Intent & Intentions in the New Year: A Beginner's Guide to Setting Intentions for a Fresh Start

Once again, we stand on the threshold of a shiny new year. For many people, this is the time to take stock of the lives we’ve built for ourselves and assess the areas that need change, to make plans to become a new-and-improved version of ourselves by the next New Year. In the context of holiday traditions, we refer to this as making resolutions; but, when working with energies and magical forces, we might refer to it as setting intentions.

For many practitioners, setting intentions can be a cornerstone of magical practice, acting as the guiding force that shapes the energy we send out into the universe. When we set our intentions in magic, we make a conscious declaration of our desires and wishes, aligning our thoughts and emotions with the end result that we hope to create or manifest with our rituals and spells. Our intentions can act as a magnetic force, drawing in the energies and opportunities that resonate with our goals; or they can act as a template to guide our efforts in the right direction. By crafting clear and positive statements of intent, we not only communicate our aspirations to the magical energies we work with but also empower ourselves to actively participate in the co-creation of our reality. In the realm of magic, intentions are the seeds we plant in the fertile soil of the potential for growth and transformation. As we infuse our intentions with sincerity and belief, we tap into the profound energy of manifestation, turning the ethereal into the tangible and weaving the threads of our desires into the fabric of our magical journey.

A Beginner-Friendly Guide to Crafting Magical Intentions

Reflect on Your Desires: Begin by taking time to reflect on your desires, whether they are resolutions for the coming year or desires for the outcome of magical working. What areas of your life do you want to see touched and changed through the transformative power of your actions? Imagine exactly the outcome you’re looking forward to, being as specific and as detailed as possible.

Craft Clear and Positive Statements: Once you've identified your desires, turn them into clear and positive statements. Avoid negatives wherever you can and try to make your statements as commanding as possible. For example, instead of saying, "I don't want to be stressed," frame it positively as "I attract and welcome calm and contentment into my life."

Use Your Intentions to Choose Your Magical Tools & Supplies: To amplify the energy of your intentions, you can use them to help choose your magical tools and supplies for any rituals you might plan to support your mundane actions. Candles, bells, and written symbols, for example, can all be wonderful magical aids to help awaken, summon and command magical energies to further your goals.

A Simple New Year's Ritual for Beginners

Curios & Supplies:

A candle
A mirror
A journal/paper & pen

Step One: Establish your magical space in whatever way you are most comfortable. If you are a beginner to magic, this might be a good time to experiment with Circle Casting. Or, you miay be comfortable simply finding a cozy corner where you can be undisturbed for a few moments of reflection. Light your candle, allowing the soft light to set the tone for the magic that is to be done in the space.

Step Two: Using the journal or paper you’ve brought, write down the positive statements that will guide your actions and help you reach your goals for the coming year. This act of putting pen to paper solidifies your intentions.

Step Three: Take a moment to look into the mirror and reflect on the person you see in it. It is helpful to focus on the positives here, such as the strength you have had to come this far in your life/goals, or the gratitude you feel toward your past self for creating the opportunities that will open for you this year.

Step Four: With confidence and conviction, read your intentions aloud to the mirror. Remember that you are speaking these intentions to yourself as well as to the magical energies you will command through your ritual. If you feel it’s necessary, you might also want to invoke blessings on your goals or ask for obstacles to be removed from your path at this time.

Step Five: Complete the ritual by expressing gratitude for the opportunities and blessings that will come your way. Blow out the candle and clean up your supplies. The ritual is ended and the mundane work begins. You can revisit your journal and/or redo your ritual whenever you need a boost to reignite your mundane efforts.

Remember, this ritual is a gentle starting point. Feel free to modify and personalize it as you become more comfortable with your practice.