Spirit in the form of the Sun, the Human Mind in the form of the Moon, and the Human Body in the form of the Earth to witness this ceremony. As these three celestial bodies align, I offer the following gifts in exchange for your favor." 

Present the offerings. 

"I ask the Earth, the body, to nurture me and guide me through this time of transformation as you have always done."

As the eclipse begins, use the ashes to draw a dark circle on your forehead and say,

"I ask the Moon, the Mind, as you eclipse the sun, let your shadow pass over me and carry my old self with you when you depart."

Meditate on the aspects of yourself you are letting go of, visualize yourself releasing these things, picture yourself as an empty vessel, a clean slate.

As the sun begins to appear say,

"I ask the Sun, the Spirit, as you return, let your light shine on me and grant me the strength to manifest my best self. " 

Pour the water over your face, letting it wash the ashes away. 

What happens when I die?

Firstly, the body will be attended to by various humans, both ones who loved you and complete strangers. You should come to appreciate these strangers while you are alive and still capable of thinking. They will gather, mourn, and do their best to remember you throughout their own short lives. Perhaps they will pass on your memory for generations, perhaps not. Eventually, ‘you’ as you were during your lifetime will be forgotten. 

Meanwhile, the body will rot. The earth will take back the nutrients she gifted you and you will become food for fungus and insects. They will become food for plants and animals and they, too, will rot. While forgotten, your body will live on like this in the circle of life, as an endless and holy part of the Earth. Take comfort in this. 

The mind, the self as you have come to know it, will cease to exist without the body's energy to power it. However, you will find in death you have little use for the self. You will not feel, think, want, need, or experience. This concept may scare or disturb you, but remember that this is the state you existed in during the eternity before you were born into your body. It's not a change, but a return to your original state. Before you were born, were you afraid? No. You weren't anything at all. 

Technically, a religion of my own creation, though more accurately it's just my interpretation of the world around us.

It is built on three simple concepts.

All human souls are immortal, and exist outside of space and time, woven together into a collective called the Great Tapestry.

The Human Spirit is the combined will, wisdom, and divine power of that collective.