What do you feel?
Have you noticed how quickly we often forget our New Year’s resolutions? As a year comes to its end, we begin thinking -- maybe even dreaming -- about our future, the things we are happy to leave behind, and our hopes and aspirations for the year ahead. It’s easy to get carried away by this process, especially if our fantasies take over. We need to dream. It’s how we grow and connect to our deepest desires. But, if we want to realize our dreams and aspirations, and implement real change, we need some pragmatism or at least one foot on the ground to do the things we need to do in order to make them happen. I want to help you support your good intentions and resolutions for 2021.
That’s why I’m sharing a New Year’s ritual with you this week to help you cleanse yourself of what you want to eliminate from your life and affirm the things you want to bring to it. You are probably wondering why I’m sending this ritual now when the New Year has already begun. Well, that’s because the New Moon is the best time to initiate beginnings. It’s auspicious to begin something on the first New Moon of a New Year rather than on whatever day the 1st of January falls on.
This first New Moon of 2021 is Wednesday, January 13th. I want you to benefit from this day’s extra power and energy to realize your dreams and resolutions for the year ahead. So, here is what you need to do and preferably you will start it before the date of the New Moon.
1. Find a calm, quiet place, preferably in your home, where you won’t be disturbed. Draw the curtains and dim the lights. You can also light a candle. Have several sheets of paper and a pen by your side.
2. Sit down and get comfortable. Breathe deeply until you feel relaxed and let your mind drift over 2020. Think about the things you were able to do during that very unusual year. Write down your achievements and the things that gave you pleasure. Don’t judge yourself. It was a difficult time for many of us and in many ways our lives were curtailed.
3. On a second sheet of paper, list the things you want to go after or invite into your life in 2021. Be as detailed and clear as you can with your intentions. When finished, put these two pieces of paper in a safe place, like the back of a drawer. This is the first part of your Resolutions, which you will want to keep safe and somewhere you will be reminded of the things you want to work on.
4. Cathrine, the next step is about letting go. Most of us have habits we’d like to break, such as negative thought patterns that hold us back. Or perhaps there is an emotion you can’t let go of, one that no longer serves any purpose other than to bring you down. Write the things you’d like to remove or eliminate from your life. Once finished, put this paper somewhere safe.
5. Then on Wednesday, the 13th, see if there is any additional info you’d like to add to complete your lists. Congratulations for setting your dreams and intentions for 2021 as well as clarifying all that you want to eliminate from your life during the year!
6. Now you are ready for the last step, which ideally takes place on the evening/night of the 13th. You want to destroy or get rid of your elimination lists. However, you need to do this safely. If you don’t have access to a fireplace or firepit, you can also tear or cut the lists up into many pieces, the smaller the better. As you get rid of them, say out loud or silently, “I no longer need ………… in my life.” Think about all your negatives going up in smoke or being thrown away.
7. Meanwhile your wish list is gathering strength in its safe place! Take it out to review every few weeks to make sure that you're doing your part to make your wishes and dreams come true. You may need to set little goals for yourself to break the work down into manageable steps. Be realistic about what you can do and how many of these dreams you can work on at one time.