A recipe for greeting the natural new year

Judging from the emails I received, last weekend’s post about not hitting the ground running in January resonated with lots of readers. Which makes sense - we know natural and intuitive truth when we see/feel/sense it. However, it can be challenging to discern when there is so much “noise” out there.

​I wrote that post as much for myself as for others, as I noticed - despite decades of working in the framework of seasonal rhythms - that I was hearing voices in my head about what I should have gotten done by Jan 1. Ug.

​The natural truth is that the new year starts around Feb 1st-ish.

​According to the earth-based pagan calendar, the celebration of Imbolc on February 1st/2nd, marks the start of spring, which is when the earth is coming out of winter stillness and hibernation. And so too for humans.

​According to the lunar calendar, the new year starts around the end of January/early February. It varies a bit from year to year; in 2026, the year of the horse arrives on February 17th.

​This is why January is such a great month for getting prepped for another cycle around the sun, accompanied by the moon (yin/yang balance, always!). This might be goal-setting, if that works for you. This might be literal and/or figurative house cleaning. This might be reflection and intention setting.

​Here’s my recipe for new year prep:

• Look back with compassion: How did I show up last year? What were the highlights? What were the challenges? What do I want to carry forward, what do I want to set down?

• Ground into the present: What is the current state of my energy reservoir? What is the present-time matrix of my life? Where do I feel drawn to put more attention?

• Imagine into the future: from this place of personal truth, I set intentions for what I want to create in the new year.

​Here’s to a quiet and reflective January,
Kirstin Lindquist

PS If you want to dive deeper into my new year prep approach, I’ve decided to offer a small, in-person 3-hour workshop on Sunday, February 1st.  Click here to read more about it.