End of Year Ritual to Release the Past and Welcome the New

This ritual appears in my new Ritual Journal eBook.

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Reflection brings us to closure. Closure allows the subconscious to allocate energy for the new. Let your December ritual be the opportunity your psyche needs to close out this year in preparation for the next. It’s best if you perform this ritual near the end of the month. (Like today!)

Prepare a sacred space at your desk or kitchen table, wherever you’ll be most comfortable for writing. Light a candle and set out some objects that feel special and/or inspiring. Have at the ready your journal, two strips of paper and a fire-safe container.

Begin by letting your mind wander over the past year. January... February... March... April... May... June... July... August... September... October... November... December...

What stands out in your memory? Achievements. Failures. Beginnings. Endings. Things you created. Experiences you’ve had. Feelings you’ve felt. People you’ve connected with. Relationships that have changed. Skills you’ve mastered. Lessons you’ve learned.

In your journal, jot down these memories in whatever order they come to you.

See if there are any themes connecting these memories. If there were an overarching “soul-theme” for this past year, what would it be? It could be... “Adventure”... “Cataclysmic Change”... “Amazing Grace”... “Slow and Steady Wins the Race”... “Taking Care of Myself”... “Love Conquers All”... “Freedom”... anything at all.

Once you’ve identified an overarching theme for your year, write it down on one of the strips of paper. Hold the paper in your hands with a mindfulness that this year is coming to a close.

Now burn the paper in the fire-safe container while saying or chanting:

Rhythms of earth, cycles of sun —
bless this year and all that’s done.
Wax and wane, ebb and flow —
I release what’s past and let it go.
I am free, open, clear —
Ready to welcome my new year.

After the last wisp of smoke from your burning paper has dispersed, pause with the full awareness of your closure. Have a deep breath and release it completely.

In the silence of completion, discover what emerges in your heart as a blessing for your coming year. This blessing could be a single word, an image, or a tumble of thoughts. If your heart-response is complex, use your journal to record the fullness of it, then choose just a few words to represent that complexity.

Write this new year blessing on the remaining strip of paper. Say it aloud, followed by these words:

Universe, hear my heart’s request.
Bring it in the way that’s best.

Blow out the candle you lit at the start of this ritual. Place the paper on your altar, in your day-planner or on your desk — some place you’ll see it when you do your new year planning.

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Blessings to you as you prepare for 2012.

If you are inspired by this ritual, you can purchase the Ritual Journal eBook at http://www.elkavera.com/ritualjournal.html.