Hello Friends! Thanks for visiting my blog <3
Yes! It’s the new calendar year 2024 already… and I know we’re always expected to make these resolutions and jump on the hype of the “New Year, New Me” bandwagon but let’s, just for a second, think about it another way…
It's Winter right now... and this time of year is about slowness, rest and regeneration.
Nature does not begin anything in the dead of winter. It’s a pause, a sleep of sorts - and as beings on this planet, it just doesn’t add up to try and force ourselves into “being new” at this time of year (probably another reason why those pesky resolutions don’t last beyond a few days!)
Whilst the changing of the calendar year can be a good prompt for leaving behind the overindulgence of the festive period and getting back on track in terms of health and self care, you don’t necessarily need to do it all in January!
When we tune into our innate nature and approach life with a regard for the cycles of Mother Earth, it makes sense to wait until the springtime, when energy and light is returning, to start pushing forwards with those bigger changes/projects/ideas…
You also don't need to implement huge changes in order to make a difference to your life… small changes can have huge effects with the passage of time so even one small improvement to the way you go about your daily life might have significant results without you needing to put tons of effort in! In fact, research seems to suggest that the smaller and more manageable your changes are, the more likely you will be to sustain them for longer and even build on them as time goes on!
And looking back over the past year is a great way to notice your steady progress (without necessarily having to implement the changes straight way - give yourself some thinking time!)…
Each new year I like to make a diagram of what I’d like to achieve in the coming year. No task/goal is too big or too small - it all goes on the list. And then, in the new year, I look back at last year’s diagram and I can see at a glance what I achieved, what I didn't, what I still want to work towards and what things I wanted to do last year that no longer align - those things can happily be left off the new year diagram whilst anything I want to carry forward can go in again for this year! (Some things have been on my diagram for a number of years and I'm no closer to achieving them, but it's ok - they will keep - as long as they're on there, I can keep revisiting them).
In the pagan Wheel of the Year, the year comes to its close on the Samhain Sabbat (also known as Halloween) as this is the time of the third and last harvest and the time when we settle in for the long winter.
Energetically this makes much more sense - like a baby is conceived and begins its life in the dark stillness of mother's womb, the seeds of the year are set down into the womb of our Great Mother Earth and we wait for the energy to build towards the rebirth of springtime.
So look out for those snowdrops - they're the loveliest indicator of the Earth's awakening... then, it's time to get out from under your blanket and crack on with your new stuff...
In the meantime, give yourself some grace, listen to your own needs and get some rest!
What do you think about New Year? Do you have a routine, a family tradition or a ritual? Do you like to ignore it or see it as insignificant? Or do you have another point of view you could share? I'd love to know!
Love and Light
Cheryl :: The Bohemian