Journey of Hearts 

One method that can be helpful to get to the point of being able to let go of a loss, is to do something symbolic...literally create a "letting go, be it a gesture, a release or a ritual.
There are many different possibilities, I have included a few.
The act of letting go, requires imagination. Somehow, either imaging or otherwise the old emotions...sadness, loss, depression, anger, denial, self flagellating, injustice... must be "placed" into a gesture or a ritual, the release of that object takes on a new significance. As the object  leaves our site, symbolically, then so does the emotion that  we are trying to be rid of.

Symbols of "Letting go" include:

Releasing Balloons - with or without messages.
(A note of caution: mylar balloons cannot be released around power lines, due the potential damage to the electrical wires that can occur)

As you watch the balloons fly high out of site,
feel them taking away the problems,
and the unwanted emotions.
Let the old problems be cast into the air,
and secret messages of hope be heard by the wind.

Butterflies are symbols of joy and happiness. They are thought by many cultures to be are messengers of the soul. Whisper a wish to a butterfly to make the wish come true.

Doves can be symbolic of souls recently departed, leaving the earthly plane for more lofty heavenly planes.

Start by finding a good stone, one with a color, shape, texture and weight that appeals to you.

Then, visualize the part of you that needs to be banished, the problem that is bothering you, the emotions that you wish to be rid of, and focus this energy as entering the stone.

See the problem, see it leaving you and entering the stone.

When you can no longer focus any more energy, make sure all negative feelings have been transferred to the stone then
...throw the stone:

Into a fire - but caution, it may explode
Into the air
Into the water

The problem is symbolically released as the stone leaves you.
It is done.

Release feelings - Native American Indian Tradition

This technique is not recommended for pyromaniacs or young children. However, it is a common one, also endorsed by "Friends," in their Valentine's Day episode, and "Waiting to Exhale," although this reference is borderline revenge. There is much debate within the counseling field whether revenge or forgiveness should be the primary motivator.

First, cut, tear or shred old letters, tests, rejection notices, poems, photographs or documents, clothes....whatever is is that you want to be rid of.

Second take the pieces of bad news, old letters, reminders of the past and place them in a pan, a fireplace, an outdoor fire pit and then light them burning, torching, incinerating, cremate the pieces of bad news.
I find it very healing  watching the words of love (or rejection) slowly burned away, eliminated by the glowing flame. In the case of past relationships, or lost goals I see the flame destroying the passion or the desire that once burned inside of me (for the person loved, or the goal being striven for). The flame burns the last traces of whatever physical evidence was left of the relationship, or past disappointment, and as the flames die away, I  can project that the emotions will be extinguished, eliminating both physical and emotional traces of whatever was.
Many choose to end the ritual here, however in certain circumstances there is need for a third step.
 

Third, returning ashes to ashes.

In special situations, those that have been particularly painful,  in order to finally "let go," and literally and figuratively eliminate all traces of what was,  there is one final step.
After burning old letters or poems, I would take the ashes, carry them to a water source and scatter them in a stream. Scattering the ashes on the water, returning remnants of old memories, hurts and disappointments, watching them be carried down the stream then for once and for all, being done. This cleansing ritual rids me of past grief and losses and I can move on.

On Imagining 
For nearly a decade after his death, no matter where I was, I had my own grief ritual to deal with the death of John Lennon. On the anniversary of his death, I would light the same candle, focus on the burning flame, play this song, and "Imagine." I would imagine a world that could be better, where things could be different. I would reflect, remember, dream and hope.

On Remembering
During my first year of medical school, I created a ritual of thanks, and of remembrance. I had written a story about my experiences with dissecting a cadaver. Once the quarter was over, I wanted to have some way of expressing my thanks for the teaching experience we had had, learning from the human body. I wanted a way of acknowledging the gift we had been given of knowledge.
I remembered an episode of "Beauty and the Beast" that I had seen several years before where a member of their community had been killed. In getting over their grief, they all wrote letters to their deceased friend, and then burned them in a large fire, symbolically sending the messages up to the heavens.
This was the ritual that I chose to honor my cadaver. I took a copy of the story that I had written about "Joseph" and a red rose, both to be burned with him when the remains were destroyed. I am told the story still is in the Anatomy syllabus at U.C. Davis and I believe that the story of my ritual is also there.

On Letting Go  A New Year's Eve Release
This past New Year's Eve, my husband and I created a new way of bringing in the New Year, by letting go of the past year's bad memories and experiences.
We sat in front of a warm fire, writing down a list of things that had happened during the year, that we wanted to be rid of, the bad memories from the past year, or years before, that still haunted me. I wrote out the list, then tore it into pieces and tossed the pieces onto the fire to watch them burn. As I watched the flames consume these bad memories, I experienced a release of tension from my body and a clearing of old feelings.
After the bad list was gone, we created a good list of our hope, our dreams and wishes for the new year.
As the flames burned away the hopes and dreams, a single spark was released into the air, up the chimney...taking the dreams into the air, taking them away on the wind...a spark of hope for the New Year.