QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Any ritual is an opportunity for transformation. To do a ritual, you must be willing to be transformed in some way. The inner willingness is what makes the ritual come alive and have power.”
—Starhawk
IDEA OF THE DAY
The end of the year is a time when ritual can feel especially grounding. The one I’m sharing below is something I’ve done for several years now. Whether I’m at home with family, traveling through Mexico, or in the middle of a silent retreat, I always make time for this special practice to close out the year and welcome in the new one.
Perhaps you already have a ritual you love, or you’re shaping one as you go. Either way, I invite you to read through this newsletter and see what inspires you as we move into the new year.
I usually do this ritual on New Year’s Eve, but you can do it whenever the moment feels right. The steps are outlined below; take a look and see what resonates with you. Enjoy!
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Joyna’s New Year’s Ritual
Step one: Create an environment that offers an opportunity for reflection
For me, this means cozy socks, a warm cup of tea, and my fake fireplace crackling in the background (I don’t have a real fireplace in my house, so I put a YouTube fireplace on my TV screen and it crackles for HOURS without me needing to add another log to it- it’s great!)
Step two: Gather your materials
-Journal & favorite pen
-Candles (two of a different color)
-Snacks
-Oracle Cards (if you have some)
-your favorite people or pets
-Whatever else you’d like to add to your ritual
Step three: Set your intention
What would you like to get out of this ritual? What are you hoping to let go of or create through this ritual? This will help set the mental space for you as you begin
Step four: Being the journey
1- Light a candle for releasing and write down all the things in the past year that you are ready to let go of. Keep writing until you feel you’ve written what you need to. If words don’t come to you right away, give yourself some time to just gaze at the candle and ask the question in your mind “What am I ready to let go of?” When you feel complete. determine what you want to do as a way to “shed” the year. It might mean burning the paper, storing it in a place to reflect on throughout the year, ripping it up and releasing the energy; whatever feels good for you.
2- Blow out the first candle, and light your second candle, a candle of welcoming in what you would like to bring forth in the New Year. Use the following prompts to help guide your writing: “What do I want to welcome in this year?” “What am I looking forward to?” (I really love this part of the ritual because I get to dream and visualize what I would like for the next year, without focusing on the “how”. It’s just about setting the intention and getting my words out on paper.)
3- If you are an oracle card kind of person, you can finish your ritual by pulling a card or two to set the theme for 2026. What is the energy that the year will bring forth? What is the overarching theme of your year? If you have the Animal Spirit Deck, there are guidelines for the ‘year ahead spread’- in which you choose a card for every month. You can do this all at once, or pick a card as the year carries on.
4- Do anything else that feels good for you.
Step five: Close out your ritual
Once you feel like you’ve got the best of letting go and welcoming in, it’s always nice to take a few moments to complete the process. For me, it’s taking a few deep breaths and connecting to gratitude. The gratitude to myself for making time to do this, gratitude for all the people I love in my life, and gratitude to the Universe for the magic it creates in my life. From here, I blow out the candle, give my loved ones a hug, and head to bed with a deeply connected mind and body that feels refreshed for the start of a New Year.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
This year will be special for me because…