“The world is unfathomable. And so are we. And so is every being that exists in this world” ~ Carlos Castaneda
What a powerful moment this is: we are crossing to a new year cycle filled with gratitude and awe for our lives. What lessons did you experience in 2017? What triumphs? What failures?
We have been recapitulating and reflecting upon our 2017 experiences and we just had a wonderful FREE ONLINE CELEBRATION last Saturday.
Also, we are sending you below the NEW YEAR’s RITUAL our teacher Carlos Castaneda taught us many years ago. It is a ceremony that starts during the last days of December, and finishes when the clock strikes midnight on January 1st. Castaneda would tell us that, at midnight, the light of the Spirit or Universe comes and “watches us”—a force descends upon us, and this is a very powerful moment to be present and aware—to feel it and become acquainted with it.
Practicing this ritual without failure for the last 22 years has brought a sense of direction, purpose and inspiration to unfold our goals and intentions for the New Year, as well as a sense of connection with the planetarian phenomena. We hope that the benefits ripple out through your life, your relationships, your community and the world.
The steps are these:
1. Clear out the old before the New Year. From December 27 onwards and even throughout the day on December 31, clear up some space in your home. Remove clutter, donate clothing that you aren’t using anymore, clean out and organize cabinets and drawers, and vacuum your floors; clean your windows and water your plants—all with a feeling of openness and readiness. The aim is to clean your home physically and energetically. There are four essential ways to do this:
Throw things away that are not needed or that are not bringing you joy
Give things away to charity, with the intention of benefit others while freeing you of any energetic bondings to the objects
Pay your bills, including utilities, credit cards, etc. Do you best to cross to the New Cycle without pending debts
Dust off, wipe and wash your home, or at least a selected part of it, such as your kitchen, your bedroom and desk area
Rearrange things; change the placement of furniture, artwork and/or other objects to revitalize the energy flow of your space(s)
2. On December 31, before midnight, attend to your desk or writing space. Organize books and papers, and clear space so that you can comfortably sit to write a list of Intentions, projects and dreams you want to manifest in 2018.
3. Next, take a pen or pencil and piece of paper, and get ready to make a list.
- Mentally review what dreams and projects you were able to accomplish in 2017. What things stood out? What new relationships have you established? What came to a close? What new things have you learned, or insights have you gained with respect to your:
- Health
- Emotions
- Thoughts
- Your work or job
- Family and community
6. Larger global community of planet Earth
Now list all of these on a piece of paper labeled 2017. The idea is to review and distill what 2017 brought to you, and write it down so that you can be consciously aware of these experiences going into the New Year. Notice as you write if new insights or ideas come to you.
4. Take a second piece of paper to start a new list. Name the list 2018, and write down what you want to accomplish or see unfold in this New Year. It might help to think of the categories of:
Personal development: What new things do I want to learn, what do I want to accept about myself, what do I want to heal in myself at the physical, mental, emotional and energetic levels?
Family and friends: What relationships do I want to commit to, what relationships do I need to let go of, what relationships do I need to heal?
Work: Am I loving what I do? What can I change in 2018 to thrive?
Health: How do I plan to take better care of myself in 2018, what specific actions will I take to restore my energy?
My legacy and contribution to the larger world: What ONE action can I do to help others in need.
5. Take a pause. You’ve cleared space, reviewed the year that’s passing and set forth dreams and goals for the year ahead. Now that you have your lists, take a little break to attend to any responsibilities or other commitments. You may want to add music to the atmosphere or dance for a while.
6. At around 11:30 p.m., return to your writing space (it’s almost midnight!) Sit in silence for a moment and put your attention on the things on your 2018 list—those things that you want to see unfold in the New Year. You may even want to write an outline of what you would like to do, or draw a picture of yourself getting the job of your dreams, etc. Sit with it as long as you like, making sure you feel connected with it all, with your personal life path, and with the Universe by the time the clock strikes midnight.
7. At midnight, on this first moment of the New Year, let the wave of your dreams wash over you.
As we set our collective intentions, we hold best wishes for you all—for your joy and growth; for your freedom; for your daring, for your creation of new, inspiring projects; and for your kindness to all those around you. We celebrate together your becoming!
May the Spirit light and love radiate out to your friends, families, communities, and to the whole world.
