I’m Still Here: A Ritual for Re-entry After You’ve Been Through Hell
by Jarvus Ricardo Hester, Editor-in-Chief, Mood Magazine NYC
Some of us didn’t bounce back.
We crawled.
We broke quietly. We survived slowly.
And we’re just now learning how to come back to life.
If that’s you, this ritual is for you.
I call it a re-entry ritual—for the moments when you’re not fully healed, not fully okay, but you are ready to return to yourself.
Not the old self.
Not the performing self.
But the self that survived.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
– A candle (white, gold, or whatever you have)
– A playlist (I suggest Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, or silence)
– A journal
– A glass of water
– A chair, floor, or safe space where you can sit with your truth
THE RITUAL
- Light the Candle.
Say these words aloud or in your heart:
“I made it. I am not who I was. I am not what happened to me. I am still becoming.” - Play Your Soundtrack.
Let the music stir something. Let it cry if it needs to. Let it dance if it wants.
Let it say the things you never had words for. - Write These Prompts in Your Journal:
– What part of me survived that I didn’t expect to?
– What’s one lie I used to believe about my worth?
– Who am I without the struggle?
– What will I never apologize for again? - Blow Out the Candle.
Say: “I return—not perfect, but powerful. Not finished, but full of grace.” - Drink the Water.
Slowly.
Let every sip be a symbol of cleansing.
This is your holy communion.
WHY THIS MATTERS
We are not just in recovery.
We are in resurrection.
This ritual is part of The Return Guide, my personal contribution to a healing culture that’s rooted in emotional safety, self-love, and the nervous system. This isn’t just self-care. It’s sacred. It’s survival with a soundtrack.
And in case no one told you lately—
You’re doing it.
You’re coming back to life.
You are still here.
That alone is worth lighting a candle for.
—
Jarvus Ricardo Hester
Editor-in-Chief, Mood Magazine NYC
Founder, The Return Guide & The In-Between
