Mary Shutan 2026 ©

From the Lecture at Witchcon February 22, 2026

Basic Cord Cutting and Altering Protocols

Version One 

For when you want to work on cords without a specific person in mind

1. Set the intention that you wish to sense and see relevant cords
2. Do a body scan, starting at the feet and going up to the head and down the arms
3. Notice during your body scan where you intuitively stop, pause, or sense something
4. Ask your body, of these options (the areas that you have noticed) which should you focus on today
5. Now, imagine a cord is there. Do your best here. What might it look like? What might it feel like in your body? What does the anchor or hook into your body look like?
6. Now, question the energy dynamics. Is there a lot of energy coming in and not much going out? Is there equal energy flow? Is there no energy flow?
7. You may get a sense of who this cord is too. You may not. It is not important for effective cord work to know exactly who cords are to. It is more important to have healthy, flowing cords.
8. Get a sense of if this cord would be best cut (released entirely) or altered
9. For simple cords with people you are energetically and emotionally done with, they will not have much resistance to releasing. For cords that are more complex, they may require altering.
10.  Bring in light or if you are in relationship with an appropriate spirit, deity, or energetic presence, call in their presence to support.
11. Remember, energy follows intention. You sensing and seeing this cord will naturally bring it closer to health. At this point you will also ask the cord itself to shift and change, then the anchor, and then the energy dynamics.
12. If the cord is willing to simply dissolve or be removed and it is the correct decision to do so (knowing that cords will simply grow back with people we are in relationship with), ask for either light energy or the appropriate deity/spirit to dissolve or remove the cord entirely.

Version Two

When you know the person that you want to work on cording with.

1. Set the intention that you want to find the cord to this person.
2. Follow the instructions above (body scan, #2-6)
3. When bringing gentle focus to the cord, ask how old it is. It may surprise you, but one of the ways that we get stuck in our relationships is developing a cord that may be many years old.
4. Ask the cord what emotions are keeping it from not flowing well.
5. Ask the cord if there is anything that you need to release (emotions, beliefs, patterns, etc.) to release or alter the cord
6. Follow instructions #8-12 above

In both versions, you will want to end with gratitude as well as reevaluating the cord. How does your body feel, how has the cord shifted in appearance or energetics. 

Don’t push things too far or expect absolutely everything to resolve after doing this once with more complex or toxic relationships. But if done well, things should either feel different, lighter, or on some level there will be a sense of a shift.

The biggest thing about this work is to see the results! 

You may not be confident (yet) in this work but over the next few days, weeks, or months you will notice a shift in your relationship with those you still interact with and feeling freer or thinking about people less whom you no longer have in your life.

For more information I would recommend my book, The Complete Cord Course (by Mary Mueller Shutan)