Why You Don't Feel Like Reinventing Yourself In January...

Hello friends.

A new year. 2026. I guess the changing of the calendar does carry a lot of weight in our lives whether we like it or not. We’ve been working inside this system for a long time; long enough that, even against our better judgement, we are conditioned to see January 1 as the start of something new.

But innate nature tells a different story. We can feel this in our bodies, if we listen.

I was thinking, the one good thing about New Year being so close to Christmas is the liminal moment we get between the two… those few days where time and space seem to blur as many of us are off work and we get the chance for a proper rest.

This dark, liminal space is an important portal for change. The mind shifts gear, slows down, turns inwards. Time seems to become more abstract and focus changes from the outer world to the internal landscape where discoveries are waiting to be made.

But it’s not a time for action. “Rest and digest” is the key energy here. Once we reach New Year’s Day, the overindulgence of the festive season draws to its end and everything is closed on this day, providing a real opportunity to recover.

This is a sacred pause. Doing something by doing nothing. Doing nothing with intention. The intention of pausing to notice.

And this energy extends into the rest of January just like the slow creep of frost over glass in the middle of a winter’s night. It started after Samhain, as the seasons changed and the darkness deepened. We began our process of Wintering and it’s really not time to come out of our cosy dens just yet.

Once upon a time, the calendar used to start in March, in springtime, until Julius Caesar introduced his calendar in 46 BC. I have to be honest, I started researching into the evolution of our calendars for this blog but it’s a rabbit hole I didn’t feel like going down… all I know is, the dead of winter isn’t a time for new starts. Our bodies and minds just don’t work that way. No matter how much we try to fight it, winter is a slow time, a time of inner reflection, and the restoration and conservation of energy. How often have you tried and failed with your New Year’s Resolutions? And does this have to be the one and only time in the year we think about fresh starts?

Simple answer to this: no, it doesn’t.

Let me invite you to explore a few other options for “fresh starts” that don’t coincide with the hanging of a new calendar. These are all very different opportunities, which I tend to make use of based on my own knowledge and lived experience. As with everything I share with you, take what resonates and leave what doesn’t!

Your Own Birthday

Another personal rotation around the sun is significant to you. This is a great time to implement changes, initiate new life-phases or leave out-dated ideals behind you.

The Lunar New Year

Next month, we make a mighty shift from the year of the Wood Snake to the year of the Fire Horse according to the Chinese Lunar Tradition. So you still have a few more weeks of energetic shedding to do yet before the snake cycle completes and the lunar new year begins on February 17. It’s actually pretty powerful to acknowledge this phase of shedding and even if you try to ignore it, the potency will still be working on you until the process is done. The moon exerts a powerful influence over us as she makes her journey through the skies.

The Astrological New Year

Aries season marks the start of the zodiac cycle and the astrological new year and that doesn’t roll around until 20 March! Aries: the Ram, a cardinal sign in the element of fire, is a powerful force. Cardinal signs are action-oriented, leaders and initiators of ideas. Coupled with the fire element: action-based and motivational, this energy could not be more perfect as a catalyst for the creation of a “new you”. Whatever you’ve got brewing, if it’s meant to be, it will wait until March!

As an aside: March is named after Mars, the god of War, so that really just adds to the great power of this transition.

Every Pagan Sabbat

8 times per year, if it’s your thing, you get the chance to refocus on a different aspect of your life. Each Sabbat holds a different power so you don’t just have to choose one or to observe them all to the same intensity. You can dive deeper in at the times that most suit the energy you want to create. You have all these to choose from: Imbolc (February), Ostara (March), Beltane (May), Litha (June), Lughnasadh (August), Mabon (September), Samhain (October) and Yule (December). You can see my individual blog posts about the Wheel of the Year if you want to know more about each sabbat.

Each New Moon

Just like the Sabbats, each Lunar cycle is powered by a different energy, depending upon the time of year and the astrological sign the moon is sitting in each time she begins anew. Sometimes that cycle’s energy is exactly the catalyst you need but if it’s not, it’s ok to let it roll by with no ceremony at all.

There are 13 Lunar cycles every year so that’s 13 available opportunities for growth and change. Take as many as you need. No-one checks!

Every Monday

Each week is a new start... instead of seeing it as “another week of same old same old”, grab the opportunity to begin afresh.

By the way, you can choose whichever day you want... doesn’t have to be Mondays:

Monday is the day of the moon - soft, feminine energy.

Tuesday is Tyr’s day - a brave Norse God of  war and justice, adjacent to Mars, the Roman war god.

Wednesday is the day of Woden - Anglo-saxon god, adjacent to Odin of the Norse pantheon: the Allfather and also the Roman god, Mercury.

Thursday is Thor’s day, a Norse god of immense protective strength and power.

Friday is Freyja’s day, also known as Frigg, Norse goddess of love and beauty, Odin’s wife and adjacent to the Roman goddess Venus.

Saturday is the day of Saturn, the Roman god of time, wealth and agriculture.

The final day of the week is Sunday, the day of the Sun, our life-giving, nourishing and sustaining central star.

What energy do you need in order to create the change you’re working towards?

Every. Single. Day.

Of course it sounds a bit cringe, but each time you wake up, you really do have the chance to make changes, shift your perspective or do things differently.A daily intention-setting and moment of gratitude is a good place to start... but you might just wake up one random day, decide “today’s the day”, and make it happen! You don’t need to wait for some special occasion to become the new you.

Your life is limitless... look further than the horizon and imagine yourself wherever you would like to be!

Wisdom from the Past Year

Since this is a time of reflection, I’ve been looking back on 2025 and recognising some of the hard lessons I was faced with. What did I learn? Where did I grow? Who have I become?

I’m sure you don’t want all the gory details of my lessons and I’m still not quite ready to share some of the experiences I’ve had. In truth, I’m still processing much of it (I’ve got until February to complete my shedding, remember!).

All I’ll say is this: in 2025, I experienced deep and agonising losses and grief, disappointment in people I’d looked up to, profound loneliness at times and moments of disorientation and a complete lack of direction. I’ve experienced a breakdown of my personal identity and many moments of loss of self-confidence and purpose.

I’ve felt as though I had to carry everything and found the strength and determination to do it, too. Hard as it has been, I did it. So I’ve recognised my power, met myself and many of my flaws and gifts and I’ve understood myself in a much deeper way.

I’ve also witnessed the beauty of human compassion. At times, I’ve felt heard and seen like never before. I’ve experienced genuine love and care for my wellbeing from the most unlikely of places and recognised the depths of magic available through being part of a true and solid community. I’ve built a community for myself, as a person who has often felt like an outcast in life, and found belonging there. I’ve been able to hold space for people to open themselves up to deep healing and in so doing, I’ve been able to let myself be held by trusted souls whilst on my personal journey, too. In finding my own strength, I’ve found fresh ways to connect to my loved ones and special people and, because of that, I feel as though I’ve helped them find new parts of themselves too.

I’ve allowed myself to loosen my death grip on control, and I’ve benefitted from not taking things personally when things or people don’t behave as I would like, releasing expectations and letting things go when it’s appropriate to do so. I’ve gained deeper understanding of how I can only control my own actions and not the responses or reactions of others and allowed this realisation to settle into a sense of peace within myself. I’ve finally understood that I’m not responsible for the life experiences of those around me, any more than they are responsible for mine. And this has allowed me to speak my truth and be my most authentic self.

Through the stress and heaviness of this year, I've experienced my body's rejection of pace and burden and I've come to know rest, not as a luxury, but as a necessary measure against burnout and breakdown. Not something to be earned but something that must happen as part of a normal way of living. This has led me to re-evaluate my priorities in a big way and understand what is truly important to me.

And none of this happened on New Year. It certainly didn’t happen all at once on some arbitrary date.

These changes, shifts, realisations and breakthroughs came when they were needed. 365 days, every one of which held the possibility of reshaping who I am and who I am becoming.

So you see? You don’t have to do it all in one go because there’s no deadline to your personal development. Take things one step at a time. Move at your own pace and hear your own intuitive wisdom. Small, achievable changes can create seismic shifts over a period of time, even (and especially) the ones you don’t plan for. You’re in it for the long game, remember!

I wish you all the best for 2026 and I’m here for you, every step of the way.

With love,

Cheryl