Rituals for the New Year: Way-Making & Removing Obstacles from your Path
Many people set resolutions for the New Year. We might set a goal to change our physical health, complete a long-term project, make improvements to our relationships, or start learning a new skill. Whatever the resolution, we usually start off each new year with a sense of hope, direction, and control over the course of our lives.
Of course, most of the time, our New Year’s resolutions don’t pan out. Although we might meet the new year with a renewed sense of faith and optimism, it can be difficult to maintain that energy as the year gets going. Once we start feeling fatigued with our new resolutions and our motivation begins to wane, we tend to assume that the goals we set were simply not realistic to begin with.
We almost never consider whether we made sure to clear the way for our resolutions to succeed before we started. Making sure the foundation is laid for new projects and goals isn’t a strictly magical problem. After all, don’t we plan our days in a way that sets us up to succeed in our workday, errands, and projects? If we know a road which we normally commute by is closed, don’t we circumnavigate it?
This way-making ritual is kind of like that. It goes a step beyond removing negativity that can tarnish our new year and slow down the flow of our productive energies. It is a ritual intended to remove any blockages and obstacles that might prevent you from meeting your goals—whether those blockages are mundane (such as self-doubt or financial limitations) or not-so-mundane (such as energetic blocks created by spiritual and magical energies).
As with all of our “Rituals for the New Year”, this doesn’t have to be a New Year’s ritual. It is suitable for use any time you are preparing to undertake a new endeavor, start a new project, or just want to clear the way to make your day-to-day progress a little easier.
A Way-Making Ritual
For this simple ritual, you will need four things:
A tool for ritual cutting. Many practitioners use daggers or swords. For this ritual and the imagery associated with the use of this tool, a scythe or boline would also be appropriate.
A broom or besom.
A candle or light. You can use it dressed or undressed according to your preferences and practice.
Incense or herbs to burn. Choose your herbs and incense based on the goal you are clearing the way for. For example, if you are trying to open a business, you may want to choose a blend suited for prosperity or attracting customers.
Gather your supplies in your ritual space or any space where you will not be disturbed for a few moments. If you do not have a cutting implement or besom, you can still perform the ritual and by visualizing the tool in your hand as you go through the motions. Begin your ritual in whatever way you normally do according to your tradition and preferences.
When you are ready, take the knife/sword/cutting implement in your hand and hold it in the air. Say, “Spirit of Steel, Witch’s Blade—I call upon and compel you, I implore you and invoke your aid. Cut away the obstacles that stand in my path. Open the roads I must walk on; unlock the doors I must open.” Use the blade to “cut” through the air in front of you, saying, “Vines and thorns I cut away. Walls and bars I chisel away. With Will and Blade, I clear the way.” Repeat this in all directions, clearing the way all around you so that nothing can either block you or hold you back.
Set down the blade and pick up the broom/besom. Hold it firmly in your hands, saying, “Spirit of the Tree, Witch’s Broom—I call upon and compel you, I implore you and invoke your aid. Clear the paths that I must walk on; sweep away anything upon which I may stumble.” Sweep the air in front of you with the broom, saying, “Dust and rocks I sweep away. Ash and twigs I clear away. With Will and Broom, I clear the way.” Repeat this as you did with the blade.
Set the broom aside and light the candle, saying, “Spirit of Flame, Witch’s Light—I call upon and compel you, I implore you and invoke your aid. Shine a light upon my path. Lend me the clarity to see the way.” Hold the candle up, saying, “Shadows and darkness shrink away. Lies and illusions shrink away. By Will and Flame, I light the way.”
Set the candle aside and light the incense or herbs, saying, “Spirit of Smoke, Witch’s Herbs—I call upon and compel you, I implore you and invoke your aid. Cleanse me of all that holds me back. Bless me with your power and spirit.” Fan the smoke over yourself, saying, “Unwanted spirits I burn away. Negativity I fan away. By Will and Smoke, I clear the way.”
Complete the ritual in whatever way you are used to. You can repeat this process any time you are preparing to start a new project or any time you feel your progress has been slowed down.