The New Year is as much a symbol of birth as it is death. We close one cycle and transition into the next. This New Year, we encourage you to honour all that was last year, as well as plant seeds of intentions that will bloom in the year ahead.
Creating your own ritual around the ending of one year and the beginning of the next is a way of honouring the cyclical nature of your life. It can create much needed space, and bring clarity to what truly aligns with your heart.
To practice your own ritual, set aside alone time and create your sacred space. Sometimes all your need to do this is sweep the floor and play soothing music. Candles, crystals and incense are great but are not necessary. You need time, love in your heart and the willingness to site with yourself.
Gathering
The gathering is a sacred honouring, and journaling is a great tool for this process. Write to yourself, or the world at large, acknowledging all that happened this year. All that is and all that was. What were the highs and lows, and the smaller moments in between that enriched your everyday life.
We gather it all - the joys, sorrows, gifts, pain and everything in between. Reflecting on the inner feeling and guidance that comes when we look the year past. This inner feeling and guidance is our compass to reflect on what needs to be released, and what lessons (often learned in those painful moments) do we want to carry forth into the coming year.
There will be wisdom and strength found in many of those hard times. So this is not just about releasing anything negative which comes up, but often looking at which aspect of an event, relationship, or way of being that we want to release, and which parts we want to transmute and carry forth with gratitude for the wisdom earned.
Release
Create a list of that which you want to release and cleanse yourself from this year. Habits, patterns, out-dated modes of thinking, relationships, events, etc. Perhaps there are small parts of yourself you are ready to release. A good question to help you navigate through it, is to ask yourself "does this drain me or sustain me?"
Write a letter to yourself, the universe, God, or life, with praise for the release. For example, if you are releasing a past intimate relationship from your life, you could use the words "I am so grateful to release my relationship with (name) from my life, thank you for the lessons", instead of "I want to release my relationship with (name) from my life". The first example is affirmative, happening, bringing you back to your own personal will. Releasing this person is something you have control over, and you aren't seeking that will or permission to release from something external. Write with gratitude, for what you will to release will be done.
You can burn this paper, tear it or bury it in the ground with thanks.
Creating Space
We release not only to create space for the intentions we are about to set, but also for the unknown. It's important to try and have room in our individual lives for life to enter spontaneously. Room for new and surprising opportunities to come to us. Room for the mystery to unfold.
This new space is fertile. Breathe into it. Take a few moments to slow down and feel into this space. To feel your heart expand into it. Infusing it with the love inside you, your natural state of being. Sink into it and fill it with light.
Intentions
Thinking to the year ahead, what kind of energy do you want to call into your life? What does the energy of the relationships you want feel like? The kind of energy you want to have at work and at home? The kind of balance you want to create? The kind of love you want to nourish within yourself and share with others?
What kind of opportunities do you want to call in? What resources are you desiring? What kind of support, and healthy habits do you need?
A nice prompt can be to ask yourself "what resonates with me?". This brings you back to your sovereignty. It helps to keep you in alignment with what is most important to you - not society, your family or your neighbours. What really resonates for you? What do you feel called to?
To help you dare a little more greatly, you could also explore these questions:
"what is worth doing, even if I failed?"
"What do I feel calling me, even if it doesn't make sense?"
"What would I like to do if fear, guilt and shame were not part of the decision?"
"If I trust that all will be well, what would I like to do?"
Write your list of intentions and meditate on them for some time. For added accountability, consider sharing them with a friend or loved one. Print some of them out and keep them in places you'll frequently see them. And again, write these out as if they have already happened. For example, "Thank you, for the opportunity to explore my creativity through painting and ceramics."
It is important to release good intentions too, trusting that what you have planted will occur, so you can also burn this paper if you feel called. Knowing that with pure intentions and love in your heart you will be walking your path to greater alignment in your inner and outer worlds.
We wish you a beautiful new year, filled with hope, balance and joy and a little spontaneity thrown in.
Words by Kirilly Dawn