Resolutions or Intentions? Aligning with Nature’s Timing
We’re bombarded with “New Year, New You” messages every year. The clock strikes midnight on December 31st, and we feel this pressure to immediately reset, reinvent, and get everything right. But… what if we’ve been doing it all wrong?
Let’s take a step back and look to nature.
When Does the New Year Actually Begin?
In the Southern Celtic tradition, the year begins at Samhain (October 31st), which is closely tied to the final harvest and when the land starts its winter rest. In the Northern Celtic traditions, however, the Winter Solstice (Yule) marks the beginning of a new cycle, welcoming the return of the Sun.
These traditions aren’t random—they’re rooted in the land. And if there’s one thing nature teaches us, it’s that transitions are never instant.
Unlike our fast-paced modern mindset of start/stop, on/off, nature flows. It transitions gently, death moves slowly into rebirth, winter eases into spring. Nothing happens overnight. Why should our own cycles be any different?
The Space Between Samhain to Yule
Living in tune with seasonal rhythms means understanding that endings and beginnings overlap. Samhain, with its quiet energy, invites reflection. It’s a time to pause and look back. What did we plant this year? What did we harvest? What can we now release?
As November unfolds, nature becomes quieter. Trees shed their leaves. The world gets still. And in that stillness, we begin to process the cycle we’ve just completed.
This is the perfect time to do a reflection and gratitude ritual focused on everything you’ve already achieved and are thankful for. It’s a gentle ritual to honour your journey before you move forward.
Then, as December arrives and we approach Yule, the energy subtly shifts. We begin to feel the pull of the light returning. This is a powerful moment to start imagining what’s next. It’s the time for visioning.
Yule isn’t a party with fireworks—it’s a sacred, soft and quiet awakening. It’s the inner spark of your next chapter being lit. Setting intentions at this time aligns beautifully with your natural rhythm.
Photo by Zoltan Tasi on Unsplash
The Magic of Transition Time
The period between Samhain and Yule is full of quiet magic. It’s a time of integration, gestation, and soft preparation for what’s to come. It’s not about pushing yourself to “be better.” It’s about honouring the cycle and listening deeply.
If you set your intentions during this season—not because the calendar says so, but because your soul says yes—you’ll enter the new year with clarity, ease, and grounded joy. And that’s a much more sustainable kind of growth.
I created Living Your Vision - check our sacred products - to support this transition and because I felt out of sync with everything else the mainstream NYE celebrations offer. This journal is designed with space for reflection, gratitude, and honouring the end of one cycle while softly transitioning to the beginning of a new one. And it also has monthly/seasonal check-ins to support the natural steering of the annual cycle and the changes that are natural occurrences in daily life. This way, you keep integrating your intentions and visions with what’s happening in reality. It works like maintaining an active and intentional bridge between your dreams and desires and your aligned daily actions and choices.
Why Intentions not Resolutions
Let’s be honest, for most people, the NYE Resolution fever rarely works! How often have you made a New Year’s resolution and dropped it by February?
That’s not failure. It’s simply a sign that resolutions, as we often make them, don’t fit how we’re wired. They tend to come from the mind, not the heart. They’re often rigid, guilt-driven, and disconnected from our soul’s true desires.
Intentions, however, are different. They arise from within—from a place of awareness and yearning. In Sanskrit, the word for intention is Sankalpa, meaning a commitment aligned with your soul’s growth. That’s a whole different vibe. And when I learned it, it was a big insight and an a-ha moment.
Intentions are about direction, not strict outcomes. They evolve with you. As the seasons and moon phases shift, your intentions can be refined, adjusted, or completely transformed. They're living guides, not chains.
Photo by Almos Bechtold on Unsplash
How to Set Intentions That Stick (and Feel Good)
Instead of saying, “I must exercise five days a week,” what if your intention was, “I choose to nourish and strengthen my body with joyful movement”?
See the difference? Can you feel the ease and alignment whilst saying it?
Intentions give you space to align with what truly matters to you. They invite you to tune in and ask:
What makes me feel alive?
What is my soul whispering right now?
What am I ready to call in?
Some beautiful examples of intentions could be:
Connect more deeply with nature by going for a solo walk every Wednesday.
Start a gentle morning ritual by waking up 10 minutes before anyone else or any commitment.
Learn a new craft or spiritual tool, like chanting mantras.
Say “no” to social commitments, so you can say “yes” to your true self by scheduling that time for yourself.
You can anchor these intentions through simple, soulful rituals. Try:
Sitting in silence and holding your intention in your heart
Writing them in your journal
Creating a vision or anchoring a sensation in your body that makes you feel good and that you can connect in your mind's eye or heart instantly
Placing a note with your intentions on your altar
The key?
Let them feel sacred. Let them be yours. Let them flow from your soul.
A Final Whisper from the Universe…
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."
– Ralph Waldo Emerson
So give yourself the space. Light a candle. Make a cup of tea. Sit with your journal. Reflect on the past year. Honour your harvest. And then, gently, dream into the next one.
If this rhythm speaks to you, check out our Sacred Journals—crafted to support your journey into intention, ritual, and deeper self-connection.
Here’s to a cycle aligned with your soul 💫
Blessings and Cosmic Love,
Andreia