As we enter the season of Autumn, watching the leaves and plants begin to die away, and the energy palpably shifting, it’s a potent time for being intentional and mindful, and Ritual is one of the best ways to do this tangibly.
For me, Winter Solstice (Dec. 21st) is the start of the New Year. We are currently making our way to the longest night, and at Solstice we will once again begin the journey back to the light. I love to use this time to create rituals to clear, invoke, complete and prepare for new energies.
Ritual can be anything and the most important thing is that it resonates for you, personally. Rituals are empty if doing something simply because someone said that’s how it must be done. I encourage you to begin finding rituals that resonate for you, but more importantly CREATING rituals that resonate for you.
Rituals can be done as many ways as your imagination can create them. They’re about intention and presence, and the tools you choose are totally up to you. I’ll share some tools and rituals that I like to incorporate into my journey.
Candles: I like to work with tall candles in glass so that they’re safe staying lit for long periods of time. I speak intentions into candles before I light them for the first time, and then each time they are lit after that, they’ll continue to vibrate those intentions into the space.
If I have a specific intention, I’ll write it down and place it under the candle, and then before lighting, I’ll speak into the candle my desire for these intentions to be made manifest. I’ve done this on behalf of myself and others.
I’ve also lit candles when I needed to feel supported. I call in my guides and ask for protection, support and for them to hold space for me with whatever my intention is. Then I light the candle and leave it lit, knowing that as long as it is lit, I have tangible support with me. I can actually feel the support of my guides more strongly when I do this, although they’re with me at all times.
Writing: I love to set intentions (aka New Year Resolutions) at the Winter Solstice and place them on my altar for the year. It’s so interesting to read them a year later and see what has manifested and how. I often see that things that did not manifest as I had written are often no longer necessary or desired, or they manifested differently then I expected.
Oracle Cards: Lots of my students work with oracle cards and draw them daily for insight. You can also pick a card and create a ritual around it, to more fully connect with the wisdom being shared through the cards from your guides. Setting the card under a candle to activate the energy of the intention is one way to more deeply link in. You can also set the card under a clear glass of water, allowing the intention and vibration to flow into the water before drinking it. You can place crystals on an oracle card and charge them with the intention, and you can even create a vibrational essence using the card under a bowl of clear water and then completing the essence just like you would a flower essence.
Meditation, Mantras, Movement, Breathwork… these can be rituals as well, as you bring consistency and intention to your practices.
The possibilities are infinite and these are only a few ideas to help get you started. The important thing is to allow yourself the time to be fully present, do something that is resonant for you, breathe and listen. Rituals can bring you more fully into your body, empower you to be present and support you in being the person you truly want to be.
Use this time leading to the Winter Solstice to work with ritual in your life, helping you to be more grounded and internal as we journey to the long nights. Prepare for your Solstice intentions now, by continuing to clear the blocks that keep you from fully living in love, and by creating ritual practices that open the energy of your life.
