Spiritual cord cutting is a healing practice designed to release emotional, energetic or spiritual attachments that no longer serve your well-being. These attachments can form through relationships, experiences or unresolved emotions and may leave you feeling drained, stuck or unable to move forward.
In this guide, you will learn what spiritual cord cutting is, its benefits, when you may need one, and what to expect before and after the ritual.
Spiritual Cord Cutting
We all have an energy field that surrounds our physical body. This energy field overlaps with people around us. Depending on the nature of the relationship, the situation or events, there can be energy cords created. Strong connections—especially intense or painful ones can create energetic cords between people, experiences, or patterns. Over time, these cords can feel draining, keep you emotionally stuck, or interfere with personal growth. Cord cutting is meant to gently dissolve those ties, not in anger, but with intention and peace.
Cord Cutting Benefits
People turn to energetic cord cutting to:
Let go of past relationships or breakups
Release toxic or one-sided emotional bonds
Heal after conflict, loss, or trauma
Break cycles of guilt, fear, or dependency
Regain emotional clarity and inner balance
Stop leaking energy and come back to your own energy
How to do a Cord Cutting Ritual?
In the Mystery School Tradition, you will remain standing during the cord cutting ritual. The practitioner works with an athame, a sacred tool used to clear and cut away energetic cords. The ceremony focuses on gently cutting the cords that hold negative energy or emotions from past experiences. These cords are symbolically absorbed into incense, which is then allowed to burn to release what no longer serves.
The focus is always on release, forgiveness, and self-empowerment, not control over others or to encroach over the free will of other.
What a Cord Cutting Is Not
It doesn’t erase memories
It doesn’t harm the other person
It doesn’t deny emotions
It doesn’t cut the relationship with a person if you do not wish to – it just cuts the negative cords
It helps you keep the lesson while releasing the attachment.
Needing a cord cut doesn’t mean you failed, didn’t love deeply, or are doing something wrong. It simply means:
the lesson has been learned
the bond has served its purpose
it’s time to reclaim your emotional space
it’s time to move forward and progress
Cord cutting doesn’t erase connection or love. It usually feels like: “This no longer has power over me.”
In simple terms:
Spiritual cord cutting is a way to emotionally and energetically let go, heal, and move forward.
Even for people who don’t believe in energy or spirituality, emotional cord cutting can be understood as a psychological tool—a way to consciously process emotions, set boundaries, and move forward.
When do you need a cord cut?
You might consider a spiritual cord cutting when a connection, person, situation, or pattern continues to affect you even though it’s no longer active or healthy in your life.
Here are some common signs and situations where people feel a cord cut is needed:
Emotional Signs
You keep thinking about someone despite wanting to move on
Strong emotions (anger, guilt, sadness, longing) resurface repeatedly
You feel emotionally drained after thinking about or interacting with a person
You feel “stuck” in the past or unable to fully open to new experiences
Relationship Situations
After a breakup, divorce, or unrequited relationship
With a toxic, controlling, or codependent connection
When you’ve forgiven someone but still feel attached
When boundaries exist physically, but not emotionally
Internal Patterns
Repeating the same unhealthy relationship dynamics
Feeling obligated, fearful, or powerless around someone
Holding onto shame, resentment, or self-blame
Identifying with an old version of yourself you’ve outgrown
Energetic / Intuitive Signals
A sense that someone still has “access” to your energy or mood
Feeling pulled back into old habits or emotions without reason
A desire for closure that conversation hasn’t provided
How do you feel after a cord cut?
After a cord cutting, people often describe a mix of relief, clarity, and emotional lightness. They report feeling more like themselves and more whole. However, the experience can vary from person to person as we are all individuals with different experiences and it is important to let go of expectations.
Many people commonly feel, both immediately and over time:
Right After
A sense of release or “weight lifted”
Feeling calmer or quieter inside, a stillness
Emotional tiredness (like after a good cry or deep talk)
A noticeable lessening of obsessive thoughts
Sometimes tears—often from the relief of release, not sadness
In the Days That Follow
More mental clarity and focus
Fewer emotional triggers related to the person or situation
Feeling more grounded, centered, or present
Improved emotional boundaries
A return of personal energy or motivation
The reclamation of your space
Emotional Shifts
Less reactivity when thinking about the person
Memories feel neutral instead of charged
Compassion without attachment
A stronger sense of self, autonomy and sovereignty
What Can Also Be Normal
Not everyone feels instant peace. Some people experience:
Temporary sadness or grief (you’re releasing something that once mattered)
Old emotions surfacing briefly as they clear
A need for rest or reflection
This doesn’t mean the cord cut “didn’t work”—it often means healing is integrating.
How often do you need a cord cut?
There is no fixed schedule for cord cutting. How often you need one depends on the strength of the attachment, how long it lasted, and what is happening in your life now. Your practitioner will check in with you and always feel free to reach out.
Usually, One Is Enough (H3)
For many people, one intentional cord cut—done when they are emotionally ready and really want to release —is enough to create lasting release, especially for:
Past relationships that are truly over
Old situations you have already processed
Attachments you are consciously letting go of
When More Than One May Be Needed
You might feel called to repeat a cord cut if:
The connection was long-term or deeply intertwined
You still interact with the person (work, family, co-parenting)
New emotions surface as layers of healing unfold
Old patterns try to reattach during stressful times
In these cases, repeated cord cutting isn’t failure—it is maintenance and integration.
A Healthy Guideline
Not daily – that can keep you focused on the bond you’re trying to release. Only when something reactivates emotionally or energetically
Not compulsively – if you feel anxious without doing it, boundaries or deeper healing may be needed. Keep in touch with your practitioner and he or she will be able to recommend something further.
Many people find that:
Once is enough
Or once, then a gentle follow-up weeks or months later
A Helpful Sign You Don’t Need Another (H3)
Thinking about the person feels neutral
There’s no emotional pull or charge
Your energy returns to yourself naturally
In Simple Terms
You only need a cord cut when the attachment feels active again. If it’s quiet and neutral, there’s nothing to cut.
What to do after a cord cut
After a cord cut, the most important thing is to support the release so it can settle and stick. Think of it like clearing a space—you want to care for what’s left behind.
Here’s what usually helps:
1. Ground Yourself
Do something that brings you back into your body and the present moment:
Drink water and eat something nourishing
Take a walk, stretch, or breathe deeply
Rest if you feel tired
Cord cutting can be energetically and emotionally releasing, so grounding helps stabilise you.
2. Give Your Emotions Permission
Whatever comes up is okay:
Relief, peace, neutrality
Sadness or grief
Unexpected calm
Don’t judge the feelings or rush them away. Don’t hold on to them either. Let them pass naturally.
3. Avoid Re-Engaging the Cord
For a little while, try not to:
Revisit old messages, photos, or social media posts
Replay old conversations
Seek validation or closure from the person
This helps prevent the attachment from re-forming.
4. Reclaim Your Energy
Gently shift focus back to yourself:
Do something creative or joyful
Set a small intention for yourself (e.g., “I choose peace”)
Spend time with people who feel safe and supportive
Ask yourself: What feels nourishing now?
5. Set Practical Boundaries
If the person or situation is still in your life:
Be clear about limits (emotional, mental, time-based)
Keep interactions neutral and intentional
Protect your space without guilt
Cord cutting works best when supported by real-world boundaries.
6. Integrate the Lesson
Reflect—briefly, not obsessively:
What did this connection teach me?
What pattern am I choosing differently now?
You keep the wisdom, not the attachment.
7. Trust the Process
You don’t need to keep “checking” if it worked.
If emotions resurface, acknowledge them and let them pass
You don’t need to redo the cord cut unless the attachment truly reactivates.
This information is based on spiritual and energy healing practices and is intended for personal growth, development and reflection.
