a powerful ceremony for new beginnings and designing your dream year

Aligning with what’s vital

Each year, this simple ceremony changes my entire year ahead. I My husband and I do this together on the morning after Winter Solstice. Friends of mine do it on New Year’s Day. I let go of things that aren’t lighting me up. I re-think my plans for putting other things on hold, and decide instead to invest more deeply. I hear my heart and anchor my head. And the year unfolds bigger, better and brighter than I’d ever imagined it could. I dream big. I test my limits. I include things in this ceremony that my head thought for sure were too far beyond where I’d been before. And, instead of those things, I do things that are much much bigger.

Doing without doing

The coolest thing is that the best of it all comes from a place of the Buddhist concept of We Wei or ‘Doing without doing.’ I’m not an expert on Buddhist practices. But in my experience, practicing this idea of taking action without attachment can be practically explained this way: We can do without efforting too much, without over-doing, or straining, or exhausting. The strain and exhaustion comes in when we attach our self-perception or happiness to the end result, rather than knowing that our truest self has nothing to do with anything outside us, and that we already have access to our deepest happiness.

Getting intentional

about what we want to create in our lives is integral to having it happen. Here’s how this works. We start by tapping into what is most true and most right for us. We begin by quieting our over-active mind, and listening beyond the monkey chatter to our essential self beneath. Our soul speaks in the silence. So before you do these five steps to creating your dream year on Winter Solstice or New Year’s Day, do whatever it is you do that helps you hear your soul. Prayer. Meditation. Yoga. Running. Getting out into nature. Whatever works for you.

5 Steps to Create Your Dream Year

1. Envision your year ahead. What do you see? Most importantly: What do you feel? 2. Draw a circle on a piece of paper. 3. Inside the circle: write down everything from your vision of the year—no judging or editing—that feels right and true and big and bright. 4. Outside the circle: write down everything that you’re willing to clear, to let go of, in order to make space for what’s inside. Examples: Last year one of the things I let go of was my need to have my space (apartment) the way I wanted it all the time. That made space for a softer, easier, much more flowing and happy relationship with my wonderful man. 5. Take the paper outside and place it on the earth. Light it on fire. Burn it into ashes and let the earth and sky take it in. Last year I folded mine into a paper crane and then set it alight on the edge of the ocean. Let the universe take it up and in. Through your clarity, let the universe make magic with your wishes.

Let your biggest, brightest self shine.

Much love, L

Design Your Dream Year

This ceremony, and 29 other exercises, practices and inspiration, are included in the Design Your Dream Year 30-Day Program. You can find out more about that, and join your international tribe here.