The Beauty of Liminal Times

How to make the most of the in-between, and rituals to ring in the new year.

liminal /ˈlɪmɪnl/ adjective
1. occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.
2. relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.

The time between the summer solstice and the calendar new year offers a wonderful time of liminality. Time slows down, external pressures fall away and if we’re heading into the holiday season with intention, reducing our expectations and establishing clear boundaries with our loved ones, we can truly begin to sink in to space where our reality shifts and life moves differently.

The word liminal means a space of in-between. You can find many examples of liminal places in the natural and spiritual worlds; the time between light and dark, morning and night, midnight, midday, doorways, hallways, windowsills, transitional phases like moving home - anywhere that presents a ‘shade of grey’ or an uncertain circumstance.

A liminal place holds a special kind of magic. The veil is said to be thinner here, and there is more freedom to move between planes and realms. They can act as gateways or portals, and we can choose to harness this energy for our spiritual workings if we so choose to.

One note from me on working with liminal spaces and nature spirits or spirit folk of any kind - still be sure to keep your protections in good working order, as they can be not only more potent for you and your intentions, but for those of the spirit kin too.

So, this time between the solstice and the ‘new year’ seems to warp time and space, giving us freedom and a chance to explore what it really means when people say that time is a construct of man. The calendars and clocks only have power because we make it so; if only our societies still worked by the cycles of the Earth and not the timer on a smart phone.

If only we howled underneath the full moon and rose with the summer sun. Imagine if we ran barefoot through fields of wildflowers and bathed in bubbling streams while the Fair Folk frolicked around us, unbothered by the pollution of modern-day life. Can you picture it? The peace, quiet and presence of mind afforded by a world without technology and the nine-to-five grind.

This may not be the current reality we signed up for in our soul contracts, but it is a vision we can hold on to as we work together to bring back a nature-centred culture. This starts with us and the intention we each hold in these liminal times and periods of significance like the sabbats. It also starts with bringing in the younger generations and including them in our spiritual craft in the hopes that they grow up learning that there is a different way.

I write ‘new year’ in this way because I do think that there are several different times throughout the year that could be considered the beginning of a new cycle. Our solar return (birthday) is one, Samhain is another (considered in some circles to be the witches new year), the Gregorian Calendar new year which honestly isn’t my personal favourite, or lastly, the winter solstice which is also considered the ending of a cycle/beginning of a new one. Whichever you choose, there is power in all these moments of significance, and as long as you go into that time with a clear mind and open heart, you can work with that energy to manifest positive change.

So, what are some of the ways to call in a new year during such a powerful liminal time?

Candle Magic

Candle magic is a personal favourite of mine. It can be as simple or as complicated and involved as you wish it to be, candles are easily accessible and they are easily made by your own hands too! You can get candles in a variety of colours, you can add flowers and herbs, crystals, scents and intentions which offers a greatly personalised ritual tool that can be transformed as you desire.

Some of my favourite quick candle rituals include obtaining a spell candle and sitting with that candle held to your heart in a quiet moment of intention setting and mindfulness. Speak your wishes and needs to the candle, letting it know how you want to work together (e.g. cleansing a house, repelling negative energy, bringing in love or abundance).

Burn the candle all the way down, keeping an eye on how it burns. Sometimes the way a candle burns can tell you a lot about the energy of a situation.

In the past I have written wishes and goals on a piece of paper and either burnt that paper or sat it underneath the candle. We’ve also done this with a bigger candle and burnt it every day for 7 days, or as long as you need to hear back from the job you are manifesting or the test results you are awaiting.

If you want you can cast a circle, draw the elements and make a full mandala with flower petals in the colour of your candle. Add herbs and stones and draw sigils - whatever feels right to you.

A note on candle spells: if you are doing a cleansing ritual and ridding negative energy, it’s best to dispose of that candle in the outside bin or by burying it, so as to not keep any remnants of that energy in your home.

Vision Boards

I’m a vision board lover, and over the years I’ve had great success in working with vision boards. I’ve found my groove with what feels most powerful for me, and not all boards are created equal.

Personally, I like to do a seasonal vision board these days. I include images from Instagram, Pinterest and on occasion, photos I’ve taken myself. I like to design them on Canva and add some whimsy and some words that are meaningful to me. I like to stick them on the back of my bathroom door where I see them at least a few times a day, and I also make them the background on my computer desktop.

I think the energy you put into rethinking and refreshing your boards as well as your dreams and goals helps with the manifestation process, and honours the fact that you by nature are a cyclical being. It’s like building an altar in a way, the more energy and dedication you put towards it the more strength it gains over time.

Manifestation Ritual

I won’t harp on about this one as it will be vastly different for everyone, but I will share an example of a manifestation ritual I’ve done when I was calling in my mountain home. I sat alone in the dark by the light of an abundance candle. I was freshly showered (physically cleansed) and then did a smoke clearing to really reset my energy. I did a chakra meditation that worked by clearing my chakras to the visualisation of a rainbow coloured waterfall.

I really worked on processing why a home was meaningful to me, and how it would impact my life in a positive way. This time I didn’t focus on a specific house, but just preparing myself and releasing any limiting beliefs and outdated feelings and mindsets that were holding me back from being fully open to receiving. We got our home within the next week or two!

Cord Burning

There are varied opinions on which method is best for severing energetic ties. There is no doubt that releasing ties that are allowing those who no longer have your best interests at heart or who no longer need to be accessing your energy would be beneficial moving into a new year, bringing your energy and resources back to yourself and starting fresh. This also allows more space for meaningful connections going forward.

In terms of which ritual or visualisation is best for you - I’ve heard from some sources that cutting is the way to go as it offers a strong symbology and clear message around your boundaries. I have also had it shared with me that when you cut a ribbon or a cord it can simply be retied.

Burning takes longer, but when a cord is burned away there is nothing left to be rejoined. I’ve heard negatives about this approach also, so as with anything in the spiritual and magical worlds I suggest you go with what resonates with you.

Guided Meditation

A guided meditation is an impactful yet gentle way to bring in the new year and release old fears or programming, while calling in your whole-body YESES for the year ahead. I like Insight Timer as a free app for accessing beautiful meditations.

Flower Essences

Flower essences are one of my top favourite ways to process the unconscious beliefs and traumas that are holding us back, allowing for radical yet flowing transformation. You can work with flower medicine in so many different ways which I have covered briefly in a recent newsletter and will cover more in-depth in my upcoming mini course.

You can find a flower in a guided meditation and work with the archetype of that flower purely in the ethers, you can make your own essence at home or simply bring in a flower you’ve found on a walk. If you’d like to go deeper with essence remedies, I also offer 1:1 sessions where we begin with a card reading and end with a holistic array of recommendations tailored to your personal growth and individual needs. I would be honoured to work with you in this way if a 1:1 experience is calling your name!

(Sessions are also discounted until midnight on the 31st of December 2024).

Card Reading/Divination

Card readings and divination are perfect for a fresh start. They can offer helpful guidance as to where you should be focusing your efforts in this next chapter, and what signs to keep an eye out for when you are making big decisions or overcoming challenges. How can we work in collaboration with the energy coming our way? How can we meet the path of least resistance and really make the most of our opportunities?

Intuitive card readings are such a joy for me to do, and I always love hearing the positive feedback from clients on how it not only has affirmed and validated the way they’ve been feeling, but has given clear direction on where to head next.

You can also have fun with your spreads if you are doing them at home! For my solar return I did a 12 card spread, one for each month of the coming year. I look forward to seeing how this plays out for me.

Other forms of divination you could partake in include casting runes, the Ogham, scrying, pendulum work or casting charms.

Augury

I find the concept of augury absolutely fascinating, and it makes a certain amount of sense to me. Augury is a form of spell work/manifestation wherein you try to bring what you are wanting to attract in a tangible form during a significant time.

For example, during my recent solar return I did everything I could to make sure that I was experiencing things on that day that I wanted to see more of in my coming year. I spent time with friends and family, made sure that money made its way into my account on that day and other things like that. It’s an idea to play with!

Cleansing Ritual

There are so many ways to ‘clean house’ and really reset yourself and your home for the coming year. You could do a smoke clearing ceremony, you could physically clean your space with herbal infusions and spices. This might be a good time to refresh any protections on your home, and I harp on about this but I love Amy Harvey’s suggestion of making a seasonal simmer pot with intentionally selected herbs and then using the leftover water to wash windows and doors - liminal spaces.

Now may also be a great opportunity to book in for a pendulum clearing, house clearing or evil eye clearing with someone like Ellene.

Declutter, clear your schedule of commitments that no longer serve you and release expectations on yourself. This is your time to start anew.

So now I’ve shared some ways that we can place our focus to bring in a fresh energy during a liminal time, but I also would like to share some quick correspondences that you can weave into your spell work or rituals to really amp up the potency.

• Abundance:

  • Colours orange and green

  • Pomegranate, figs, berries, oats, seeds, rice, cinnamon

  • Citrine, green aventurine

  • Sundays

  • The Sun

  • Brigid, Danu, Demeter

• Love:

  • Colours red or pink

  • Cacao, berries, rose

  • Rose quartz, moonstone

  • Fridays

  • Venus

  • Aphrodite

• Career success:

  • Colours blue, grey and orange

  • Patchouli, orange, cinnamon, allspice, bergamot

  • Green aventurine, tiger’s eye

  • Wednesdays

  • Mercury and Saturn

  • Janus

• Money:

  • Colours green, silver, gold

  • Basil, mint

  • Coins, keys

  • Green jade, citrine, green aventurine

  • Thursdays

  • Jupiter

  • Waxing moon

  • Áine, Cernunnos, Plutus

• Cleansing/Protection

  • Colours black and white

  • Rosemary, mugwort, sage, clove, juniper

  • Black tourmaline, obsidian

  • Sigils

  • Saturdays

  • Saturn

  • Waning moon

I hope that you are feeling open and ready to receive during this time of transition, and that what I’ve shared in this newsletter has given you some inspiration for ways you can celebrate as we move into 2025. I have so enjoyed getting to write for you here on Substack and planting the seeds of a growing community that I hope will continue to flourish and bloom for a good while to come.

I’d love to know some of your favourite ways to mark a turning point like a new year, or when you feel that the new year truly is for you. Let me know in the comments!

I wish you all the love as we step through this portal together.

Blessed be.

-Hannah