Mystical Thoughts Blog

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! What a magickal time for New Beginnings, for starting fresh. I know New Years resolutions get quite a bit of flack… but I enjoy the opportunity to reassess!! I may not set traditional resolutions, but I do take the New Year as an opportunity to start planning for the action-taking time of spring/Aries season. There is quite a bit of energy surrounding this holiday, why not harness that!? These rituals I’ve gathered are focused around bringing in the new, washing out the old, and inviting GOODNESS into your life!! Use these on the first of the year, the first of the month, your birthday, or even just a random Tuesday when you feel the urge to throw it all away and start over. 

• CINNAMON IN THE FRONT DOOR – Google “first of the month rituals” and you’ll see hundreds of witches saying the same thing: Blow cinnamon powder in through your front door to invite in prosperity for the year ahead! This one simply *must* be included. It’s super low-effort, making this ritual great if you’re low on spoons / energy. *WARNING* cinnamon powder is toxic to pets, so either put them up and sweep up afterwards, or switch to a full stick of cinnamon or two. I usually opt for a full stick instead of the powder since I have a cat who will NOT leave magick alone. I’ll blow on it to infuse it with my intention, and then just yeet that bitch through my front door. I place it over the doorframe whenever I’m finished chucking it. 

• CLEANSE YOUR HOME / SPACE – There are as many energetic cleansing methods as there are people who cleanse, so choose your favorite cleansing method and get to work. The first of the year calls for a deep clean of both home & body!! It’s important to note: I mean CLEAN and I mean CLEANSE!! A trashed and grody space will hold on to yucky stagnant energy. If you’re sensitive to energy, you’ll feel it. Get it as clean as you can; just do your best, whatever that looks like.
  • Smoke Cleansing – my favorite method of space cleansing is using smoke, either from incense or from herb bundles. I open up all my doors and windows and walk through my entire house with the burning herbs repeating a simple mantra to move the energy out of my space: cleanse & clear, cleanse & clear, only love & light here. Make sure the smoke touches a good majority of the room. 
  • Sound Cleansing – If you’re not able to use smoke, sound is another easily accessible cleansing method. I picture the vibrations of the sound waves shaking stagnant energy loose from where it has been clinging, and then pushing it straight out the door. Repeat the steps from before, but instead of walking around with the burning herbs, walk around with a small bell, a small singing bowl, a rattle, chimes, or even clapping your hands. Anything that creates a sound will work, and the more pleasing it is to your ear, the better. I’ve even used a loud happy song and imagined it dancing the bad vibes straight out the door. 
  • Energetic Water Washes – Before you do an energy cleanse, you’ll want to PHYSICALLY clean your space. Even if all you can muster up is just enough energy to take your dishes to soak in the sink, or pick up the clothes on the floor, it’s the thought that counts. If you’re cleaning with water (laundry, mopping, dishes, etc) add in a dash of Florida Water, Moon Water, or your favorite spiritual cologne. This will allow you to CLEAN and CLEANSE at the same time! You can add a dash of it to your washing machine and dishwasher too! Dump your dirty mop water outside, off your property, to symbolise getting rid of old unwanted energy. Water is a powerful cleanser and purifier.

• MONEY BOWLS – The first of the month/year is a powerful time for manifesting abundance and prosperity as well!! Money is a necessity, and I don’t know about you, but I’d rather have more of it! Money = stability, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting that for yourself and your household. A money bowl is some sort of physical receptacle to attract and “catch” the energy of WEALTH!! It’s something in your space that vibrates at the frequency of abundance, which in turn attracts more abundance. I like to dump mine out and refill it every year, and feed it every month on the first, or more if I can.  Here’s how I made mine, but there are no rules, follow your intuition: 

1. Choose a receptacle for your abundance. I used a green glass bowl I thrifted, but I’ve seen them made in mugs, cups, teeny tiny doll teacups, and elaborate crystal bowls. Whatever you already have on hand will work, but thrifted is best if you don’t have anything. Bonus points if the receptacle itself reminds you of abundance. A friend of mine used a cup with fruits all over it, since fruits represent abundance to her. I’ve seen mugs with money prints on them, too. Whatever screams “RICH” to you
2. Fill it with things that remind you of, or correspond with, the energy of abundance. Most money bowls have a base layer of rice for some heftiness, and because rice has historically been a very financially  beneficial crop / industry. I have crystals associated with luck, growth, love, and financial abundance in mine. Citrine, Peridot, Green Aventurine, Pyrite, and Moss Agate. Probably a few more… I throw in random green crystal chips I find around the shop lol. Coins & paper money are another obvious ingredient. I have a couple of deposited checks in mine, too. Add a few drops of essential oils that correspond with prosperity, like fruity and woodsy scents. Herbs like chamomile, cinnamon, peppermint, etc, are another obvious choice. LITERALLY anything that reminds you of abundance or money-makin’. Add a little toy car if you’re saving for a car, literally anything. Do it. 
3. Make a new one every New Year, and feed it on the first of the month. You don’t have to throw away the contents of your old money bowl, either. You can cleanse them and reuse them, just make sure they align with your current energy still. Herbs and any perishable food items should be thrown away (or buried if that doesn’t feel right to you), and the bowl should get a good wipe-down and energetic cleanse. To feed your money bowl, give it a good stir and throw in a few more items of abundance, like a few pennies you found, or your latest pay-stub. This just keeps the energy alive. I view my money bowl as a little creature, and we have a back and forth relationship. I feed him, he feeds me. Simple. Money bowls are one of my favorite forms of abundance magick. 

• REFRESH ALTAR / SACRED SPACES – Altar spaces look different for everyone. They may be designated to ancestors, deities, or certain types of workings. They might be a small table, or take up a whole room. I have a desk and two bookshelves that make up my “Altar.” It’s more of an office than a traditional Altar space. Some witches have a designated table or shelf that they do all their magickal workings on. I do mine all over my house, it just depends on my mood. Everyone treats their magickal space differently. One thing all sacred spaces have in common is that they should be regularly cleansed and cared for. Now, as an ADHD witch, my altar space looks like someone hosted a crazy spellcasting Tarot party most of the time, so I take the first of every month as an opportunity to freshen up and reorganize my sacred space. I try to wipe down all surfaces with Florida Water, smoke cleanse my tools and the now-empty desk top or shelf, and then reassess the items I’ve removed before either replacing them, or removing them altogether. You can change up the items in your sacred space as often or as little as you’d like. The first of the month refresh ritual helps me keep up with the clutter and mess that would otherwise smother my workings altogether. 

• PULL TAROT CARDS – I like to do a 13-card Tarot spread for the year ahead as a part of my New Years tradition. My husband and I create a small altar space on the coffee table with candles and crystals, and spread out the deck for our year of spiritual life advice. We pull a card for each month, and after carefully poring over each one, taking in the energy for the year ahead, listening, we pull a card for our entire year. This year, I got The World… talk about BIG energy for 2026! We use Tarot card stickers to create a lil reference guide of our cards and hang them on the wall to reference throughout the year. I used to pull a card at the beginning of every day, and I’d like to get back to that, but for now I pull them whenever I need advice. The first of the month is a great time to pull a few cards for the month-ahead, too. I have a trusty 3-card spread for that! 

CARD ONE: Overall energy of the month

CARD TWO: What should I do MORE this month? 

CARD THREE: What should I do LESS this month?

• REFRESH WARDS / PROTECTION WORK – Witches should be *well* versed in various forms of protection. If you’re not, I suggest you pause reading this and go do some research about energetic protections. Now that you’ve got a basic understanding of protection magick, it’s a good idea to refresh those workings on the first of the month. Fill in any gaps in your salt circles, add another layer of brick dust around your boundaries, and refill the water in your wards. Cleansing does the GET OUT part, and protection magick does the AND STAY OUT!! *door slam* part. I can (and will) write a whooooooole ‘nother post about protection.

• CHECK-IN W/ YOUR ENERGETIC BODY – it’s important to take the time to check-in with your energetic body regularly, and to ensure that you’re remaining grounded and connected to your physical body. I like to do a few different “energy checks” around the first of the year / month / week / day, whenever I remember.
  • Aura Strengthening – If you can picture your aura in your mind, it’s supposed to look like a glowing flowing field of energy that flows out from the crown of our head, out and down around the outside of the body like a cocoon, and flows back up through our root chakra, up the spine, spinning and powering the Chakra wheels as it flows back up and out the crown of the head. It should flow steadily. I take a moment to center myself, take a few deep breaths, and start to visualise glowing white or golden light (depends on the day) emanating from my palms. With my eyes closed, I’ll drag my glowing palms along the flow of energy, following the direction of the aura flow. The glowing light from my hands joins the aura, strengthening it and making my aura glow even brighter. To the onlooker, I’m moving my hands, palms facing in, up the front of my body, and out and down around my body, and then back up the front of my body in big circular motions. Try it, it feels surprisingly energizing!! I do this for a minute or two whenever I can, and for a good long while on New Years Eve as I visualize the coming year. 
  • Cleansing Shower / Bath – While I hope you’re PHYSICALLY cleansing your body regularly, we can forget about our energetic field because it doesn’t start to stink after a while. An easy way to both cleanse your energy body AND draw in good energy for the New Year is to take an energetic shower or bath. For a shower, I take a moment to run my hands over my body while all sudsed up and imagine that glowing light emanating from my palms again. That light washes over my whole body, and any nasty yucky energy I’ve been holding onto gets washed down the drain with the suds. Light a candle, put on some vibey music, and really scrub the last year off of you. Step into the New Year (or month) squeaky clean and not held back by any stagnant energy. For a bath, you can add in some skin-safe herbs to call in new energy, essential oils (not a lot!!), and soak as you imagine the water pulling those negative vibes and thoughts away from you. Visualize the bad vibes flowing down the drain with your bath water. Voila! You made yourself into a “new beginnings” potion. 

I would be lying if I said I did ALL of these every month… I usually just pick a couple that feel right! It’s the intention that counts, and nothing bad will happen if you forget about your money bowl for a few months, or if you slip up and let your wards dry out. These rituals are all geared towards a fresh start, so save these for next year, the first of next month, or just the next time you’re ready to say fuck it, new me. What kind of rituals or traditions do you have for the New Year, or the new month? Tell me in the comments!!