Are new years’ resolutions a waste of magic?

New Year, New You?

It’s that time of the (new) year again when arguments inevitably break out as to the value of making new years’ resolutions!

In one corner! We have the hopefuls with their brand new diaries, journals, and hope and dreams, and in the other we have the realists, refuting all value to the new year whatsoever! And in the crowd we have people cheering for them to be right/wrong…

Honestly it all feels a little bit silly to get so cross over people making resolutions in January, but this year there have been magical complaints added to the list as to why we should not be making any kind of self-promises, so I thought we would examine this practice and the conversations behind it.

Ultimately I want you to lean into your intuition and do whatever makes you feel alive, happy, and inspired. January is a difficult month for many, and it can take a toll on mental health. So we’re going into this blog piece with a pinch of silliness and no judgment, okay?

Reasons against New Years’ resolutions

January 1st is an arbitrary date.

So this is technically true – January the 1st doesn’t revolve around any celestial events – which is usually the case with other important dates throughout the year.
Whilst I personally find the energetic impact of the Winter Solstice to be far more meaningful, it doesn’t mean you can’t embrace man-made dates and find magical use in them.

The greater collective of humankind generally celebrates this as New Year. You can absolutely tap into that as an energetic force of magic – the excitement, the hope, the potential.

For example, I create my mood-boards of things I want to manifest at Winter and Summer Solstice. Add to that a little infusion of energy in the early days of January and boom! We have amplified our magic, drawn our attention back to our goals, and reminded ourselves to take action on them. This can be a win-win!

We don’t plant seeds in Winter.

I saw this as an argument this year, and I had to do a double-take, because I was pretty sure that the assertion that we don’t plant any seeds in nature in January is incorrect. So I fell down a horticultural hole of research – so to speak – to fact-check my suspicions.There’s a few different answers to this question (mainly it depends where you live) but you absolutely can plant seeds in Winter. It’s known as “winter-sowing.” Then there is the practice of indoor seed-planting, some of which will be transferred outdoors at a later date.

So nature isn’t going to throw hands if you metaphorically “plant seeds” in January.

Winter is a time for rest – not action!

So technically, I half agree with the idea that we as humans are out of touch with the natural rhythms of nature due to modern living. Electric lights, a constant pressure to work and attain finances a certain way, social conditioning… all lead to us living in a state of burn-out.

We can get quite sick this way, mentally and physically. But new years’ resolutions and planning don’t have to be a stressful exercise.
You can use that beautiful planner you treated yourself to, curl up with a cup of your favourite warm beverage, a scented candle and some blankets… and dream.

That’s what nature is doing – dreaming of all the beauty she will bring forth in Spring.

You only ever fail new year’s resolutions anyway.

Yikes.
This attitude is certainly not new (it’s been around every year in living memory) but it really is a foul bit of pessimism that we should seek to banish from the collective. People ridiculing and mocking people for being hopeful? It’s horrible.

This sort of feeling is usually an indicator that someone needs to engage in shadow work and self awareness because they’re hurting – and taking it out on other people.

If it helps, you can get stubborn in the face of this sort of commentary, and use it as fuel.

If they say you can’t achieve something? Do it twice with bells on.

But what if I fail?

But darling, what if you fly?

I understand fear of failure, especially if it all feels like too much pressure around this time of year. But here’s the secret – you don’t have to tell anyone what your new years’ resolutions are.
You can even reframe the idea into “New Year wishes for myself.”In addition, you can make them small goals to achieve over a month, and then revisit them each month to see how you’re going, and if you need to adapt them. They can be fluid – not something set hard in stone that if you cannot achieve instantly then “you’ve failed.”

Take the notion of pressure out of the equation – it’s self-created anyway – and reframe it into something that nourishes and inspires you.
That also goes for whatever you’re wishing for; make sure it’s about what you want and not what you feel pressured into.

So should you make resolutions?

The answer is, naturally, only if you feel called to.
If you feel inspired then that is a magical thing – we all seek the inspiration to become our favourite version of ourselves. If it helps, the astrology is favourable this January to getting outside of your comfort zone and authentically creating whatever speaks to you on a soul level.

If you don’t feel it’s helpful? Then seek inspiration where so ever calls to you, Starlet.

Have a great year.

Joey Morris