I never start my year with magickal goals. I generally start my year with a new list of goals for project completion, self-work, or mundane things. This year my list looks like this:
First Quarter Goals:
- Finish 3 projects in the first quarter
- Clean out boxes and bookshelves in office.
- Put together boxes for donation.
- Taxes: Feb 15 to L.
Then I go through and break these goals down into smaller chunks in my task manager:
Project A
- Finish writing by January 25.
- Send to editor January 26.
- Finish Editing by February 15.
- Make corrections.
- Check on page 9 artwork.
- Galley proof due February 28.
- Proof + Final Corrections March 15 – to print.
Once this is done I might look at my projects, compare them to the calendar, and schedule magickal work to help facilitate the project. If I’m having a rough time starting or completing, I may schedule a creative energy rite sometime during the first month. If I want prosperity for a project I might schedule a rite on a Thursday (Jupiter – prosperity and success) during the month of the book’s release. I may work an anti-theft curse on the book to deter pirating.
So in my case, the magickal goals are often secondary to the main goals. However, sometimes magickal goals are on the yearly agenda. In previous posts people have mentioned magickal goals for learning divination or working on meditation. I don’t treat these goals any differently than I do any other project. Last year my goal was to concentrate and focus on the creative process as opposed to the end result. I accomplished that goal simply by observing and working fewer, more meaningful rites where I could concentrate on the process of creation (both magickal and with my writing). This year my goal is to work my Lord of Khemenu Initiatory Rite (LoKIR). It’s about going back to the beginning to take a fresh look at things from a new perspective.
I also have a yearly rite for my new year goals that I perform every January and I want to share it with you.
Start by constructing your ritual space standard. At the center of the room invoke your patron/matron for wisdom and guidance. At the altar, begin by copying your goals onto a sheet of paper. Read each goal aloud with strong intent. Seal the list with your sigil, the sigil of your patron/matron, and a drop of blood (use sexual fluid if you refuse to blood-let). Burn it in the offering bowl. Perform any divination necessary about the goals. Close the circle standard.
I realize this may seem overly simplistic, but statements of intent are often simple. And yet they’re also powerful. There’s a great deal of power in words and the intent behind them.