This year was...intense.
Ups and downs and lessons all about. These intense lessons are intended to strengthen us and push us to the next level of ascension. 2019 brings so many opportunities that we needed to be prepared for, this year got you ready.
To prepare for the new year, I was taught to 1) clean off the old year and 2) attract good luck, health, and wellness in the new year. Here are some of the steps I am taking to release the rest of 2018 and step into 2019 like new. I will feature a few of my own products in this post (because Ritual+Vibe loves your love and support 🙌🏿!), but this post in meant to show what I do as I guide or if you’re just curious. Some of the ladies of the Instagram family have some amazing New Year rituals they shared on the Instagram page. Let me know in the comments what you’ll be doing to prepare for the new year!
How I’m Preparing for 2019:
First, declutter. This is something that is really essential for me - I tend to over-collect and attach myself to purchases and gifts I don’t use or need. Getting rid of things that no longer serve me is spiritually cleansing. I will be doing a quick Marie Kondo in different areas of the house that can get easily cluttered like closets, cabinets, drawers, dressers, and storage nooks.
Next, I deep clean my apartment. Sweep, mop, and wipe down the entire home, being sure to hit the parts of the home that I don’t give a lot of attention during the year. When I am wiping down my doors, handles, windowsills and grates, I will mix a bit of Florida water in the solution I’m cleaning with (usually soap and water). I mop my floors with Murphy’s oil soap. I vacuum the floor using a vacuum powder made by my good friend at Really Good Butter. It’s a blend of baking soda, salt, essential oils, and a blend of botanicals. It smells like heaven. I am currently working with cardamom a lot right now and added a few drops of it to the mix as well.
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Astrologer, energy worker, and fine & grown inspiration @nellaworldpeace is one of my favorite tweeters. And it may because we have a few placements in common, or because how effortlessly she mixes practical, spiritual, and intellect. She shared some of her favorite spiritual cleaning hacks on the timeline that were great points to share. Grab a New Year reading from @nellaworldpeace here!
Then, I will spiritually clean the house. First, I purify the home and then I sweeten.
To purify, I use incense and a cutting spray that I created. The cutting spray I made this year features ingredients like ruda and lemongrass to cut negative energy and clarify the energy. I go counterclockwise around the house with the spray and smoke. I pray and affirm my intention of purification and removing what no longer serves me.
Here are some other incense & resin ideas for cutting:
- Sage (tip: drop a dried, whole sage leaf on a piece of burning coal instead of using a whole smudge stick)
- Palo Santo
- Eucalyptus
- Bay leaves
- Nag Champa
- Ruda (rue)
- Rosemary
- Frankincense & myrrh (good for everything tbh)
- Lemongrass
- Tobacco
- Pine needles
- Angelica
Then, going clockwise around my home, I “seal” with my sweet spray and the This The Life resin blend featuring benzoin, frankincense, & Myrrh. The sweetening spray I made this year features roses, oranges, cardamom, lavender, and a few other ingredients to attract positivity, happiness, and love. This The Life purifies, sweetens, and cools while smudging and helps seal love, happiness, and positivity in your home after purifying. Affirm while spraying and smudging.
Here are some other ideas for sweetening:
- Rose
- Jasmine
- Basil
- Frankincense & Myrrh
- Amber
- Benzoin
- Carnation
- Prodigiosa
- Marjoram
- Spearmint
- Most fruits and flowers
If you would like a sample of the cutting and sweet spray duo, just let me know by sending me a DM on Instagram or an email to naima@ritualandvibe.com.
I like using smoke and water and prayer, because it includes each element and are simple to use, and this is a general use combination I’ve been taught. Obviously, house cleaning rituals can have a lot more included for some, and when specific cleanings are called for in a reading, other steps or ingredients or rituals can take place. However, for simple, general cleanings in my home, it’s easier for me to manage simple and straight forward rituals like this one.
Body & Spirit:
Finally, physically and spiritually cleanse the body. Similar to the house cleaning, I will do a “bitter” bath first, then sweet. For purification, I’m using my salt bath blend. The New Year New Me Salt & Flower Bath is minty, uplifting, and purifying because of the mineral-rich Dead Sea Salt. The flowers & essential oil blend helps lift the spirit. This relaxing, therapeutic blend is a much needed reset and a well deserved treat.
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The next day, I will bathe with a sweet New Year’s Eve bath blend. In our tradition, we get the ingredients for New Year bath in a reading for our spiritual house every year around this time. It, often times, will feature herbs that bring protection, peace, prosperity, joy, love, etc like yerba buena (Bergamot Mint) or marjoram. Keep it simple if you’re doing this for yourself. I have posted simple baths featuring just basil and marjoram - it’s a straight forward and uplifting. Simply search basil here on the blog.
I'll then anoint with Shea butter and the self-love anointing oil. While massaging, I repeat my affirmations out loud. Right now, my focus is really on speaking my truth and staying grounded, and my affirmations this week have reflected that. For affirmation inspiration, check out some of my other posts:
I will focus on my intentions of the new year afterward. I like amber incense when intention setting; it’s an inspiring and creative scent to me.
& on New Years Day, I chow down in black eyed peas, collard greens, and cornbread for good health, wealth, and luck. 🙌🏿
A new friend on Instagram mentioned she is tending to altars to prepare for the New Year, which I unintentionally left out of this post. I refresh my ancestral altar often, and probably won’t do anything special when refreshing my egun table. But, I think frying them some bacon along with the greens are cornbread would be a nice treat to welcome in the new year. I have written about ancestral veneration in the past, so feel free to browse other post if you’re curious to learn more.
I pray 2019 allows you to truly spread your wings, and experience the truest version of yourself. Have a safe and beautiful New Year!
There are so many beautiful ways to bring in the new year, and I’m interesred in some of the things you do to introduce the new year. Let me know in the comments what things you’re doing to prepare for 2019!
Contact me on Instagram or via email if you are interested in sampling the Cutting & Sweetening Spray!
