Many Pagans create their New Year’s resolutions on Samhain. For the secular New Year’s Eve you might consider a ritual for letting go of the negative aspects of the year; a way to mentally and spiritually take a step toward moving on from the actions of others that have affected you and of letting go of the mistakes you’ve made and did your best to correct.
Before you begin this ritual, take a little time to reflect on each element and reflect on if you’ve really done the work to correct or move forward from the things you want to let go – as always, magic will happen when you do your part of the work.
A New Year’s Ritual for Letting Go
Items needed:
Pen or Marker
Something to write on
Select the item to write on carefully. It should be an item that is easily and permanently disposable. The disposal form should also be different than one you usually use to make wish magic. For example, if you use bubble soap to blow your wishes to the wind in the form of bubbles, do not use that as a way to get rid of your troubles for this ritual.
Examples of things to write on or for sending the negative away:
- Whisper the troubles into a bubble as you blow it away on the wind.
- Write it on toilet paper and flush it away.
- Write it on a piece of junk mail and add it to your recycling (best done right before you deliver your recycling or right before it’s picked up. Don’t leave it to linger in your home).
- Write it on paper and burn it.
- Write it on something that you can add to your compost bin, add it in, cover it with dirt and let it rot and become something positive and useful.
- Write it on a large leaf and throw it into a body of water to be washed away.
The ritual:
This ritual is best done in circle, as to not let any new negative energies attach to you as you work. Cast the circle in your favorite way, with the items you need at hand inside your space. Think about the things that you want to add to your list to let go of. Make sure that you have done the work to correct things to the best of your ability, be sure that you have made your apologies when it’s been necessary, be confident in the fact that you are ready to let these issues go. Spend some time giving yourself some positive reinforcement. Remind yourself that you are a good person who does your best and that no one is perfect. Tell yourself that everyone makes mistakes and it’s time to let them go and not dwell on the past. Strengthen your “shields” so that other people’s negativity can not so strongly affect you in the future.
When you are ready to do so, write down all the things that you want to let go of. You can write in great detail to get it all out of your system or keep it down to a few details to show the energy that it doesn’t matter to you anymore, whichever feels right to you. When you are done, say a small prayer to the deity of your choice to help you let go and to give you strength to be more positive in the coming year. Release your circle in your favorite way.
Dispose of the list in the way that you’ve chosen. From that moment on, if thoughts of these negative things creep into your thoughts, repeat the word “STOP” in your mind and consciously move your thoughts to something more positive, or repeat a chosen affirmation such as “I choose to live in a positive manner” or “I’ve let you go, you no longer have power over me”.
With your own work towards being more positive, and the help of your God/dess, you can create a more positive year in 2010!
Correspondences that might be helpful in your ritual*
Days of the Week / Moon Correspondences
- To banish negativity: Waning moon
- To avert negativity: Saturday
Stones
- To help end negative patterns: pearl
- To help improve negative self-image: rose quartz
- To help protect you from other people’s negativity: black tourmaline
- To banish negative energy: amethyst
Plants
- To help protect you from other people’s negativity: thyme
- To overcome negativity: ginseng
- To reduce negativity: ylang-ylang
- To return negativity to it’s origin: galangal
- To banish negativity: basil, cedar, cinnamon, rosemary, lavender
- To overcome negative patterns: macadamia nuts
- To protect yourself from the negative thoughts of other people: pennyroyal
- To absorb negative energy: onion
- For purification and cleansing: rue, sage, sulfur, thyme, witch hazel, rosemary, bay
Tools:
- To banish negativity: bell or gong
- To clear negativity: broom, rattle, censer
God/dess
- To consume negativity: Kali
- To create something positive from a negative situation: Atanea
- To end a negative situation: Sekhmet
- To make the best of a negative situation: Turrean
- To help clear negative energy: Maximon
Animals
- To help clear negative energy: frog
- To help protect against negative energy: butterfly
Foods for Purification and Cleansing
- Beer
- Eggs
- Garlic
- Lemon
- Salt
*As always, when working with any plants, tools, Gods and/or Goddesses, do your homework! Know who and what you are working with.
Sources of correspondence information:
Holland’s Grimoir of Magickal Correspondences by Eileen Holland
The Encyclopedia of Magickal Ingredients by Lexa Rosean
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