When you think about New Year’s Eve, I imagine what usually comes to
mind is going to a lively New Year’s Eve party, surrounded by friends
and family, and watching the ball drop from Time’s Square in New York
City on TV at midnight; followed by a flurry of activity of running
around giving everyone in attendance a hug and a kiss and wishing them a
Happy New Year. While this is certainly many people’s tradition, and
has even been one of mine in the past, in the last few years, I have
engaged in a more quiet, but deeply healing practice that has become my
New Year’s Eve tradition. It is called the Burning Bowl Ceremony and is
held at a local Unity Church close to where I live. At this service,
each person in attendance symbolically releases what they do not want to
carry into the new year and sets their intentions for what they desire
to do, have, and be in the coming year. Participants have time to
reflect and meditate on what they wish to release, and then, just
outside the church, there are fire tenders who stand witness as each
participant drops their sheet of paper noting what they want to release
from the past year into the fire to burn those limitations in the
burning bowl.
After the participants head back into the church, each person has
time to envision the new year and write a letter to themselves that will
be mailed back to them the following November, around Thanksgiving.
When they receive this letter, they are able to see how far they have
come with their intentions they set for themselves for the year.
I have found this practice to be a very powerful and effective way to
set your intentions for the coming year, and to release what no longer
serves you or what is holding you back. It is a practice I have done for
at least the past 3 years with my husband and some of our friends, and
it is a practice that I really love and look forward to each year.
If you do not have a church in your area that hosts something like
this, you can certainly do a modified version of your own burning bowl
ceremony. To do this, you might take some quiet time to write down all
the things on paper which no longer serve you, and which you do not want
to bring with you into the new year. Then, if you have a hibachi grill
or something similar, bring it outside, and prepare a fire. You can then
release your paper into the fire to release all the things you do not
want to bring with you into the new year. Once you have done so, make
sure the fire is fully extinguished before going back inside. After you
have gone back in, you can then write a letter to yourself noting all
that you wish to accomplish in the new year. Once completed, you can put
it away in a folder, and note in your planner, or set a reminder for
yourself on your phone, to open it on Thanksgiving of the coming year.
Then, when you open it the following Thanksgiving, you will see how far
you have come, as well as areas where you have made great strides, but
perhaps still have some more work to do.
I offer this as a possible alternative to making new year’s
resolutions that are all-too-often broken almost as soon as they’re
declared. This practice has provided me with a way to, instead of
proclaiming arbitrary resolutions, to intentionally set goals that I
wish to achieve in the new year, as well as proactive steps I will take
in order to achieve those goals. Knowing that you will receive a letter
at Thanksgiving of the coming year also serves as a way to hold you
accountable, as, when you receive the letter, it shows, in your own
writing and own words, what your intentions were.
On this 18th day of the new year 2019, I wish each and every one of
you a wonderful year ahead, full of self-discovery, goals realized, joy
and happiness.
*Anne Sabagh is a Certified Life Coach based in Northern Virginia.
She sees clients in person at Goose Creek Consulting in Centreville, VA,
as well as conducting coaching sessions via phone or web from anywhere.
Her personal website is http://freetobehsp.com.
She specializes in working with people dealing with mental and
developmental health concerns in order to help them develop their
greatest mental wellness possible. She is a highly sensitive person, an
empath, and identifies as a person on the autism spectrum. As such, Anne
brings a great deal of empathy to her work with clients.
She loves animals, music, and spending time with her family and
friends. She lives in Northern Virginia with her wonderful husband Tony,
and their beloved cat, Robin.