Photograph by Iacopo Pasqui / Connected Archives
words by ruth H. Burns
For most of the world, January 1 signifies the beginning of a new calendar year. Among Indigenous peoples in eons past and even today, however, this is not so.
Among my People, the Oceti Sakowin (Dakota/Nakota/Lakota people of the Great Sioux Nation), some choose to celebrate the New Year with the arrival of the Wakinyan, or the Thunderbeings, in the spring. Others honor a new year of life upon completion of Wiwang Waci, or Sundance ceremony, each summer. Nevertheless, there is one thing we all have in common—we acknowledge the seasonality of life, and recognize that cycles exist and bring meaning to our lives.
A new year represents rebirth; a chance to begin anew and start fresh. I think we can all appreciate that sentiment. Life is often messy. None of us are perfect. We may find ourselves careening through life, battle-weary, unsure of our choices. Our purpose may seem unascertainable. While experience may reward us with clarity and age may convey wisdom, we are all on different paths to the ultimate truth. We make mistakes, we struggle and strive, because while our final destination may seem just beyond the horizon, it is the journey that we undertake that matters most. Who am I? What is my place in the Universe? We are born asking these questions on a subconscious, spiritual level. The answer is in the learning.
Whether you celebrate the New Year on January 1 or on some other occasion, the advent of a new cycle is a good time to take stock of life.
In order to decide where you’re going, it’s important to know where you’ve been. But before one deep-dives into self-reflection, it’s a good idea to embody a spirit of gratitude. Deliberating over one’s past is an emotional undertaking, and some of the feelings that arise may be embarrassing, ugly, depressing, or even exasperating.
Begin self-reflection by being thankful for everything you are, stains and all. Express gratitude for not just material things, but relationships you’ve partaken in, mistakes that you’ve made and learned from, and for life itself. Welcome the journey. Acknowledge the blessings that come from simply traveling through life as a human being. There is always much to be grateful for, whether you’re rich or poor; whether you’re in a period of transition or have reached some modicum of stability within your circle. Be satisfied in knowing that you have an active role to play within your space, and are a driving force in the Universe, of your own accord. You are the definitive authority of your world. Be confident in that awareness.
Gratitude further assists us in self-reflection because it requires presence. Acknowledging one’s blessings entails being here, now. Bring that feeling of contemporaneousness with you when taking stock of your life.
A new year represents rebirth; a chance to begin anew and start fresh.
Once you’ve spent time mediating on gratitude and visualizing what you have to be thankful for, you’re ready for the next step: considering where you started. Think back to the beginning of the last cycle. In Gregorian terms, that would be December 2022. As a collective, humanity has gone through so much in recent years. We are living through climate change and mass extinction events. The COVID-19 pandemic transformed society and skewed our sense of time. Massacres and global conflicts are playing out before our very eyes. Knowing that, it is especially helpful for us to remember where we were one year ago. Use it as a starting point. Choose not to focus on personal goals that you haven’t met, yet remember what your previous aspirations were. You may want to reinstate them. Other times, those goals may no longer seem significant. You’ve grown and changed. You’re being molded and made new. Embrace it. The fire is shaping you; sharpening you; refining you.
You are taking an inventory. You must honor these things in order to wash yourself clean and let go to build fresh. Remember, your thoughts and words matter. They are extremely powerful, and when put to action, they create achievement.
That said, it’s even more important to consider what you’ve accomplished over the past cycle. We often think of achievement in terms of awards, raises, promotions, finishing projects or meeting fitness milestones—but achievements can be so much more than that. When we are living through trials and tribulations, it’s crucial that we give ourselves credit for staying the course and surviving. If you’ve struggled with addiction, trauma, or escaping an abusive relationship, and fought your way through to a healthier version of yourself on the other side, know that you’ve climbed a spiritual mountain and should be so proud of the work you did to realize that. On the other hand, if you feel that all you’ve done in 2023 is trudged through day-to-day, that’s okay too. I’m glad you’re still here. We get up and we try again.
If you’ve experienced enlightenment or have major achievements to boast about, do it. Shout it from the rooftops. Celebrate yourself and your efforts. Use those achievements to form new, higher, brighter goals. Model achievement for others who have similar aspirations.
Don’t forget to take into account ways in which you’ve helped others achieve as well. While some battles must be fought internally, we are all part of multiple collectives. We belong to family units and have kinship ties. We live in communities or cities, and have a place in society. We perform labor and contribute to workplaces. How did we nurture those connections? When did we lift up those around us? No, we are not taking credit for the hard work of others. We are reminding ourselves and others that we are not alone, and that support is crucial. Cooperation and collaboration are imperative to the human condition, so goes an Indigenous teaching that our ancestors practiced.
When planning for the future in this day and age, it’s important to remember to stay adaptable. That said, please, dream big and remember that nothing is impossible.
Reflecting on what you’ve learned over the past cycle is next. When you consider what you’ve learned, be it from practice, through errors in judgment, or from coursework and life experience, it gives you a better vantage to make plans for the future. Concentrating on what you learned also serves to remind us that even the negatives of life help us improve and give us a better idea of what lies ahead.
Finally, starting fresh implies letting go. Letting go can be hard, as we may find ourselves emotionally rooted in harmful situations or behaviors, and trapped in destructive patterns that we keep repeating, to our detriment. Breaking vicious cycles is soul work. It can take an entire lifetime to attain. For many, it is the overarching theme of their existence on this earthly plane.
When letting go is especially difficult, ritualizing the process can help. One way you can let go through ritual is to set aside a special time and place to let go, and bring proper tools to complete the ritual. Choose items that have special meaning to you. Select paper and a writing utensil to write down what you need to let go of. Then seal the paper, by folding it or by using wax. After placing intention into that paper, fully expressing the need you have to let go of what you’ve written upon the paper, safely burn that paper to ash. A deeper step one can take is to bury that ash in an appropriate place after the flames have gone out.
Now here’s the fun part. Once you’ve let go, you’ve created space for new intentions. Inspire yourself by making a list of things that you want to manifest and accomplish in the next cycle, and think of what you have to look forward to. Some folks are motivated by New Year’s Resolutions. The mere idea of resolutions gives other people anxiety. Do what works for you. Either way, it’s important to practice hope. Make plans to read a book, go on a trip, attend an event, or devote time and energy to a cause you want to elevate. You might even want to consider getting a new planner, and developing objectives and setting aside dates to meet your new goals. No matter how you do it, this last activity should get you excited for the future. Above all, make sure that you make yourself a priority. It is up to you to find and do what fulfills you and makes you happy, and no one else.
When planning for the future in this day and age, it’s important to remember to stay adaptable. That said, please, dream big and remember that nothing is impossible. Where there is a will, there is always a way. Don’t let anyone tell you anything different.
We may or may not be our ancestors’ wildest dreams—but one thing is certain. We are the new ancestors. Live your truth.
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Honoring the Cycles of Life
