by Deb Swingholm
Honey, raisins and apples served to ensure a sweet future. Breads and cakes baked with coins inside to symbolize prosperity. House cleansing rituals purge the home of disharmony and bad luck. Firecrackers, drums and cymbals frighten away evil spirits.
Each culture has its own timing and traditions that mark the ending of one year and the beginning of the new one. And, for many of us, the New Year will be fêted on January 1st. How will you celebrate?
You can easily find inspiration in the things your ancestors did to welcome a new year. Or, you can consciously create your own year-ending and year-beginning rituals. You’ll find this is a beneficial time to clean, re-organize and de-clutter. It is a great time to do a Space Clearing ceremony. It can be an excellent time for divination or personal healing rituals. And, it is a perfect time to reflect on your life and appreciate the journey.
This week I did a “Ritual of Reflection” – a review of the past year. I often enjoy this thoughtful process nearer to my birthday in the spring, but this year it felt appropriate to do now, following the Winter Solstice.
It is a simple thing to do this contemplative practice:
Set aside at least 30 minutes. Settle into a quiet, relaxed state and allow your mind to wander, going back in time through the year’s events. Begin to write. Longhand or typing, let the thoughts and recollections flow onto the page. Allow memories to emerge in whatever order they come (there is no need for your list to be chronological).
Consider all that occurred. What did you accomplish this year? What did you learn? What were the challenges? What qualities or skills did you gain? In what ways did you grow? What events and people did you encounter? Who entered or left your life? Consider the goals you realized, the lives you touched and the wisdom you acquired.
When doing this exercise, it is possible for strong emotions to surface. You might suddenly feel you are being boastful or arrogant. Or, you might feel sad or unaccomplished. Notice any emotions, then let them float away. Release any judgments and keep writing (of course, you may come back to these feelings later – they can offer insight and serve as a roadmap to places within that need healing).
You might also notice that it is easier at first to recall the “bad” things – short-comings, disappointments, unhappy events. These things have a way of hanging around in our psyches. Write them down and then look a little deeper, fully crediting yourself for what was accomplished, experienced, created or learned. It is important to acknowledge both the “good” and the “bad”. Success and failure. This kind of honesty creates a strong platform for clarity and inner growth.
Continue to write until you sense the list is complete.
When you are done, you can keep the list. It can be placed on your altar. Or, you can burn it, returning the cold ashes to the earth. To complete your ritual, you can also say a prayer, set an intention or make a wish for the coming year.
© Deb Swingholm, 2009. All rights reserved.
