There’s something different about the mornings after Samhain season ends.
The energy begins to recede, although the veil is still thin. Silence seems to take over in the natural world as you sense a collective exhale that marks the official end of the growing season.
We’ve now crossed the threshold. And that means the witch’s new year begins.
We can take the clarity and guidance we’ve received since last year and begin this new year only bringing with us what is real and true for us.
Samhain signals both an ending and a beginning. It’s a space between what is and what’s coming next. A chance to begin again with clarity, connection and a path forward that feels right for you.
The Energy After Samhain: What’s Shifting?
Before Samhain, the energy can feel a little intense.
Our time is usually filled with remembrance, ritual and releasing the things that aren’t serving us.
But after all that, then what?
Maybe you feel creative. You may feel drained or even lost. Emptied of energy and tired.
All of this is ok. However you’re feeling, trust that this is the energy reset you need right now.
Reclaim what feels nourishing to you, reflect back if needed and decide what really matters.
Unlike the turn from one calendar year to the next, the witch’s new year is about creating meaning in your life.
With all that in mind, here are suggested ways you can prepare for it. Only use what resonates with you.
5 Ways to Prepare for the Witch’s New Year
1. Create Your New Altar with Intention
Let your altar now reflect who you are becoming as we head into a new cycle.
Clear it, wipe off any residue and be grateful for the version of you that brought you to this exact place and time.
Sit quietly and ask yourself what you need now and what supports that for you?
Let your answers be a guide for the items you place on your altar now.
Your choices should feel aligned to what you want next. Maybe it’s stones or bones, cards, poetry, candles or images.
Simple is fine. Create it to feel sacred and reflect your personal truth.
2. Take a Break
In spite of society’s stories about hustle and how anyone who rests is lazy, know that none of that is true.
The smart green witch knows that rest is part of the work.
Like when nothing is going very well and you take time out to grab a tea or coffee and then return to the task at hand with fresh eyes and all of a sudden you see what you missed before.
So take a break. Find a comfortable spot and a soft blanket. Watch the trees move in the breeze or clouds cross the sky.
In these moments, you’re not doing nothing. You’re making space for what’s next.
3. Take Inventory
Look back for what you’ve learned. No judgement. Just curiosity.
If you can’t seem to remember, these journal prompts will help you:
- What truths did I discover this year?
- What doesn’t fit the version of me I’m becoming?
- What felt real, sacred, or soul aligned?
Remember that mistakes are gateways to wisdom.
Bring forward what is useful to you and leave the rest behind.
4. Choose Your Intention for The Witch’s New Year
Sometimes it’s called a word of the year, so if that feels right, feel free to use that phrasing. This single word serves as a reminder of your unique vision for the coming year. A guiding light or a north star toward what you want next.
Here’s some examples:
- Trust
- Stillness
- Love
- Wildness
- Reclamation
Once you’ve identified yours, work with it every day by stirring it into your tea. Just whisper this word into your cup as you stir. Write it on a leaf you collected this past fall. Keep it on your altar or in your journal. Make a word art out of it and place it in your workspace. Do whatever you like to keep it front and center so it can be a companion for you over the months ahead.
5. Commit to Create Your Path, Your Way
Maybe you decide to honor every new and full moon. Maybe you don’t. If last year’s rituals were too complex, maybe you decide to do simple ones this year. Or maybe you’ll skip them altogether in favor of something else.
None of that makes you more or less of a witch. It makes you a human with a life that doesn’t always accommodate you.
Bring presence to your practice. Live your magick every day, but do it in your own way.
Whether you’re walking barefoot through your yard or lighting a candle on your altar, you are practicing.
That is enough. You are enough.
Summary for The Witch’s New Year
Your path will always be cyclical.
You’re always changing.
Becoming.
Deciding.
Choose embodiment over perceived perfection.
Live your magick every single day. Your way.
May your year ahead be filled with joy. Happy Witch’s New Year!
Blessed be.
Before you go…
Come walk the path with me.
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You Might Like These Too:
Celebrating Samhain: A Personal Perspective
7 Ways to Tap into the Magick of October
How to Release What You’ve Outgrown
Printables for Your Witchy Life
Karen
