Reflection & Recycling Rituals to honor the Ending & New Year

Saturn’s rings of time carry us forward this Capricorn season – may we honor both the present & the past before we look to the future.

You’re not alone if you’re feeling tension and overwhelm in your body & mind as we near the new year and close out this one. 

This time of year tends to be full of pressure which we feel from our society, and since the planet Saturn (which rules Capricorn time) represents constriction. Yet we must contract in order to expand – and so goes the balancing of life.

In the midst of it all we’re not here to pressure you into new year’s resolutions (unless that’s something you choose & enjoy). Instead, we invite you to reflect on how far you’ve come and to focus instead on intentions & rituals of self-devotion; You can still watch the replay from Rachael’s workshop on this – plus you get access to 11 other workshop replays AND the next live workshop in January when you join for just $15!

Whether you filled out just a small portion of the pages in your Cycles Journal this past year or showed up most days, whatever you did is more than enough! We want to celebrate you no matter what.

We challenge you to block off at least 30-60 minutes on your calendar to spend time reflecting this week or next! 

Although it’s really never too late and this ritual can be done at any point in time, we recommend making a commitment to yourself sooner than later so it isn’t forgotten.

Reflection Ritual to honor, integrate & release your past year with your Cycles Journal:

1. Flip through your 2022 journal and take it all in – remember what we said above about it being enough!
2. Highlight or add in anything major – memories, big findings, or whatever else you remember.
3. Take a deep breath or follow one of our meditations in our free library in order to ground.
4. Complete a letter of gratitude for yourself on page 322 of your 2022 Cycles Journal.
5. Fill out the reflection prompts on page 323 inside your 2022 Cycles Journal to “Reflect on how far you’ve come.” Be honest yet compassionate with yourself. 
1. Remember – self-knowledge is golden – so anything you learned or are still figuring out is amazing!
2. You can also further synthesize your data and create a more detailed summary of your moonthly overview + check-in pages in the notes pages of this journal or in your notebook!
6. Share in the community about how you feel, what you found, and your intentions moving forward.
7. Clear your energy and get back into the present through a simple ritual – maybe a bath, mindful movement or dancing to a playlist, going for a walk or run, practicing breathwork or following a guided meditation.

Later when you’re ready, you can dive into filling out the “Where you’re starting” prompts on page 28 inside your new 2023 Cycles Journal.

We often get the question “what should I do with my Cycles Journal now that the year is over?”

Even though, yes, your journal is completely recyclable (minus the elastic band + ribbon bookmarks), we have some suggestions before you toss it to your town.

It's easy to think that our annual journals/planners are useless once the year is over and the dates become irrelevant, but I've actually found my dated tools to become useful records for years upon years to come.

Instead of throwing your expiring journal in the recycling bin (please not the trash!), we hope you’ll give this precious time capsule a chance on your bookshelf. 

On top of the timeless rituals, educational resources and more, you now hold a priceless detailed record of your well-being, experiences, growth, health records, cycle patterns, and so much more. This is an intimate timeline that you can use not only for reminiscing, but also for practical reference over time.

4 Ways to Reuse or Recycle Your Cycles Journal in the New Year:

1. Shelf Your Health Record/Personal Encyclopedia.
   Keep this precious self-resource & database on your shelf for ease of future reference and reflection. Over the years, you’ll have an encyclopedia volume of you!
2. Keep or Add to your Scrapbook Time Capsule.
   Fill up the unused pages with memories as you would a scrapbook, or cut out pages to add to another scrapbook.
3. Ritualistically Burn Pages to Symbolize Release.
   If you’re wanting a release ritual, have a ceremonial fire in a pit outdoors (safely, supervised and only if your area permits this) or burn it in a fireplace. You can choose to burn certain pages or more of course.
4. Recycle It.
   If you truly don’t wish to keep your journal (which we highly recommend doing for at least a few years), don’t trash it! Simply remove the elastic band and ribbon bookmarks, and toss the rest into the Recycling Bin.

We’re wishing you a Happy New Year filled with flow, intention and deep care for yourself and all you touch.

With each new year comes hope and a sense of renewal. We hope you join us in holding space for this transitional time and be gentle with yourself as this season carries on.

Stay well, cyclical one,

Rachael Amber & Team Cycles Journal