Still New Year, New You? (A Ritual of Renewal)

Do you remember the excitement of the new year?

Beginning a new cycle?

Your new year's resolutions?...

Or is that excitement of the New Year/New You gone… and what's left is the "same old, same old"?

In Montanchez, the ancient village where I was born in Southwestern Spain, people enact, on February 2nd, a very special ritual of renewal called Las Candelas (The Fires).

On the second night of the second month of the year, everybody gather together in a town's square bringing something to be burnt in a huge collective fire.

The villagers, young and old, stand around the fire watching their belongings being burnt to ashes.

I guess this tradition extends the power of renewal into the second month of the year, so the new year doesn't get old that quickly.

As we all know, when we get rid of the old, we make room for the new!

Rituals of Renewal help us dissolve old blockages and old patterns so we can more easily achieve our goals and dreams.

As a teenager living in the village, I hated any ancient traditions that repeated year after year.

I thought life becomes too predictable and boring when you do the same things over and over again.

I wanted the adventure and the excitement of the unknown, the unpredictable, and the different.

But, life has taught me the value of rituals that repeat in our lives in a cyclical fashion. And, the good news is that we don't have to wait until the next New Year to boost a "New You."

I am inspired to establish for myself Rituals of Renewal on a daily and weekly basis!.

I can already tell you me that my daily Ritual of Renewal is to DANCE! (Yes, including Dance and Zambra Mora )

My weekly Ritual of Renewal is to enjoy a relaxing epson salt bath.

What about you?

Share in the comments below: What Rituals of Renewal would you like to enjoy in you life?

Let's create community around the practice of letting go of the old to renew ourselves, like the people in my village do.

Love always,
Puela