Choose a Tarot Card Tarot cards represent life’s milestones. Rather than using the cards for fortune telling, search the deck for the single card that will guide you forward. It’s not necessary to understand the meanings of the cards; instead, choose the card that best speaks to the next phase of your life. Are you going to be studious like the Hermit? Seek companionship like the Lovers? Find balance with the Chariot? There are 72 cards to choose from. This is an excellent ritual for your birthday or New Year’s Day. Create Seasonal Rituals The above activities are fun ways to plan your goals, but they only become rituals through repetition. New Year’s Day is an obvious choice to mark in our calendars, but one day a year is not enough to fully contemplate if we are on the right path in life. Consider yearly rituals that match the changing of the seasons. The summer equinox brings the longest day of the year, a perfect half-way point to recommit to your New Year’s resolutions. Rather than planning goals again, spend this full day practicing those goals. The harvest (August 1st in the Northern hemisphere) is a great time to make a habit of letting go of that which you no longer need. On this date, you might plan an annual pink elephant party or clean out your cupboard for a donation to the local food bank. A
harvest ritual can work on a deeper level as well, creating a space to mourn and acknowledge endings. The annual Burning Man festival includes a space called the temple, where participants bring objects and photos to honor loved ones, projects, and relationships that have left their lives. On the final day of the festival, the entire building is burnt in a massive bonfire. In contrast to the more famous ritual of Saturday’s burning of the man, Sunday’s temple burn is somber, silent, and respectful. Though Burning Man is a secular event, many find such a ritual of letting go to be spiritually rewarding and profound. Rethink Existing Holiday Values It can be tempting to spend holidays vegging on the couch. (I know I’ve done so more times than I’d like!) If you think through the values you want to activate in your life, you may find some existing holidays are a good opportunity to set aside time for. For example, Martin Luther King Day might be a good day to do voter registration or to organize an annual film or reading that inspires a family conversation about racial justice. If getting out in nature is your thing, repurpose Columbus Day as a day to explore local parks and trails. Groundhog Day marks the tentative first day of Spring; this is a fine time to ritualize cleansing and reorganizing your home.
Cultivate Your Traditions In the early 1900s, a woman named Elizabeth Krebs was fed up with pranksters that trampled her beloved garden every Halloween. I might have been tempted to camp out with a broom to run them off, but Krebs was smarter about rethinking ritual. She started an annual Halloween party with food and prizes for costumes. It took a few years to catch on, but not only did Krebs save her garden, she also created the Halloween frolic. Though she died in 1931, Halloween costume parades are now an annual tradition in many cities, including Kreb’s town of Hiawatha, Kansas. I tell this tale to inspire you to think big about what such a yearly ritual can grow to be. Your ritual should first serve your own values. But these rituals, whether somber or celebratory, will often work best if done in community. Many are eager to do something on a day off but don’t have anything particular in mind. Make a day pursuing your values and you may inspire others to do the same!
While you may wish to implement exactly as I have, I encourage you to use this list as inspiration for creative rituals that suit the kinds of creative work you like to do. How can you create rituals that serve the life you dream of? What is the life you feel called to? Consider how you can rework your space and time to treat the seeking of that path as a sacred act. Wouldn’t it be great to take stock of what’s important to you—philosophically and spiritually—and create or continue rituals that promote that ideology? There is so much in life to rejoice in. Do it with intention.
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