I cannot remember when I last set a new year’s resolution. Yet at the start of the new year, I always feel a pull to do something different and go on a new adventure. However, when lighting a candle, I was reminded that my rhythms and habits do not have to change just because it’s now 2025.
I am aware that the start of the new year is arbitrary and is celebrated on different days throughout the world. If I could choose a date, I would choose a day in spring. I tend to go into hibernation in the dark days of winter, and brighter days bring back energy and vision. I recently learned that the new year used to be celebrated in England on 25th March, so I would not mind going back to the old tradition!
Even though January is not the best time for major decision-making for me, I usually like to take time out to plan the coming season. However, at the moment, I am still catching up on my year-end. I spent Christmas in Germany, and the whole of December seems to have sped past…
Lighting a candle is one of the rituals that helps me to slow down and become present. This week, I lit the peace candle that are handed out in some German churches at Christmas. The first candle is lit in Bethlehem, and the idea is for the light to travel around the world. The idea is to travel home without the light going out. There was no point trying this exercise when transporting the candle to England, but I love the idea of light spreading everywhere.
The dancing flame was a powerful reminder that light dispels darkness. In Advent, I had heard about the idea of focussing on “glimmerings”, and I decided to go on a “glimmer hunt” and find things to celebrate. I see no reason to limit the hunt to December.
Here is to finding hope and light throughout 2025 and beyond, regardless of what the headlines may be saying.