{"id":691,"date":"2022-01-03T18:24:17","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T18:24:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/runatroy.com\/?p=691"},"modified":"2022-01-04T19:52:21","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T19:52:21","slug":"new-calendar-year-magic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/2022\/01\/03\/new-calendar-year-magic\/","title":{"rendered":"New Calendar Year Magic"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Three Easy Rituals To Incorporate for the Beginning of 2022<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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We are still within the 12 days of Yule, even if you now find yourself ‘back to business.’<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Blessed Calendar New Year, All You Magical Beings! The Winter Solstice is just past and we’re three-quarters through the 12 days of Yule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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If you want to add more Magic to your life in 2022, these three simple spells\/rituals may just get your started!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share with you some easy Magic you can incorporate as you freshen up your Muggle calendars from 2021 to 2022. These are traditions that have been a part of my life for years and decades and they bring lots of good energy and abundance for me, I’m sure they could do the same for you. It is my privilege to share this magic with you and if you find some use for it or begin to incorporate it in your own traditions, please take a moment and comment below to let me know. Do note that although this says new years, there\u2019s still time, especially with today\u2019s (recent) Capricorn New Moon, to apply any or all of these to your energy and magical practice for January 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our ‘Good Things’ Jar.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Good Things Jar\/Attitude of Gratitude:<\/strong> I don\u2019t know exactly how long ago we began working this intentional magic of recognizing our embarrassment of abundance and allowing it to energize us to be our truest selves and (thereby) live our best lives. We set the jar up early in our now 16-year marriage (I reckon 2007, but not sure) and put it in a prominent place in our home, one where everyone could access it. Each time we recognized something we were grateful for, you know, the good things in your life, we\u2019d note it on a small piece of paper, fold it, and store it in the jar. Each person was responsible for tending the jar with their gratitude throughout the year. This little ritual of gratitude that happens spontaneously (see photo of examples), typically happened when any of us were alone. I rarely would see The Viking or say, Dragon Son, anyone, honestly, put something in the jar. I often feel like tending Magic is a very personal thing. This ritual that we do seems to follow. But it is \u201cgathered\u201d together to make it stronger. Setting up the jar can be a group activity, or like in my household, the Head Witch In Charge (me!) decorated or created the jar to store the nuggets of thankfulness. It can be as simple or ornate as you like. You don\u2019t need a special jar, ours is just a left-over pickle jar. However, others who I have taught this practice to have made theirs very fancy-like. You do you, Witch. When the kids were younger it was a great New Year\u2019s Day activity that could be done indoors and feed their creativity. During the New Year celebrations – some years we did this New Year\u2019s Eve, some years, New Year\u2019s Day, this year it was NYD –  we gather around the fire, typically with cakes and ale (this year it was sparkling wine and Yule cookies), and read out loud each note of gratitude stored in the jar. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This is just a sampling of what we took note of in 2021…yes, even finding toilet paper.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We take each note as they are read and place them in a paper sack. Reading the notes often spurs on conversation about the event (e.g. We got the vaccine! Appeared three times in the jar this year). The result of this energy is strengthening bonds within the household\/family. After the reading of these strips of written blessings, they are burned in the fire. We hold and pause for an organic amount of silent time imagining the smoke as the energy of our annual recognition & focus on gratitude is set off into the universe to spread that positivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My Viking takes the small package of gratitude slips to the fire.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We may pray silently, individually for how we want things to improve and grow for the coming year, or just hold space to welcome any and all abundance. We hold one another and thank one another for all we do for one another throughout the year, describing often, in detail, what we appreciate about one another. Then it\u2019s time for eating and drinking and talking about our hopes for happy memories (this year\u2019s conversation was all about creating more gatherings for family and friends here at Villa Westwyk). In short this is about acknowledging the good of the previous year and carrying those good feelings from one calendar year to the next. Each year I have done this gratitude work has helped me get deeper and deeper into the life I\u2019d prefer with the people I love. I am hard pressed to see us stop this well-loved ritual and magical work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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More on this year’s Good Things Jar in a future post. Farewell 2021.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Hoppin\u2019 John and Johnny Cake: <\/strong>Food is definitely a focus of my life. I love creating meals for family and friends. Kitchen Witchery is where I could practice a magical life hidden from the well-meaning view of Muggle and Christian friends and family. I\u2019m way more open about my lifestyle and beliefs now, although there are only a select few who know all about the Magical AND Muggle me. This is a decision in my practice that was long passed down, you know, the whole I am the daughter of the Witch you didn\u2019t burn. Will ever shall the two meet? I have no idea. But for now, Kitchen Witchery is so pronounced in my everyday life, literally, I have meal times each day to create magic through Kitchen Witchcraft. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hoppin John is part of our New Years Tradtition.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

On New Year\u2019s Day, without fail, you will find me blessing those in my household with foods that bring abundance. Eating this on New Years is a ritual to bring a prosperous and healthy new year. Yule Ham is stretched to make the Hoppin\u2019 John broth and meat the stew. Greens from the garden – we had kale this year \u2013 reminds us that the Earth still gives us fresh foods that are so nutritional. Stores from the larder are also used (canned carrots, if there are none in the garden), and of course the dried peas. Although this is traditional for many folx in the Southern United States, born out of the African diaspora, you will find pockets of families in the Midwest (especially Detroit & Chicago) and throughout the Rockies that cook a version of this meal for New Year\u2019s. I continued this tradition when we moved to the Pacific Northwest. Here\u2019s the key ingredients: Black-eyed peas<\/strong>: these legumes symbolize the coins we have in our piggy banks. If you host a Hoppin\u2019 John meal on New Year’s Day, the host leaves a lucky coin under their guests soup bowls. These coins have been blessed and should be carried by the receiver throughout the year to increase their abundance. Leafy Greens<\/strong> (collards, mustard, turnip, kale, chard, etc.): These are the color of money (at least here in the United States). As I mentioned above, for a good portion of North America, you can still be growing these veggies in your kitchen gardens or in mini hoop houses and such. These greens are not only good for you, but keep you healthy so you have more earning potential. Visualize money coming to you. Ham Hocks<\/strong>: As winter approached, smoked meats were a pantry staple for many. Throughout the winter months, bacon, beans and rice are often served throughout the southeastern United States. Hoppin\u2019 John is a celebratory version of this. Note: you can make this vegetarian, or even vegan, but unfortunately, I don\u2019t have a tried-and-true recipe for such. Perhaps I\u2019ll explore that this year. Tell me if you want me to figure one out. Rice:<\/strong> If you have rice, you have a meal, is a school of thought for many cultures. So to eat rice on New Year\u2019s was done to insure your cupboards were full throughout the year. Onions & Garlic:<\/strong> Again, we\u2019ve hit the time of year when long-storing foods would be more plentiful than fresh. Onions & Garlic in Kitchen Witchery are long thought to help repel negativity. Nutritionally they are great antioxidants, decrease inflammation and boost immunity. All good things during winter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Johnny Cake – corn bread – helps focus goals towards wealth.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Johnny Cake (aka Cornbread):<\/strong> It\u2019s the color and shape of gold coins. Again, eating abundance to attract abundance. Besides tasting delicious and pairing nicely with Hoppin\u2019 John, Johnny Cake is a great way to get phosphorus for bone health. Other ingredients within the cake\/bread are also natural antioxidants as well as boosting sodium in the body, which in winter can be an issue. Eating this to start off the new year is all about not only setting abundance intentions for the new year, but also about stretching the abundance to share with others. If you have enough , and I\u2019ve always known the pot of Hoppin\u2019 John to feed us for a few meals, and you eat it the next day (Jan. 2), it\u2019s called Skipping Jenny<\/em> and is said to reinforce the magic of eating it on New Year\u2019s Day. Whether you feed a whole tribe or just your love and you, focusing intent into something going inside of you is powerful Magic. Adding the extra fun of the lucky coin (one year I charged the coins under the Solstice Full Moon in the mint bed) for Hoppin John Diners to carry for luck through the year just amps up the ritual. To your health and abundance, include this practice in your New Years! Break that corn bread together in love!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Reinforcing the Magic of Kitchen Witchery with Skipping Jenny.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fire scrying:<\/strong> Every new year, just sitting by the fire with a warm beverage and just meditating, if not getting into full-on trance mode and divining through fire scrying is a traditional part of my magical work and targeted reset for the calendar year. As a Witch, I often do \u201cnew year\u2019s\u201d work on Samhain. So the calendar year offers a great check-in time on how I\u2019m progressing on my goals and to redress any tangents that are not serving me. Don\u2019t have a way to sit by a fire? A candle dedicated just for your New Year\u2019s magic works, too. This year we upped our connection to the fire, and did a short yoga practice next to the fire place. If you live where it\u2019s warm and have fire-ring access, this could be such a beautiful ritual. Connecting with your breath before you gaze into the flames is such a great grounding action before letting your higher self take over. Some years, when my psychic energy was lower on the calendar new year, I just did a visualization exercise instead of scrying. I would stare into the fire and see myself accomplishing what I want to do for the coming year. This is a great way to hone your intentions for the new year \u2013 being lost and not knowing what direction to go in, often blocks our path. You are not alone, and I offer these alternatives for those times. It happens to every Witch at one point in time in their lives. Sharing my rituals and experience is again why I\u2019m doing this blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Warming Our Magical Lives with Fire Scrying.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bonus- Journal Practice: <\/strong>Each new year I give myself a new journal and again, dedicate time to write down all I\u2019m experiencing in my life and organize my thoughts, feelings, ideas, goals, etc. This year, my journaling practice is going to include more focus on my magical practice, specifically Runes, their meanings and using that medium even more definitely in my life. Your mileage may vary. You may want to focus on something else within your journaling. For years, I\u2019ve added to our family\u2019s collective Good Things practice by starting each day in my journal noting three things I\u2019m grateful for. I\u2019ve also kept track of things like sleep data, other personal health issues (e.g. I didn\u2019t get help for my migraines until I kept detailed records of them and had \u2018data\u2019 to show my medical teams and holistic healers), to simply new music I like. It\u2019s amazing how much comes into clear understanding just by writing things down. Synchronicity breeds off of energy put in black and white. Trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I tend for more functional and high-quality journals for my practice; you can get as plain or fancy as you like. You do you, Witch.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

I hope these little New Year\u2019s rituals are things you can easily use to be the Magic of the World, to be your truest self and live your best life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Editor\u2019s Note: This post and many more to come will be labeled under what I’ve discovered is my personal type of eclectic intuitive witchcraft: MidGardening Witchery. Yes, that’s a riff on Midgard, the Norse Mythos realm that is Earth. This particular leaning of paganism is where I find myself called as far as working with deities, magical tools (Runes). Combine this with Gardening as a nod to my Permie Witch* efforts as an Earth Healer, and of course all that I find myself doing in Witchery as a Crone Hedge Witch. All this cooks in the cauldron and becomes the spiritual stew that is MidGardening Witchery, my personal craft practice. It\u2019s founded in being the Hedge Witch I am, but combines all the passions in my life as well. My introversion has allowed me to pursue living a life that is more suited for me to be my true self and living my best life. Working with the Earth, divine, magic, food, dream interpretation, rune casting, and of course writing, have all brought me here. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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*Permie Witch is a term I\u2019ve been using to mean a magical viewpoint on the Permaculture Principles and applying them as a path towards my desire to directly care for and live with the earth and its creatures. Look for future blog posts detailing this deeper.<\/sub><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Three Easy Rituals To Incorporate for the Beginning of 2022 Blessed Calendar New Year, All You Magical Beings! The Winter Solstice is just past and we’re three-quarters through the 12 days of Yule. In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share with you some easy Magic you can incorporate as you freshen up…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":704,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[278,64,10,280,129,238,283,281,279,239,30,248,268,282],"class_list":["post-691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog-post","tag-3-easy-rituals","tag-attitude-of-gratitude","tag-crone-life","tag-good-things-jar","tag-hedge-witch","tag-kitchen-witchery","tag-magical-life","tag-midgardening-witchery","tag-new-years-spells","tag-permie-witch","tag-ritual","tag-runes-with-runa","tag-spells","tag-writing-witch"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/FireScryingRS.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=691"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":721,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691\/revisions\/721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/runatroy.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}