Image courtesy of “Fireworks” by Noppasinw. From http://www.freedigitalphotos.net

Happy New Year! A new year deserves a proper welcome and the old one warrants a proper goodbye. Aside from the usual resolutions and wild parties, have you given thought to new traditions you’d like to honor your new year by?

It’s important to set intentions on how you wish to bring forth a beautiful life in the days ahead and no time like the new year to do it.

There were some things about 2016 that I wanted to leave behind and some things I wanted to carry into my new year. I usually create or enhance an existing vision board each year, write my intentions, and spend time with family. I decided to do all of that AND round it off with a beautiful ritual at dusk to signify 2016’s sunset and the sunrise of 2017.

My sister and my three children got together to work on our intentions and visions for next year. We poured over magazines, ate food, sipped on sparkling apple cider as we created our vision boards.

While my family created boards, I continued to work on my existing “book of visions” and my new Bloom Vision Planner – which has a space for a vision board. The photos below will demonstrate what I worked on towards my life’s vision.

My new Bloom Vision Planner!

I added a planning pad with velcro to my Bloom Planner.

I added velcro so I can attach/detach my planning pad. The planning pad allows more space for other aspects of my life – like blogging!

I chose this planner because of the space to add a vision board. I had so much fun creating my vision board with my family. 

I’ve been working on my “book of visions” for a year now. I purchased a sketch pad with thick pages to add cutouts to. I prefer a vision book to a board – it allows me to add many pages for all aspects of my life. 

My vacation pursuits page of my book of visions. 

My writing life vision page within my book of visions. 

As the day drew to a close, I asked my family to write on tiny slips of paper what it was they wished to gently release to 2016. My own personal release statements included releasing impatience and lack mentality. We burned each of the slips of the paper, as we said, “_________ I release you and gently leave you behind in 2016. Amen and so it is.” As the room became dark, I said, “The sun has died, the old year has passed.” I then had each of us light candles. Once the room was filled with candle light, I then said, “The sun has rose, the new year has come.”

We felt a sense of resolution to what we wanted to release and let go and an excitement for what’s to come in the new year. Our family needed this ceremony, after the hellish year we had nearly losing my son Daniel in a near fatal auto accident in the first part of 2016.

Three books I consulted on creating a ritual for my family to participate in were Spiritual Clearings by Diana Burney, Real Life Rituals by Karyl Huntley, and The Smudging and Blessings Book: Inspirational Rituals to Cleanse and Heal, by Jane Alexander.

I now feel ready to embark on my new year with fervor and focused intention. There will be nothing tethering me to the old year.

I invite you to look at ways to release the old and to make room for the new.

I wish you a very blessed and prosperous New Year!

~Your Curator of All Things Inspirational, Kimberly Jo Cooley