A Ritual for the New Year

Well, in most climes in the US, January is not really the time for planting! But here is a ritual from the author Day Schildkret. Schildkret is the author of the beautiful book, “Morning Altars” and his most recent book, “Hello, Goodbye; 75 rituals for loss, celebration and Change”. With his permission, I give you this ritual for beginnings;

Get 4 seeds.

These can be anything: seeds you get at the grocery store, or just seeds you find on the street, or sunflower seeds.

Ideally, when it’s dark out, take these seeds and ask yourself these 4 questions:

1. What needs to rest?

2. What needs replenishment?

3. What needs more time to germinate?

4. What needs me to trust in what’s unknown?

You can speak out loud or journal your responses.

Plant each seed.

Plant them in the ground or in soil in a pot. It’s not important if these seeds grow, what’s important is that you symbolically placed your intentions into dark soil that represents the mysterious. The womb that can hold your wondering.

May this be a season of battery recharging for us all. May this be a time of generous forgiving, of gentle kind gestures to ourselves, and of less efforting and more allowing.

Please check out Day Schildkret’s website to learn more about his beautiful books, his practices of altar building and an upcoming training he is offering. Click HERE.