As the year draws to an end, and the festive season is just around the corner, I wanted to send you lots of love and wish you and your loved ones a peaceful, rejuvenating and happy festive season together. 

It’s typically the time to reflect and also the time to look ahead, especially with a promising new decade ahead. I hope that you have already had a fulfilling year and that the next decade ahead will be a happy one for you and your loved ones.

The 12 days “between the years” (and this time even between the decades) we call here in Europe the “Smoke Nights.” You may ask yourself what I mean with between the years or decades—and I know it sounds strange to our ears today, but it has its origin in a time when humankind lived by a lunar calendar. The moon needs 29 ½ days from new-moon to new-moon and 12 months are in that calculation, 354 days in moon-year. That is how in the olden days the people looked at the lunar calendar. But the sun needed longer to get to the original place in the sky, precisely 365 days. That is why we talk of the 12 special nights (and 11 days) between the years. This way, those 12 nights are outside the laws of the moon or the sun.

These days when the moon cycles have ended, the year and the sun has not yet returned to its original place in the sky, our ancestors took the time to take care of the magical moments of the year. The between lunar and solar time was most mystical and magical. A time that gave our forefathers an opportunity to peek behind the curtain of what is real and what is intuition and mystic. A time for rituals. A time to bring light into the dark days of winter. A time to smoke out bad spirits or bad habits. 

So it was a time for renewal and reflection and definitely a time for magic. This year, I hope you find time to let some of this magic into your life and there is a ritual that you may find interesting to try out over this magical period ahead.

Each night has a special bound of rituals and each day can be looked at as an opportunity to reflect, empower and renew. You are free to make up your own ritual or you might want to research one that is appealing to you. I find it most important to feel intuitive about what kind of ritual you want to celebrate. Feel free to just meditate on this too, like always, it must feel right for you. You can also sit and write or even draw intuitively to the night’s special aspect. (find them listed below):

Setting intentions to give yourself the time and the space to use these 12 magical nights is an exciting prospect and to get things going, start with clearing out 30 minutes per night or day for yourself. I know this is not easy around the holidays but you may find it exciting to stay up a bit longer and gift yourself with this magical time. Go to a space in your home where you are alone and light a candle to make this space sacred.

Concentrate on yourself and how you wish to move your life forward when you take up this Smoke Night ritual. There are many ways to go about it and you will pick the ones that suit you most. It is all about taking the time to reflect and feel inspired. Connecting with your senses and being lead by your intuition. 

Before you begin your daily rituals, you should smoke the space you like to spend these magical nights in. This can be done with sage or frankincense or any other clearing and smoking ritual. You can use a scented candle and just have the intention to clean the rooms and clear the space for yourself.

Whatever you pick one or all 12 days to give yourself time to sit, meditate or reflect, enjoy the moment and the fact that you make space for yourself. It’s about allowing yourself to sit down and give yourself a bit of time off. A bit of time to reflect and rejuvenate. 

First smoke night

Night of the 24./25. of December
Archetype: The wild women
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Original instincts, drives, feelings, body wisdom, grounding, vitality, wildness, fire.
Ritual: Grounding ritual: connecting with the earth

Second smoke night

Night of the 25./26. of December
Archetype: The warrior women
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Strength, determination, self-assertion, assertiveness, steadfastness, enthusiasm, determination, dexterity, self-protection, power.
Ritual: Forgiveness Ritual: Heal the warrior’s wounds

Third smoke night

Night of the 26./27. of December
Archetype: The priestess
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Compassion, universal love, comfort, promise, selfless service, mystical intuition.
Ritual: Grounding ritual: Heart opening ritual: feeling unconditional love in the heart

Fourth smoke night

Night of the 27./28. of December
Archetype: The mother
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Kindness, care, security, rhythm, naturalness, growth, fertility, security.
Ritual: Ancestral ritual: thank the female ancestors

Fifth smoke night

Night of the 28./29. of December
Archetype: The companion
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Trust, respect, loyalty, encounters, eye level, sisterhood, friendship, intuitive communication.
Ritual: Alliance ritual: strengthening friendship

Sixth smoke night

Night of the 29./30. of December
Archetype: The healer
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Intuition, healing, wholeness, becoming whole, integration, ancestors, rituals, tradition, ancient knowledge, connection between the worlds.
Ritual: Healing ritual: activate your inner healer

Seventh smoke night

Night of the 30./31. of December
Archetype: The Lover
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Femininity, charisma, give and take, closeness, devotion, eroticism, desire, sensuality, pleasure.
Ritual: Love ritual: giving and receiving love

Eights smoke night

Night of the 31./1. of December/January
Archetype: The artist
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Imagination, creativity, art, self-expression, truth, creating, creative source, painting, writing, drawing, cooking, gardening, designing.
Ritual: Creativity ritual: draw from your inner source

Ninth smoke night

Night of the 1./2. of January
Archetype: The Virgin
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Self-development, laundering, self-discovery, renewal, flowering, beauty, development, living in the here and now, liberation, reorientation.
Ritual: Renewal ritual: start a new with fresh empowerment

Tenth smoke night

Night of the 2./3.. of January
Archetype: The wise women
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Knowledge, wisdom, self-knowledge, self-revelation, tolerance, serenity, solidarity, shadow work, fate, intuition.
Ritual: Initiation ritual: discover truth and wisdom

Eleventh smoke night

Night of the 3./4. of January
Archetype: The converter
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Let go of the past, say goodbye, transition, upheaval, transformation, transformation, a new phase of life, liberation.
Ritual: Farewell ritual: honor the change

Twelfth smoke night

Night of the 4./5. of January
Archetype: The Queen
Aspects of yourself you want to reflect, free and empower: Recognition, self-confidence, authority, dignity, willpower, connection to the cosmos, unity, leadership.
Ritual: Feel-good ritual: the Queen’s bath

I wish you a very empowering time between the decades and hope you enjoy the ancient rites and thoughts about those days.

On a personal note, I will spend these days up in the Swiss Alps and enjoy family and friends, light candles, decorate our home and celebrate this delightful time of the year. Laughter and discussions and delicious food will be part of our celebration, but also a time to reflect and look forward to new ways and new options in the new decade ahead. Most of all, I will enjoy myself after a year of surprises and healing.

I will make time to celebrate all of the 12 smoke nights and think of you and hope you will join in too!

Wishing you a very merry festive season!

Much love,
Carollyne

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