The first ritual of the New Year in 2025 is a time to make room for new energy and growth. But what, exactly, needs to clear out?
It begins with the cluttered mind. Our minds begin acquiring thoughts, impressions, and ideas as soon as we formulate thought and begin seeing ourselves as a separate entity from the world around us. Eventually, this ferments into the personality and the ego. Neither do we want to “get rid of”, since both are important tools we use to interface with the world, but from time to time, coming back to the place of primal awareness of a newborn can be healing and energizing, and a wonderful way to begin the new year.
What is the essential material we are handling with this ritual?
Here are a few ways to think about it, but by all means, use the definition which works best for you.
First, let’s look at the psyche in Western philosophy.
In psychoanalytic theory, developed by Sigmund Freud, the psyche is divided into three parts These three divisions are:
- Id – The primitive and instinctual part of the mind that contains sexual and aggressive drives and hidden memories. It operates on the pleasure principle, seeking immediate gratification.
- Ego – The rational part of the psyche that mediates between the desires of the id and the realities of the external world. It operates on the reality principle, balancing the id’s demands with social norms and practical considerations.
- Superego – The moral conscience that internalizes societal and parental standards of right and wrong. It strives for perfection and judges actions, leading to feelings of pride or guilt.
The ego acts as the mediator between the impulsive id and the moralistic superego, navigating the demands of reality.
Another way to look at this is from Hindu philosophy, as described in the introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, translation by Eknath Easwaran, in his description of the concept of Shradda, which feels relevant to this practice:
It is the set of values, axioms, prejudices, and prepossessions that colors our perceptions, governs our thinking, dictates our responses, and shapes our lives, generally without our even being aware of its presence and power.
The Ritual of Emptiness, or, Accessing Primal Mind
We will invoke Hekate as the Lightbringer and guide during this ritual.
We begin with grounding and centering, as always. In the case of our New Moon ritual on Jan 11. 2025, after calling the quarters, we used a singing bowl to allow a single fixed sense to dominate and help the current of thoughts, impressions, and everything described above to mute and slow.
After a few minutes of this practice, we begin a guided visualization or meditation.
Imagine yourself walking into a misty winter forest. As you walk, slowly and deliberately, through the woods, the mist thickens and the light dims. You are not afraid, for you are intimately familiar with every tree, leaf, and branch. It is your forest of consciousness, and we you are walking back through time to the clean, clear place at the center: your first moment of awareness as a newborn.
As you walk, the labels for each object drops away. Your memories of each interaction and stories around them drops away. Your culture, family, and personal mythology drops away. Your footsteps are as slow as your heartbeat.
When the mist is at its thickest and the light is almost completely gone, you begin to chant:
Hail Hecate Hail Hecate
Guide my way, guide my wayHail Hecate Hail Hecate
Light my way, light my wayHail Hecate Propolos
Hail Hecate, guide my way
Hail Hecate Phosphoros
Hail Hecate, light my way
You repeat the last four lines as you walk, and slowly, a light appears again. It is a clearing, surrounded with green shoots, the promise of Spring. You walk to the center, where it is warm and full of bright, clear light.
This is ground zero for your consciousness. It is always clear and bright, eternal, and always present. This is your mind at your first moment of life, the newborn’s beginning mind. It is brimming with the essential wisdom which guides you when times are darkest. It has always been here, waiting for you.
Sit for ten minutes in this place of supreme peace and wisdom. Then, form a key which will allow you to come back to this place. Take your time imagining it’s shape and feel, then place it within yourself – behind the solar plexus or behind the naval, whichever feels right to you.
Devoke Hekate by thanking her for guiding and lighting the way and thank the quarters to open the circle.
Finish by journaling your thoughts and feelings about the ritual. Revisit your place of emptiness and peace frequently by using your key. The more often you use it, the more accessible this place will become.