And Now for Something Completely Different: 2016!

That's right. It's a new year. This means new hopes, dreams, goals, and pursuits. I've felt rather fragmented to think about my coming year. 2015 was hard. Hard for many of my friends. Hard for my family. Hard for me personally and professionally.

But now the year begins again with a freshness and promise of something entirely different.

I just performed a Yule/New Year ritual. I've been awfully lax with the ritual aspect of things. I think it's safe to say that I've really thought a lot about the role ritual will play in my future. I don't believe in god--capitalized or otherwise. I don't believe in goddesses. I don't believe showing devotion to any entity really. Although I do believe in awe-inspiring power of nature. I do believe in the beauty of the world around me. Consequently, if an atheist can be a pagan, that's me.

The ritual today helped me get a little grounded and focused for the coming year. It helped me identify what builds gratitude, what would best be released into the fire, and what needs to be nurtured to grow within me. While I could have just made the lists and left it at that, the formalizing nature of a brief ritual gives it a bit more chutzpah.

I burnt the ick to be released in the cauldron. I placed the gratitude under the cauldron to remind me of the goodness in my life. I wrapped the things to nurture in green ribbon as a gift to myself and left it on my altar.

I'm not sure where 2016 will take me, but I'm up for the ride. I have some avenues I want to explore, and I'll share a little along the way. This past year was just not inspiring me to write. At all. Ever. It all seemed too trivial, too indulgent, or too pointless. Every time I thought about writing it came up like so many throat turds.

Now though, I think my muse is talking again. And by muse I speak figuratively, not literally like there's some feminine spirit being whispering in my ear. 

Really, it's creepy if you think about it. Anyway, time to sign off. Time to focus on some rehab for my human existence. I'll be in touch.