#189: Reframe Your Story & Reclaim Your Resonance with This New Year's Ritual
Are you reflecting on your year and creating space to make next year feel different? So am I.
In fact, I love this time of year because it feels like a time where we all slow down a little and tap into being present and reflective as a collective.
So light a candle, sage your space, and grab your favorite crystal for this short but sweet intention setting and releasing ritual that I'll be guiding you through in this episode.
And if podcasting is something you're wanting to bring into your life and sharing your experiences and your story are calling to you, then this exercise is actually really useful for organizing your thoughts around what you'd like to share in that context.
If you'd like to take this ritual to the next level and go a little deeper, you can grab my free Voice of The Goddess Ritual Guide at https://www.boss-goddess.co/ritualguide
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How to create the space and the grace to reflect and release
The power of intention setting for your year, and how to anchor your vision with one meaningful word (or three)
How to shift your stories and experiences to see them in a new light—perfect for those considering podcasting or deepening their personal narrative
00:00 Reflect, Release, Embrace Gratitude
06:07 Reflection and Letting Go
08:11 Let Go and Breathe
13:01 Reframes & Opposites
14:11 Free Ritual Guide for Renewal
More episodes on this topic:
Ep.65 - How To Intentionally Live For Today As If You Were To Die Tomorrow w/ Eric Winters
Ep.166 - Intention Setting Meditation
Read the Full Transcript
Christina Barsi [00:00:55]:
Today is the day before New Year's Eve, and most of us are thinking about the year we just had and what we are hoping for in the next year. I know for me, I've had to spend time releasing what this year was sort of ongoingly throughout the year, because I realized that this year's purpose was to create shifts and to let go of an entire chapter in my life that has been ready for me to release for some time now. And it took me a minute to finally surrender to that realization. But once I did, I could really lean into this sort of ongoing process of releasing things throughout the year. So that was the process for me. And with each releasing, I found some gratitude when I could for what those events in my life brought to me. And I'll be honest when I say that the gratitude does not always come right away. That sometimes needs a little more reflection time.
Christina Barsi [00:02:00]:
But I was able to release that too, that expectation to just move right into gratitude right away. I had to give myself the time needed to sort of allow for that to unfold and for enough reflection to happen to really release the thing. Right. Like sometimes we start that journey of releasing and it takes a few times to really make peace with something or, or enough peace with it to start to see it in a new light, which is what gratitude helps us do. So that brought me into the end of the year with a lot of peace and a lot of direction for what I want to create next and what I want to build momentum around. So at the end of the year, I do like to have some sort of reflection and releasing process that includes gratitude to. To then make space for the new intention that I want to set for the coming year. Even if you didn't reflect and release throughout the year like I did, I still like to come back to this moment with some simplicity and just sort of Some reflection and some idea of how I want to move into the next year.
Christina Barsi [00:03:15]:
So I'll talk about how you can go deeper with this process ongoingly. Kind of like the way I did. If you're feeling like that's where you're at too, where it's just kind of a lot, a lot to kind of shift and move away from and invite in something new, sometimes that process is much bigger than what I'm going to share with you today in this episode. So keep that in mind. But for the sake of stepping into the moment with a little energy for what you wanna bring in next and what you wanna walk away from, we'll walk through a little bit of a process today in this episod episode. It'll be short and sweet, but it'll just kind of help us step into this. This energy of finding a little peace and finding a little centeredness around the next intention. So if you're like me, you might enjoy doing this with a little ritual, a little renewal ritual, which if you have the time and space to do so, then you might like to do it by carving out a little special time with yourself.
Christina Barsi [00:04:21]:
I'd say at least 20 to 30 minutes if you can. And maybe you light a candle or stage your space or set into a meditation to kick this off, or even take an evening bath as part of your ritual. Whatever feels good. And if you are already a journaler, here's something that I did that really changed things for me. If you're already a journaler and you've been reflecting throughout the year, or, you know, more years than just this year. Right? Like I have, or. And you just have a journal practice. One way to do this, to start, is to just simply read your journals.
Christina Barsi [00:05:03]:
I did this for myself this year, and it really changed how I was reflecting on my recent past. It showed me where I was circling, where I had grown but didn't realize it, and what I'd been trying to move towards continuously, it showed where those consistencies were that I wasn't really aware of because we're always so inside of it. Right when I sit down to journal, I just sit down with the thoughts I have in that moment. And by reflecting and reading my. My past journals, I really got to see what the cycles were that I was circling around, that I was continuing to write about the same stuff. That was a huge aha moment for me. So if you've never done that before, that could be a really great exercise. If you've already been journaling or you may like to Begin with just free writing about what you're ready to let go of that's no longer serving you.
Christina Barsi [00:06:07]:
It could be big or small things like not checking emails first thing in the morning, to moving away from an entire career next year and into something new. It can be really big like that, or it can be these little things. And I. I recommend a little bit of both if you can. But you know, again, whatever feels right to you in this moment, and if podcasting is something you're wanting to bring into your life and sharing your experiences and your story are calling to you, then this exercise is actually really useful for organizing your thoughts around what you'd like to share in that context. Especially if you, again, have a journal and you can reflect on what you've already written in these stories that you've been telling yourself and that you've been walking through in your own writing. So, coming back to the reflection exercise, as you're reflecting, do your best to approach all of this with forgiveness and space, to feel what you need to feel to allow for the releasing. So, like I said, I did this throughout the year because I had a lot of letting go and forgiving myself to do so.
Christina Barsi [00:07:21]:
Just know that it's not a perfect process and it can bring up stuff that you've chosen to let live for a reason. So be gentle with yourself and just acknowledge what you have capacity for right now. It doesn't need to be everything at once. So with that process, if it feels doable in the moment to offer yourself some of that forgiveness or grace, or if you're ready for the gratitude, then you can write below your journal entry something that brings that in. And here are a few simple examples. I honor myself. My experiences are in service to me. It's okay to feel the anger or the resentment.
Christina Barsi [00:08:11]:
It's okay to let this go and choose something new or even choose something else. I also want to remind you to breathe during an exercise like this. It's so good to just take a deep breath and then a big exhale that can really help the release set into your body. We often hold these things in different places in our body, so that connection to your body is really important too. And you may even add some movement, movement here to this, like standing up, raising your arms with the inhale, and just lowering them with that exhale. Or another one I like is creating this. It's like a swooping motion across your body from your. You start top of your head with both your hands facing your palms facing you, and then you sort of move your hands down towards your waist, and then, you know, kind of push away, like you're pushing air away from you, away from your body, where what you're doing is basically moving the old energy away from you and setting it free to transform into something else, something good.
Christina Barsi [00:09:22]:
I often send it off with love and light, and I'll say that I'll do a motion like that. I'll push it out, and I'll then send it up and say, you know, I'm really seeing this with love and light. The next part of this exercise is setting the new intention. And your intention can be more than one thing. All of this journey that we're going on, this little ritual, is whatever feels right to you. And when I'm setting an intention, I often like to pick one word that feels in tune with the energy of what I want to bring in, just to sort of all encompass it. And for me, this new year, my intention is nurture. There's so many things I'm growing and nurturing that this feels really aligned.
Christina Barsi [00:10:11]:
I also want to reflect that word back to myself and use it as a reminder to also focus on actions that are nurturing for me as well, so that I'm feeling recharged and refreshed on a more regular basis and prioritizing my nurturing as well. And I'm planning some exciting things to offer that will be a nurturing experience for those of you who are ready to use your voice and start the journey of creating the foundation for what you're wanting next for yourself by starting a podcast and start taking those steps towards building your own brand and business. That journey requires a lot of nurturing, and I. I'm very passionate about that journey. So that's something that I'll be nurturing next year. Creating a space for that for you, soon to be revealed. And I'll invite you in. Don't worry.
Christina Barsi [00:11:10]:
Um, I'm also going to be nurturing a little one. We have a baby on the way that is due at the start of summer next year, and we're very excited for this next adventure and inviting in this new chapter that will be so different than anything else I've ever done before. And it's something that I'm. I've been wanting for a long time, so it's really exciting and aligned with this sort of growth, chapter churn moment that I'm bringing in for next year. It's this perfect timing, so I'm excited for that. And we'll be nurturing that. So as you're thinking about what your intention might be, try and feel into how you'd like to feel and what you might like to bring into your life more regularly. So I pick one word to kind of encompass my, my year.
Christina Barsi [00:12:09]:
Like what I want to come back to as a reminder and kind of what energy I'll be in when I create big things. But also I want to nurture myself on a daily basis. So coming back to like, what are the daily moments you want to have? What do you want your day to day to feel like? It could be things like creativity or self expression or expansion, like how are we expanding ourselves a little bit each day? That was a word for me, I think two years in a row around like 20, 20, 2021. And it came down to even the type of movement I would do, like the type of yoga I would choose or Pilates and things like that. It just felt like an expansive couple of years. So you can think about it that way too. It can be anything that feels right to you. It can be more than one thing.
Christina Barsi [00:13:01]:
Like I shared a moment ago. And I also wanna say that if you're, if you're struggling with this moment, one way to approach it is to use your reflections and take something that you're releasing and then explore its opposite. So for example, let's say you're letting go of like hustling and pushing things into existence or pushing things forward. The opposite energy of that might be ease or unfolding, which has a very different vibe. Right? So if you're like, I don't know my intention, I don't know what I want to bring in, but I know what I don't want, that can sometimes be much easier and give you some clues to how you might like to approach things a little more in honor of who you are and what you want. And then also if this intention setting exercise is feeling stuck for you at that reflection stage, like maybe there's just a lot to acknowledge there, like it was for me, which is like very normal. Remember I did this part of the process throughout the whole year and probably longer, if I'm being honest. If I'm being honest, I probably started this two years ago.
Christina Barsi [00:14:11]:
Then I have something for you. It's a free ritual guide that really focuses on this part of the process that also includes a reframing section and a reclaiming section which where you shift a negative reflection into one that serves you. And it includes a full ritual experience with moon water and a burning ritual and more. So if you like a little woo woo and magic, then this time of year is a great time to shepherd in those kinds of shifts and claim what you're wanting next. And the Ritual Guide goes much deeper than what we did today and will guide you in truly releasing what no longer fits and honoring what you've carried and reframing your path as your power and reclaiming your voice as your sacred guide forward. So the link for that will be in the show notes or you can go directly to Boss Goddess co ritualguide and you can get it there again. It's totally free and it just kind of goes deeper with what I talked to you about today and I'm really looking forward to this new year and I'm wishing you all of the alchemy and self expression that I know you're read for. Happy New Year.
Christina Barsi [00:15:29]:
I will see you in 2026.
