Utilizing Omen Days
How to slowly go into the new year part 2
Last week, in The Power of Soy Sauce, I talked about moving slowly into the new year with intention and not letting yourself fall prey to the immediacy with which so many approach New Year's resolutions.
“A few voices, strict and punctilious, like Shelley’s, like Thoreau’s, cry out: Change! Change! But most don’t say that; they simply say: Be what you are, of the earth, but a dreamer too.”
Mary Oliver, Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems
Through The Moon Shed this year, I was introduced to the concept of omen days. I can’t believe I haven’t tuned into this before as it encompasses how I try to live by the wheel of the year. Omen days are not a new thing, you may have heard of them as the twelve days of Christmas, beginning December 26th and going through January 6th (Epiphany or Twelfth Night)1. In ancient times it was thought that if you went outside each day during this time and observed nature you would receive clues on the year ahead. There is no right or wrong to this practice, simply follow your intuition by observing what is around you.
One way to direct this practice is by pulling a tarot card for each of the twelve days and using it as a catalyst to inspire your intuition and focus. Each card represents one month of the following year and you can create a monthly theme through your reflections. With Claire’s (the Moon Shed) help to guide us through this ritual, I found a creative and peaceful way to set monthly intentions for the year. This gives me a definitive to reflect on each month and tune into the world around me. I look forward to celebrating quiet time all year through these monthly intentions. Here is a peak of what I’ve done in one of my notebooks, and a hint to part 3 of this series about starting your year slowly.
As I mentioned, there is no right or wrong time to start. If you are inspired you can begin at any time to create intentions for yourself.
Until next time,
