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Monday, January 13, 2020

2020 New Year Ritual

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

Every year I take a slightly different approach to releasing the previous year and welcoming the new one. Unlike years in the past, however, I decided not to make resolutions this year. Blasphemy, I know. I'm just tired of it and the work I feel that comes with it. Don't get me wrong, I have long-term goals and things I want to accomplish during my short life here on Earth, but I don't want to make resolutions any longer. I do, however, want to get a glimpse into what 2020 holds for me and make plans accordingly. That is where tarot comes in, with a bit of hedge riding thrown in for clarification.

To begin this ritual I took a nice warm shower. Showers are a really great way to quickly wash away negativity, the past, or whatever else you are trying to release. Unlike baths, showers move the energy away from your quickly instead of having you marinate in it. I'm sure that's exactly how you want to view your cleansing baths. Haha! During my shower, I visualized and reflected upon 2019. There were a lot of really great and a lot of terrible things that happened in 2019. Most of the bad happened right at the end of the year too, making it a little more difficult to remember all the great things that occurred. However, it's really important to remember the good over the bad and be grateful for those wonderful things. As I reflected on the good and bad, I let the stress of the bad and all the anxiety they caused wash down the drain. I didn't let the memories of those events go, however. Each anxiety-inducing, tear-jerking, scream-at-the-world moment is a moment to be learned from. You don't want to wash them away, never to think of them again. It's those moments that make us stronger.

After my shower, I added some items to my altar, laid out some candles and roses, and drew a salt circle on my bedroom floor. My altar was still adorned for Yule, but to it I added a dragonfly to aid in spiritual communication, amethyst to increase my psychic abilities, and howlite to bring clarity and insight. I also added a cup for juice and a slice of bread as an offering to the spirits helping guide me during this ritual.

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch, altar

In my circle of salt, for protection, I added 12 tea light candles, one for each month. In between each candle, I placed a rose for protection. While most people associate roses only with love and happiness, they are also potent and fierce protectors (think thorns). Once my circle was drawn and set up, I added my tarot deck of choice and an incense burner filled with mugwort incense to induce visions and increase psychic awareness and asked the spirits to join me in my ritual to provide guidance for the upcoming year. When ready, I sat down in the circle facing north and lit the first candle.

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

As the first candle burned, representing January, I began shuffling my deck until my intuition told me it was enough. I then spread the cards, hovering my hand over each until I felt compelled to draw a card representing January. Once the card was drawn, I began writing in my journal everything that came to mind while looking at the card. I stared into the candle flame, asking for guidance and clarification, and finally closed my eyes and entered into a moderate trance where I could receive any other messages the spirits needed to give me. I'm not so great at reading flames and smoke, but I am really good at receiving messages while in a trance. I wrote down everything and anything that came to mind, no matter how outlandish or simple it seemed. When reading, I moved to the next candle, repeating the same process until all the candles were lit, 12 cards were drawn, and my notes were taken.

When this initial reading process was finished, I picked up the guide book that comes with this tarot and began adding to the meanings I had associated with each card. For the most part, my previous notes were spot on and I'll have you know this is the very first time I have worked with this unconventional deck. However, the guide offered some questions that prompted me to look deeper into the messages, instead of just what was on the surface. When I felt I had divined all possible messages, I thanked the spirits for their help and invited them to partake in the juice and bread.

This was a very long ritual; I think it lasted almost 2 hours. Needless to say, I was super tired at the end of it and went outside to ground myself and feel the cool air on my face. I drank a glass of water and ate some food to help ground me as well and provide some much-needed energy.

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

Overall it was a fantastic and informative experience. I am still working out some of the details, but for the most part, I have a wonderful foundation to work with. Each month, I am drawing the card I originally pulled during this ritual and placing it on my altar, so you will likely see theses in my sabbat altars. By doing this, I get to see the card every day so it can remind me of my focus for that month. I was originally going to put together a little book or piece of artwork reflecting my entire year, but after thinking on it for the past 2 weeks, I decided the best way for me to be reminded of my path was to place the cards on my altar so they are the first and last thing I see each day.

So what does the year have in store for me? This is just a brief synopsis that I have put together and is by no means complete.

January: Integrity- stay true to myself and my beliefs; speak with conviction; I will be challenged this month and much decide if I should continue certain relationships (this is already happening and I am struggling to make a choice...that's the Libra in me)
February: Self- focus on self-love and self-care; its okay to be alone; chase dreams; break free from labels and chains; be wary of being too selfish
March: 6 of Earth- lead by example; give more than I take; take care of business now; have the strength and courage to persevere

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

April: Abundance- hard work pays off; windfall; new beginnings; give back to the community and to others
May: 2 of Fire- two heads are better than one; work together to accomplish big things; change is coming but with that change comes growth; there will likely be a power struggle this month; someone will come to help me overcome obstacles likely in the form of a spirit
June: Destiny- changes are in full force and it's going to get rough; time to break the chains and remember my dreams; ancestral healing; remember that no matter what life throws at me, I can handle it

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

July: 2 of Earth- balance (finally!); new beginnings; joy; compromise; remember to ask for help when needed; someone from beyond wishes to help me
August: Emotions- change is difficult; heed the message behind the emotions I am feeling and address them; remember this too shall pass; remember to laugh
September: Love- learn to love myself and others more fully but do not let love break you or control you; remain realistic, but open; pursue passions; ask "is this love or is this infatuation?"
October: 2 of Air- remember to keep learning; lessons repeat themselves until we learn them; possible loss; visit from a spirit

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

November: King of Earth- passion and richness; pay it forward; don't be lazy or misuse power; life is meant to be enjoyed
December: Healing- to be human is to be wounded; do not allow my pain to hurt others; shift attention and do not dwell on the past any longer; forgive (chord cutting ritual); possible illness

The resounding message is loud and clear: 2020 is going to bring about significant changes in my life and I have a feeling I know what they are related to. I know that I need to make a choice, or rather, several choices, that will define my future happiness and success. These choices and changes are going to be difficult, but worth it. They pertain to things I have been thinking about a lot lately, and I need to stop thinking about them and just do them.

ritual, witchcraft, new year, tarot, spell, hedgewitch

At the end of each month, I plan to go back and reflect on the card I drew and how it corresponded with that month and see if there are any additional messages I ignored or failed to act upon. I want to use these cards to grow and live my best life. That's not always going to be easy, but I know its worth all the work.

What did you do this year for your New Year Ritual? Did you gain any insights into what this year holds for you? Are you excited? Anxious? Ambivalent? Let me know in the comments below!


6 comments :

  1. What a beautiful ritual!! Love the idea of using Tarot to map out each month.

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  2. What deck is this? It's beautiful!

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    1. It is, isn't it? Its the Dreams of Gaia tarot deck. Not your traditional cards, but I honestly felt more connected to this cards than I do my Shadowscapes deck that does follow traditional tarot. I instantly knew what each card meant without having to look up a meaning. That's pretty powerful in my book!

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  3. Thank you for detailing your ritual; it was a pleasure to read about. I hope 2020 brings you everything you seek.

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    1. Of course! And thank you! I hope your 2020 is grand as well.

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