8 Ideas for New Beginnings: Rituals and Practices to Start Fresh with Intention
Updated September 2025 | Originally published January 2022
New beginnings don’t need to come with pressure or “shoulds.” Whether you’re starting a new year, season, or chapter in life, these rituals and practices will inspire you to approach your new beginning with intention and possibility.
Listen to Episode 126 of Celebrate Cultivate on Apple / Spotify / Below
New beginnings don’t need to come with pressure
When a new beginning arrives, there’s a lot of pressure to start things off the “right” way. Instead of forcing your way through a list of things you “should” do, these eight ideas will help you feel connected, rejuvenated, and excited about what lies ahead.
Fresh starts can happen any time:
The beginning of a new year
Celebrating a birthday
Moving to a new home
Starting a new job
Finding out you’re pregnant
Starting over after a breakup
Changing seasons
The start of a new school year
Saying yes (or no) to something big
Whether a new season has arrived, you’re celebrating a birthday, just moved into a new home, or are honoring a new beginning of another kind, use these ideas for a fresh start at any time.
01. Honor where you are
Grab your journal or go for a walk. Reflect on these prompts: What’s ending? What’s beginning? What does this fresh start mean to you? How do you want to honor it?
02. Refresh a small space
A physical clearing can feel so good. Select a space that needs a refresh. Dust, vacuum, take out trash, and set aside items to donate. Move things around, so you can appreciate what you have in a new way. Try the Blessing of the Forks Ritual. Treat yourself to something new if you want, but you don’t have to!
03. Set resolutions, goals, or intentions
These can build from year to year and season to season. You don’t have to get it perfect. Experiment, learn, and leave room for yourself to make progress.
Resolutions answer the question: what do I resolve to do?
Goals identify: what do I want to accomplish?
Intentions are when you choose: what energy do I want to claim?
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04. Pick a word for the year (or any beginning)
Distill your resolutions, goals, or intentions down to a single word or phrase. For inspiration, check out Ali Edwards’ One Little Word Project.
05. Pull a card or a year ahead spread
Pull a single card as an overall theme for the year, and then choose one for each month. If a card doesn’t make sense or feel right, pull a clarification card for more information. Learn more about using your intuition while pulling cards here: Tarot Cards, Oracle Decks, and Connecting to Wisdom.
06. Create a vision board for your next chapter
Vision boards and mood boards are visual anchors to what you desire in the new year (or new beginning). You can make digital boards on Canva, Pinterest, Cosmos, or by creating a folder of saved images on Instagram. When you’re making a vision board IRL you can put it on a bulletin board, poster, inside your journal pages, or even on a file folder.
Free Canva Templates
Bring your visions with you on the go with these Canva templates for phone and desktops.
07. Write a letter to your future self
One of my favorite holiday traditions is writing a letter to my future self. Give this a try! When writing to your future self, give practical advice along with encouragement. Shifting perspectives is uplifting and a great reminder that you have so much wisdom within.
08. Reflect in your journal
Grab your journal, light a candle, center yourself, and answer these four prompts:
What do I want to celebrate?
What do I want to cultivate?
What do I want to release?
What do I want to receive?
Learn how to journal with your inner wisdom with this free workshop: Journal with Intuition
Choose the rituals and practices for your new beginning that feels best for you
No matter how you choose to welcome this new beginning, let it serve you. Release anything that you feel like a “should” and lean into what feels good, rejuvenating, and exciting.
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Listen to the Celebrate Cultivate Podcast
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