Before the Year Ends: A Simple Letting Go Ritual

Photo by Yuvraj Singh on Unsplash

There is a lot of pressure at the end of the year. Pressure to reflect. Pressure to forgive. Pressure to turn everything that hurt into a lesson.

Most of us are just tired.

If you are reading this over a cup of coffee or tea, you probably don’t need a dramatic ritual. You need something honest. Something that helps you set things down.

In many pagan and witch traditions, endings matter just as much as beginnings. We don’t rush through transitions. We pause. We notice what was. We decide what does not get to follow us into the new year.

This is not about fixing the past year. It is about closing it.

Why We Close the Year on Purpose

Energy builds up over time. So do old habits, worn-out stories, and roles we’ve outgrown.

When we don’t name what we are done carrying, it tends to come with us anyway. This year-end ritual isnt about erasing the past. It’s about making space so the next season can breathe.

You don’t need special tools or perfect words for this letting go ritual. You need a few quiet minutes and the willingness to be honest with yourself.

A Simple Year Closing Ritual

This release ritual can be done alone, at a table, or anywhere you feel steady.

You’ll need:

• One candle

• A piece of paper and a pen

• A small bowl or plate

Optional but not required:

• Salt

• A cup of water

Step One: Set the Space

Light the candle. Take one slow breath. You're not calling anything in. You are creating a pause.

Step Two: Name What You Are Done Carrying

On the paper, write what you’re ready to release. Be plain. This doesn’t need to be poetry.

Examples:

• A pattern you keep repeating

• A role you no longer want

• A belief about yourself that feels heavy

• A version of the year that never happened

You don’t need to explain or justify any of it.

Step Three: Acknowledge It

Read what you wrote. Out loud if you can. Quietly, if that feels safer.

Say something simple, like: “I carried this. I’m done.”

Step Four: Let It Go

Tear the paper and place it in the bowl. If you choose to burn it, do so safely. If not, tearing it is enough. You can also dissolve it in water.

There’s no wrong method. The act matters, not the drama.

Step Five: Ground and Close

Touch the table, the floor, or the cup in your hands. If you have water, take a sip. If you have salt, place a small pinch in your palm and rub your hands together.

Say: “This year is closed.”

That is all.

For Those With a Deeper Practice

If you work with ancestors, spirits, or seasonal cycles, you can layer that in quietly. A thank you. A boundary. A moment of acknowledgment.

If not, this ritual still stands on its own.

Before You Go

You don’t need to rush into hope. You don’t need to reframe everything as a blessing.

Closing the year is an act of respect. For yourself. For your limits. For what you survived.

Let it be enough.