A New Year often signifies new beginnings, doesn’t it? That is why people make ‘New Year’s Resolutions.’ (I’m not big on those…) Jim and I have a tradition in which we sit down on New Year’s Eve and write out three things:
- Looking over the year that is ending, we write down what we are most thankful for.
- Then, we write that which is our greatest hope, desire, wish, prayer… for the year ahead.
- We claim a statement that represents our desire for the year ahead: It might be a famous quote, a lyric to a song, a sacred scripture or text, or even something we have come up with on our own.
This ceremony sets the tone for the upcoming year and helps us to be intentional about what we’d like our reality to be as we step into the future.
We’ve even done this ceremony on Zoom and invited anyone to come! This year, you follow along with us and do the ceremony in your home with your loved ones, if you like. Here is a link to the ceremony video: https://app.membership.io/watch/9qp4WLLeqY
What You’ll Need for the Ceremony:
- Each person attending will need a small (preferably white) candle. You can find candles at most home stores, like WalMart here in the US, or Target… or online.
- One large candle, 3 to 5 inches in diameter. Again, we always use a white candle.
- Matches or a lighter.
- A large tin cookie sheet.
- A large metal or ceramic bowl. A FIRE PROOF BOWL!
- Paper and pen.
- A pitcher of water.
To Prepare:
- Set the big candle on the cookie sheet.
- Set the big bowl off to one side.
- Give each person their own small candle.
- Fill the pitcher and keep it handy in case flames get out of control.
First, each person writes out:
- All the YUK you want to leave behind from this year that is ending. What do you want to eliminate from your life? What do you hope to leave behind? Fear? Malice? Unhappiness? Loneliness? Conflict? Self-loathing?
- What they are most thankful for, what their hope is for the New Year, and a quote or statement or scripture or poem – whatever – that symbolizes that desire for the year ahead.
NEXT:
- Scrunch up the paper with all the YUK – Scrunch it HARD, into a tiny ball, and place it in the fire proof bowl.
- Save the other list.
THE CEREMONY:
- At your convenience – or nearing the end of the night – everyone gathers around the bowl and the cookie sheet and the candles.
- One by one, each person lights their YUK paper in the bowl. (Be careful! Keep the pitcher of water handy.)
- Once everyone has burned up the page with everything they want to leave behind, turn to the candles.
- Light the big candle, which represents The Divine, God, Jesus, Buddha, whatever you perceive the divinity in your life to be…
- One by one, each person stands and holds their little candle to the flame of the big candle to light it. That person then states their desires and gratitudes. Once they have declared their intentions, they put their small candle on the cookie sheet next next to the big candle.
- Do this one by one until everyone has shared their intentions. It should be close to midnight by now, depending on how you’ve timed it.
- Celebrate the New Year! Hugs! Food! Dancing! Whatever you do to celebrate, welcome in the New Year with joy.
I hope you find this way of welcoming the New Year to be as wonderful as we have found it to be all these years. It helps to be intentional about what we want to manifest in our lives.
Here’s to finding more love, compassion and joy in the coming year! May we continue to share the wonders of Consciousness with everyone we know. Together, we can raise the Conscious of the planet.
Much love,
