Tag: Mark Gallup

Happy New Year!

In the northern hemisphere, we recently celebrated Winter Solstice – the time of year when the days begin to grow longer and the nights shorter as the Earth begins another orbit of the Sun.  In some cultures, the beginning of a  new year is determined by the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.  Other cultures, such as Hebrew or Chinese, track the beginning of a new year through the lunar cycles.  In most of Western culture, the day we name as the beginning of a new year is not determined by the cycles of Sun or the Moon but instead by a seemingly arbitrary calendar devised by a Roman emperor and modified by a Renaissance pope.  Go figure.

Nonetheless, the turning of the New Year is a powerful time.  It is a good time to slow down, listen to our hearts, be in community, pray and create intentions for the coming seasons of our lives.  What do we need to forgive?  For what are we grateful?  What do we desire to bless for the coming year?

Last year we created a New Year’s worship service for our Unitarian Universalist church here in New England.  This simple service and ritual invites participants to spend a little time spiritually preparing for the coming new year.  If you wish to engage with this simple ritual from home you will need a small totem to interact with.  This could be a stone or a shell—a feather or a tree branch—a flower or a piece of jewelry.  You might also wish to light a candle.  Take a deep breath as we begin with Forgiveness.

Continue reading “Preparing for the New Year by Rev. Mary Gelfand and Rev. Mark Gallup”