New moon ritual: how to release baggage that crept into the new year

Anais Nin once said, “To change skins, evolve into new cycles, I feel one has to learn to discard. If one changes internally, one should not continue to live with the same objects. They reflect one’s mind and the psyche of yesterday. I throw away what has no dynamic, living use.”

Preach! We should also include in that relationships, mentalities, commitments, jobs, etc. We enter new years with big goals and major shifts, but sometimes baggage still carry over. I’ve been hearing equal amounts of success stories and long, heavy sighs about how 2016 is going so far. While I’m definitely riding a magical wave, I still have some things that I need to release if I plan to keep surfing.

With the ‪#‎newmoon‬ still hanging, use today to get clear on which physical, mental, and emotional obstructions are holding you back (and pissing you off). One of my mantras this year is “be deliberate.” Make sure what you do and what you keep is purposeful and intentional. We ain’t living by default; we’re living by design.

Here’s a super simple new moon ritual from Women Who Ain’t Afraid to Curse When Communicating With God:

1. Consider the people in your life, your environments, and habits that don’t align with your values. They don’t feel good. Jot ’em down.

2. On a separate piece of paper, write about (or verbally speak) how you plan to distance yourself from these negative vibes.

3. Take your list of bad vibes and release them. Sometimes I’ll take it outside and burn it, other times I’ll flush it down the toilet, or I’ll rip it up into teeny, tiny pieces and throw it away. You decide.