There’s a lot of power in liminal times like the solstice and the New Year. One chapter is ending and another is beginning, even if it is just a season or the date on the calendar. I like to ground into my spirituality during these times – to look at how it can support me in the transitions I wish to make as well as celebrating and giving gratitude for the spiritual connections that I have.
I have a simple but powerful practice that I like to do this time of year. Some years, I will do it on the Winter Solstice for the longest night of the year, and others I will do it for New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day. This year, I had a lot of activities around the solstice, so I will be doing this practice for New Years.
I have special votive candle holders for the main deities that I work with. Some of them are in colors I associate with the deity, and others have symbolism of the deity on them. Most of them are on my hanging altar shelf, but a couple (right now, Aphrodite and Asclepius) have their own spots in other areas of my apartment. You don’t need special candles or holders to do this, though.
Once the sun has set, I go through my apartment and light each candle one by one, and check in with the deity of that candle. I like to thank the deity for their blessings and their presence in my life, and check in with Them about the past year. For the ones I work with less frequently, it’s like catching up with an old friend and it seems like no time has passed. For those I work with more often, it’s a comfortable chat and a reassuring reminder of Their presence in my life. If there are big things that the deity helped me with this past year, I make sure to honor those. And if I would like their support for a specific goal or intention for the new year, I share that with Them, too.
After all of the candles are lit, I like to turn out all the electric lights and sit in quiet meditation for a while, opening myself up to whatever messages may come through for me, now that there’s a party of Gods in my living room. Sometimes, it is just a comforting presence. Sometimes, it is a gentle (or in the case of Hermes, playful) chiding if it really has been a while. And sometimes, it is guidance that I didn’t know I needed.
I leave the candles lit until it is time for me to go to bed. To close out this small ritual, I give gratitude to each of the deities before extinguishing the candle.
This practice helps me to feel tangibly supported in my spirituality and in my goals for the New Year. Feeling the presence of the deities that I work with helps to calm and center me, allowing me to cross that threshold with confidence and grace. It’s also a good reminder to me that even when life gets hectic and overwhelming, the Gods are still here. My spirituality is still here. I am still here – in my radiance and my silliness, in my joy and in my grief – whatever comes.
Wishing you the brightest of blessings for the coming year!
Priestess of Aphrodite 