Happy New Year 2014!

Goodbye 2013!! As I start to look ahead to the New Year, how will it shape up? What is in store for me and people that surround me and that I love? Well, time will tell. But I know for sure that 2014 holds the key to all the answers I have been seeking in the past year!

Over the years I have changed, to be a better person. This year I saw myself incline towards spirituality and nature. And since then it's been a great learning experience which will continue for years to come. To me as I have grown older(and wiser?) the best way to celebrate and welcome the new year is to reminisce the year gone by and shed the old skin to transform into a better person! And that’s exactly what I did! I have been planning my new year ritual for the past week and wanted to start fresh. A clean slate per say! .

31^st December 2013 can be marked as a wonderful day in my calendar. I heard the most beautiful things from my friends and colleagues to move forward in life. It was touching and motivating. So I came back home after grocery shopping to make my hand made Jilebis. The evening was spent in the kitchen making Jilebis to offer to Gods at the stroke of midnight. The kitchen smelled wonderful with the sweet aroma spreading the sweetness and good intentions in every nook and corner of the house. 

And then I ventured into cleaning the house. Every inch of it. Home should be a sanctuary where one can feel nurtured, energized and fulfilled. Home is an extension of one’s body and spirit. You cannot see energy with the naked eye but you can certainly feel it. And that is why, cleaning the house is not just for health and hygiene reasons for me. Especially if you are living with people with a negative mindset or who are poor in hygiene. If you are sensitive, you could be tuning into their negative energy while they suck out your positive energy for themselves.

Cleansing Bath Ritual:

Once the house was spic ‘n span, I was ready for my midnight “Cleansing bath” at 11:45 pm! So that when the new year begins, I emerge out clean, washing away all the negativities and dirt from my mind and body. It may sound crazy to you but it works! It certainly to me is magical and spiritual. 

I boiled the below ingredients in water before pouring them into the bath tub with Sea salts:

Cloves (3)– used for protection, to attract prosperity, drive away negativity and hostility.

Anise(3) - used for good luck and purification

Cardamom (2) – for love and respect

Cinnamon - For attracting prosperity

Chamomile (handful) – for peace, love, tranquility and purification

Chrysanthemum (handful) - Truth, Honesty and Protection Against Spirits

As I filled the tub with this concoction mixing with Sea Salts, I thought about my intentions. To remove negativity from my life in every form and bring in luck, love and prosperity to surround me. I soaked in the warm bath after a shower. I stayed in the tub for 30 minutes while I listened to the “Gayatri Mantra”. 

The vibrations induced by the repeated rhythmic chanting of the mantra generates stimulation the extrasensory energy nuclei in the body. The Gayatri mantra is one of the oldest and most powerful of Sanskrit mantras. It is believed that by chanting the Gayatri mantra and firmly establishing it in the mind, if you carry on your life and do the work that is ordained for you, your life will be full of happiness.

While in bath, I meditated about all the negativities that I want to get rid of, and all the positive things that I want to attract. When the bath was done I unplugged the bath tub. As the water flowed down the drain, I felt the negativities being drained out too. And so I emerged out of the bath at 12:20 am, January1st 2014!

Prayers:After donning my new clothes, I lit the lamp to the Gods and prayed. I offered Gods the Jilebis asking for sweetness in life. After the prayers was yet another ritual!

Letting go of negativities and welcoming positivities - Ritual:

When we let go of all of the negativity, we feel lighter and brighter holding a new clarity, making much better choices and drawing in more aligned experiences. Here is how I did my ritual to let go.

It might sound crazy, but I actually wrote down 2 lists. One list was all the things I want to get rid of in 2014. Another list was what I want from life in 2014. I burnt the lists after reading them out!

White Sage Leaves Smudging:

White sage is herbs/ leaves used by native Americans / Europe for space cleansing. It's also known as smudging, the process of cleansing the place, getting rid of negative energies.

I did this to purify the house and re energize myself. I did it because if you believe something can make you feel happier then you must try it. I wasn’t trying to get rid of only bad things also to make my home peaceful.

I lit the white sage leaves in an earthen pot allowed it to smoulder. The smoke filled up the room and I enveloped myself in the fumes. I fumed the whole house, every nook and corner to cleanse and bless the place. I could instantly feel the atmosphere lighten. No kidding!

I must confess, I had a hard time finding White Sage Sticks in Singapore. In my quest to find White sage sticks, I recently met a wonderful person, Jen. You can contact Jen, if you are interested in buying White Sage sticks here.

Since White Sage Sticks are always in demand they were out of stock. So I had to make do with White Sage leaves instead. But they worked perfectly fine! I intend to use this every week to ward off all negative energies. 

Anyway the rituals ended around 1 a.m and it was time to hit the sack. I wished all my friends and family to wake up at 6:30am. It was time to thank the Gods. A friend and I visited 3 temples and prayed for health, wealth and happiness. 

It's 1st of January 2014! I have been waiting for this day for months now. Waiting for a new start. Wishing all of you a happy new year 2014! And if you have any new year rituals please do share them with me!