updated August 22, 2022

It is January, and the year begins, again. Yet, there are few signs of life. The trees are barren. The nights are long. The sun returns, but slowly. We huddle in, turning to family and hearth for warmth.

New Life Stirring

This upcoming full moon is known as the Quickening Moon. In a woman’s pregnancy the quickening is when she first feels the baby inside her. I think the term captures the feeling of this time of year: carefully hopeful, terrified, and excited. It’s still dark, but we trust in new life. We make new beginnings and create plans for the future. We take leaps of faith.

Prepare for the Beginning

February’s new moon, is the beginning of the new beginning. It is like ordering seeds from a catalogue, or buying a condom for a date. It is hope.

How Are You Doing?

Do you hear the call for a course correct? At this time of year, we are invited to re-examine our lives, our relationships, our culture, our health… Look for a path that will support the best version(s) of yourself. Now we plant seeds for the upcoming turn around the sun. What do you hope for yourself, your children, and their children?

Imbolc New Moon Ritual to Banish Bad Habits from The School of Magical Homemaking

Meditate on This:

What is going well?
What could be better?
How does the dream life feel like to you?
What have you learned from the darkness?
How can you move into your dream life?
What hinders you? Eliminate this.
What will support you? Cultivate this.
What can you cleanse? Kitchen / Altar / Google Drive / Bathtub?

Note: Try adding Tarot or Oracle cards to your journaling: Pull a card for each question, or look through your deck and find the cards that resonate with your responses.

Banish and Resolve Ceremony

Take advantage of all this cleansing and renewing energy and make time for a New Moon ceremony. Wash your home, your body, your car, or whatever… until you find the demons that haunt you. Commit to releasing that which no longer serves you. Touch base with your dream and decide to live better. Begin the story that will weave into the tale of your great dream. A little intention setting will do wonders for your sense of purpose. Harness this lunar energy as you plant stakes for your new foundation.

I crafted the following ceremony to get rid of nasty habits and welcome harmonic change during times of transformation. May you find release, peace, and love as you create your own ceremony for transformation.

You will need:

Symbols of each of the nasty habits you wish to banish
Symbols of each of the supportive habits you wish to cultivate
Paper and pen for writing intentions
Candles

1. Clean Your Space

I cleared my altar, dusted, organized books, consolidated journals, and rearranged furniture. As you can tell, I am knee-deep in some awesome cleansing energy. On the night of the new moon, I also intend to take a ritual bath, do some smudging with sage, and ring some bells.

2. Ground and Center

Take three deep breaths. Feel down from your toes and push into the Earth with spirit-roots, and let the soil absorb stress, anger, sickness, and doubt. Energetically reach down, and tap into that life-giving source of energy at the core of this planet. Pull that good energy up into your spine. Breath it up and out of your head. Let the excess energy rain down to the Earth. Allow yourself to be a conduit, and the energy flows and connects you to the Earth. Be grounded. Be centered.

3. Open Sacred Space with Intention

I like to call on the four elements for support and guidance. I turn to the North and hail the powers of Earth. To the East I hail the powers of Air. When facing South I call upon the powers of Fire. And, lastly I turn to the West and reach out to the powers of Water.

I invite Deities, Archangels, and Spirit guides. While saying their names aloud I visualize the atoms shifting into the frequency of an invisible song that is their presence.

I welcome God/dess and the harmonious dancing of all that is, the Cosmos.

4. Banish Nasty Habits

Name each habit as you place a symbol/offering on the altar. Visualize breaking up with each habit.

5. Resolve to Cultivate Supportive Habits

Name each helpful habit as you place symbol/offering on the altar. Visualize and abundance of health and support.

6. Write It. Feel It.

Commit in writing to releasing unhealthy practices and replacing them with behaviors that support living your life’s dream. Light a candle. and read your intentions aloud. Visualize their manifestation. Feel what it feels like to be living in your dream.

7. Be Grateful

Come out of the dream space and thank the Cosmos, Spirit Guides, Goddesses, Elementals, etc… Take a moment to truly BE GRATEFUL. Notice the awesomeness that is this moment.

8. Close Sacred Space

Declare the end of the ceremony. Rein in the energy, zip up those chakras, close the circle.

9. Attend to the Moon

Watch the moon become bigger over the next couple weeks. If you can, light a candle and read your intentions aloud each day. Take small actions toward your goals. Find collaborators and allies. Look for signs of living the dream. On the full moon, gather some woo-curious friends and celebrate your new beginnings. Write and share your intentions. Burn them as a symbol of letting go of your attachment to the outcome, and give the Cosmos space to do its thang.