The December Ritual You Must Do

December is filled with rituals, the holidays, the winter solstice, cookie baking, gift giving, New Year’s Eve. The older I get, the more holidays I like to try out for myself and the more ritualistic I get in my daily life. One ritual I have been doing for the past 7 years in December, without fail, lies in the simple act of writing a paragraph. A paragraph hidden away in the ‘notes’ section of my phone that I can easily access and add on to as the years go by. One that is so simple yet so powerful to self-care and becoming an active creator in my path. It has allowed me to keep a proper perspective and a proper accounting of my life and it can do this for you too.

It has two parts. First, a synopsis of the past year, eventful happenings, anything of importance you’d like to notate pertaining to your spiritual growth. What have you learned this year? What strides have you made? The second part is about what intentions you have for the new year? What is the theme? Where do you want to place most of your attention? What goals would you like to accomplish? This simple investigation of yourself not only provides an expanded view of your past, present, and future, but it begins to carve intention, your power source, with positivity and clarity.

In retrospect, I have done some deep heavy learning in years that seemed like I hadn’t gone very far and surprisingly in other years I had accomplished all my goals without realizing it. My time here feels successful now no matter where I was along my path or what I was learning.

Twenty minutes of time late in December sets my intention for the following year, what I need to work on and things I’d like to accomplish. I have laid out quick bullet points for each month some years, others not. I have seen them come to fruition. Simply the feeling of a successful past makes for a successful future. It works wonders on your psyche. It is this focus itself, which allows the Universe to act on your behalf and allows you to accomplish your goals.

Had I not kept track this way, I would not be able to see the accomplishments I’ve made. I can easily go back to the notes I’ve jotted down in my phone notepad and see my evolution over the last 7 years, month by month, each small thing accomplished. I can say March of 2018, I finally cleaned out that cluttered space in my house. In fact, four years ago was surprisingly different for me. So much has changed, so much has been conquered emotionally, physically, aesthetically.

Some accomplishments and plateaus I barely even remember, looking back. Had I not recorded these bits of accomplishment along the way, I’d feel like a failure. I wouldn’t remember all the small steps and plateaus reached. They would be gone with the wind, leaving a repetitive feeling of square one, when really at square 21. I can see just when a new level of domestic peace settled into my house after chaos ensued it. Proper vision lets you set intention from inspiration of your past rather than deficiency. It set the tone from a true elevated vantage point.

This very simple act of taking stock of yourself once a year aligns you. It sets down your intention which is all the Universe needs to work with you, to give back to you, and it will do this all year long. Give it a template. Put intention behind it, and your year will be set in motion with positive affirmation bringing you positive results.

Happy 2023!