A Spell for the New Year: Flushing the Negative Away

This year has held many wonderful things for me and my family.  New friends, a fabulous vacation, a new driver's license, growing independence, the growth of my blog - I could go on and on.

It's also held some negative things.  Two separate physical attacks on my son who's dealing with autism. A cyber stalker who dedicated to me a story of 3 children swimming in their mother's blood.  A careless mistake blown way out of proportion. Dealing for months with an insurance company that doesn't want to pay for it's fair share of my son's hearing aids (Now resolved!  Woot!).

Like many Pagans, I make my New Year's resolutions on Samhain.  For the secular New Years Eve, I wanted to come up with something a little different.  A ritual for letting go of the negative aspects of the year, and a way to mentally and spiritually take a step toward moving on from the actions of others that have affected me and of letting go of the mistakes I've made and did my best to correct.

This ritual can be done as quickly as you need it to be.  I suggest taking a little time to reflect on each element, however, and really concentrate on letting go - and reflecting on if you've really done the work to correct or move forward from the things you want to let go - as always, magic will happen when you do your part of the work.  So here goes the ritual:

A New Year's Ritual for Letting Go
Items needed:
Pen or Marker
Something to write on

Select the item to write on carefully.  It should be an item that is easily and permanently disposable.  The disposal form should also be different than one you usually use to make wish magic.  For example, if you use bubble soap to blow your wishes to the wind in the form of bubbles, do not use that as a way to get rid of your troubles for this ritual.

Examples of things to write on or for sending the negative away:

• Whisper the troubles into a bubble as you blow it away on the wind.
• Write it on toilet paper and flush it away.
• Write it on a piece of junk mail and add it to your recycling (best done right before you deliver your recycling or right before it's picked up. Don't leave it to linger in your home).
• Write it on paper and burn it.
• Write it on something that you can add to your compost bin,  add it in, cover it with dirt and let it rot and become something positive and useful.
• Write it on a large leaf and throw it into a body of water to be washed away.

The ritual:

Though I don't always cast a full circle when doing small rituals, this one might be best done in at least a simple circle.  When dealing with negative energies, best not to let any more in.  Cast the circle in your favorite way, with the items you need at hand inside your space.  Think about the things that you want to add to your list to let go of. Make sure that you have done the work to correct things to the best of your ability, be sure that you have made your apologies when it's been necessary, be confident in the fact that you are ready to let these issues go.  Spend some time giving yourself some positive reinforcement.  Remind yourself that you are a good person who does your best and that no one is perfect.  Tell yourself that everyone makes mistakes and it's time to let them go and not dwell on the past.  Strengthen your "shields" so that other people's negativity can not so strongly affect you in the future.

When you are ready to do so, write down all the things that you want to let go of.  You can write in great detail to get it all out of your system or keep it down to a few details to show the energy that it doesn't matter to you anymore - whichever feels right to you.  When you are done, say a small prayer to the deity of your choice to help you let go and to give you strength to be more positive in the coming year.  Release your circle in your favorite way.

Dispose of the list in the way that you've chosen.  From that moment on, if thoughts of these negative things creep into your thoughts,  repeat the word "STOP" in your mind and consciously move your thoughts to something more positive, or repeat a chosen affirmation such as "I choose to live in a positive manner" or "I've let you go, you no longer have power over me".

With your own work towards being more positive, and the help of your God/dess, you can create a more positive year in 2010!