New Year Reflections: 7 Spiritual, Contemplative Prompts & Practices
The passage of time as marked by the ending of one year and the beginning of another has been celebrated for thousands of years and across varying traditions all over the globe. These days, our modern-day inclination in the West towards celebration and the setting of resolutions for the New Year can be traced back to pagan celebrations happening on/around the Winter Solstice. In fact, both Christmas and New Year celebrations are in large part inspired by the Ancient Roman festival called Saturnalia, which was held in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture and time who was mythically responsible for overseeing a bygone Golden Era where everyone was equal and free, thereby making morality unnecessary. While our ancient rituals may have since evolved to traditions befitting our modern inclinations, the larger point here is that reinterpretation of the ways in which we celebrate is not only available to us, it is expected as a natural evolution of culture and civilization. In this vein, I invite all of us to sit with how and why we celebrate the New Year (if we do) with the following questions:
Why celebrate the passage of time?
What does the end of one year and the beginning of another mean for us individually and for our immediate community collectively?
What can we gain from rituals and practices performed under the thematic umbrella of the coming of a New Year?
How can we make this time of year special and inspiring for us individually?
In light of the answers I have discovered to the above questions in my own self, I present to you 7 practices and prompts that are inspired by the New Year and meant to support a spiritual and contemplative practice.
(#1) Write Yourself a Letter — Dear Future Me,
If you could write yourself a letterr to be opened (by you) at some point in the future, what would it say? If you’re having a hard time getting started, it's sometimes useful to approach things like this backwards by asking: If you had the chance to write to the you from 1, 2, 3, or more years ago a letter, what would it say? This latter approach might spark the realization that while recounting specifics or listing off accomplishments is fun, what really weathers the passage of time is strong sentiment, a heart full of gratitude, and big life lessons. As you contemplate what to include in a letter to your future self, here are some questions to get you started:
(In 2023 . . .)
What made you feel the most alive?
What challenges and obstacles are you (most) grateful for?
What did you accomplish and who helped get you here?
What quote or quotes encapsulate the themes of the year’s life lessons?
What did you learn?
What did you unlearn?
What were the greatest surprises/the things you could have never predicted happening that did happen after all?
(#2) Love Notes to Self in Pockets and Purses: Pleasant Surprises for Future You
If words of affirmation are your love language and/or you like affirmations, inspirational quotes, and thought-provoking sentences, try out the following task for size:
Get a pad of post-it notes, note cards, or cut up a piece of paper into Fortune Cookie-size strips.
Write things that bring a smile to your face on each post-it note/note card/strip of paper. You can write: quotes, sweet remembrances (for ex. “Remember when x said this and you couldn’t stop laughing?” or “Remember when you did that even though it was super hard?”), personal affirmations, or instructions for small tasks that you know will inspire you/uplift you (for ex. “Text mom or best friend or x person and say I love you!” or “Blast Dancing Queen in your bedroom” or “Give yourself a big hug”).
Fold up the post-it notes/note cards/strips of paper and place them in places where you’ll find them at a later time: purses, pockets, drawers, inside books, etc. Extra credit: do this for a loved one or roommate!
(#3) Give the Gift of Gratitude for the New Year: The Art of Thank You Snail Mail
When you consider everything you’ve accomplished in this past year, don’t forget to thank the people who helped you get to where you are today. We are not creatures that live in isolation; even the smallest kindnesses (like a smile on a day when we’re gloomy) can radically alter our course and inadvertently end up leading to our success! If you’re not one for pondering the past through prolonged contemplation, try writing thank you notes to loved ones, mentors, and anyone you feel grateful for. Get specific and be vulnerable. This way, you’ll end up both recollecting and celebrating the past year while reframing it with an extremely positive lens, regardless of the trials and tribulations which you may have gone through. When you’re done writing your thank you notes, send them to the homes of your friends via snail mail for an extra touch of thought and care.
(#4) POV on New Year Resolutions: Make Small Changes, Not Big Goals
Goals are good but when goals become plans, it’s easy to get stuck in stagnation if life happens and you need to pivot. For 2024, instead of (or in addition to!) plotting big goals that require climbing metaphorical mountains, set your mind’s eye on the completion of small tasks and the practice of small behaviors that, at the least, act as an interesting social experiment and, at the most, radically alter your way of being. Some ideas:
Make more eye contact, especially with strangers on the street
Tell someone you love them every day (or as often as you can!)
Tell yourself you love you every day (in the mirror works!)
Smile more, especially at strangers
Go on a walk in nature regularly
Write love poems to events and things (not people)
Be a novice—pursue something you’ve done before and when you fail, congratulate yourself and try again
Pro-tip: to gently remind yourself of your small but mighty goals for 2024, place sticky notes in conspicuous places, set calendar reminders, mark a physical calendar or do anything else that will accomplish the task of reminding you without stressing you!
(#5) Planning for 2024: 12 Months to Do 12 Things That Scare You
Identify things that make you uncomfortable, things that really scare you. They can be big or small. Are you afraid of making eye contact? Of public speaking? Of dancing naked? Of singing at the top of your lungs? Of reaching out to an old friend you’ve lost connection with? Make a list of twelve things you’re afraid of doing and endeavor to tackle 1 task for every month of the 2024 calendar year. Make sure to either mark them on a physical calendar (if you have one) or to set reminders on your phone.
(#6) Perform a Ritual to Burn Away the Past for a Future Without Self-Imposed Limits
There’s something very palpable about burning things. For many of us, looking forward to a New Year means letting go of the things, people, and self-limiting beliefs that are holding us back. Letting go can sound easy in theory, but logically deciding to let go of something can be as false as pointing to a book and swearing it’s a computer. For this reason, I’ve found it helps to ritualize the act of letting go through fire ceremonies. The way your ceremony will look is entirely personal and the only thing that’s guaranteed is that you have a physical representation of whatever you’re letting go of and that you burn that physical representation with the mindset and intention of letting go (of it). This can be as literal as an object or a photo indicating the situation, or even the thing/person/event that you’re letting go of written on a piece of paper. This can also be metaphorical; for example, if you’re letting go of heartbreak to invite new love, perhaps you can burn rose petals.
Whatever you decide, make sure you’re doing your ritual in a controlled manner where you keep safety precautions in mind so that you don’t start a fire that destroys anything other than what you’re letting go of! Also, be unafraid to embellish and personalize; do what works for you. If you want to verbalize what you’re letting go before you light the fire, do so; if you want to chant mantras throughout, do that. Pro-tip: it helps to set the stage beforehand by meditating, sitting in silence, doing breathwork, or partaking in a spiritual practice. Likewise, to really make the impact of the ritual stick, take your time with it, even once you’re done. Stick around in silence to really let the effects simmer.
(#7) Set Intentions for the Future With Water: Rituals for Cleansing and Rebirth
Take inspiration from rites of passage like baptism and utilize a body of water for its properties of cleansing and rebirth. If you’re by an ocean, river, or lake, consider taking a dip in the natural body of water. If you don’t live near any of those, a bath or even a shower can serve just as well. Optional but highly recommended: before setting your intentions, cleanse yourself literally on a physical level by taking a shower. Then, set your intentions by spending time prior to your ritual meditating, sitting quietly, focusing on your breath, or doing a spiritual practice. When you feel like your mind is calm and centered, take the time to set on an intention for the New Year ahead. Let this intention come from the heart; if the first thing that comes up doesn’t feel right, keep sitting with yourself until a satisfactory landscape of tomorrow starts to form. When you feel ready, chant mantra, say a fitting affirmation, or verbalize your intention/resolution for the future before immersing yourself in water (whether by bringing your head under water in a river, lake, ocean, bath, or by turning on the water momentarily in a shower). Repeat this as many times as feels right for you. When you’re done, dress yourself (if you’re naked) or get changed (if you’re drenched) and take a couple moments post-ritual to sit in silence and let the energy of your ritual percolate.