While most people around me seem to be bringing in the new year with new intentions, resolutions, and manifestations for 2025. I’m still wintering. Yes, we technically entered the year 2025 based on the calendar system we’ve all as a society continued to accept in order to track time. And I don’t mean the Lunar New Year (January 29th) though I do find it more in tune with nature to celebrate the first new moon of the calendar year. But to me the real new year is the spring equinox, which this year in the Northern Hemisphere will be March 20th. That’s important to note because if you’re in the southern hemisphere you’d be entering fall as I renew in spring. It’s important when defining your rituals to realize the whole earth is not on the same clock and decolonize your understanding of traditions. Not saying that you can’t celebrate new years or christmas. But just to say first understand why you do, what came before and why were taught otherwise.

I choose to follow nature’s rhythms and the particular ones that impact my region of the world. So my “new year” will really begin on the first day of spring. Maybe as a spring baby it just resonates with me more. But I think when the days start being longer and flowers begin to bloom, it’s the perfect time for us to begin again as well. Till then I’m wintering. Hunkered down, drinking hot cocoa, and creating vision boards. Wintering is the time to plan and dream up what you want to come to fruition in the spring. Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces give us the last tools of structure, ingenuity, and ability to dream in order to create this vision before we can bolding begin building under Aries.

I approach vision boards in maybe a different manner than others. One I really like to collage, so you’ll see they’re jam packed and nice to look at. But after years of making boards and not really knowing what I was doing I’ve come up with a few tricks.

1. They have to be living vision boards: You need to be able to go back and change things, or add new things. So whether you keep a digital copy in Canva, or use push pins instead of glueing, either way they have to be able to evolve as you do throughout the year. I change my mind about what I what or what I’m doing ALL the time. And I found it discouraging when I achieved things but they weren’t on my board so it felt as if I didn’t actually manifest anything.
2. You have to see yourself: Yes, your actual face needs to be there somewhere. Be honest with yourself, how often when you envision your future or best possible outcomes do you really see yourself as you are or the imagined perfect skinny version you project? Could just be me. Include people who look like you, would act like you, and literally you! Of course you can have different people, but just make sure your not collaging people that don’t actually represent you. You’re manifesting someone else’s life.
3. Be specific: Similar to seeing yourself, actually find specific images to your life or area. Get pictures off of Trulia for actual homes in your area. If you’re hoping for an award, photoshop your face on the award graphic or create an acceptance letter. Look for things that represent what you’ll see. What your desk will look like or what you’ll see looking out the window of your dream home. Things that look like pictures you could take yourself for your instagram story.
4. Evoke emotion: Sometimes you want to find things that aren’t specific to what they’ll actually look like physically manifested, but that evokes the emotion you want to manifest. So freedom, creativity, joy, passion can be found in any number of images depending on your world view. You don’t want to forget how you feel because you’re so focused on the physical.

This year I’ve stepped it up a notch and created 4 different vision boards for 4 different sections of my life: Home, Relationships/Travel, Personal/Career Projects, and Spirituality/Emotions.

Not only do you have to be specific, you have to be realistic. Just because you created a pretty board with pretty pinterest images doesn’t mean they’ll magically come true. You have to live up to your vision board and work towards those goals. If it’s relationships you have to put yourself out there, buying a house you have to take the steps to prepare, and if you want a promotion you have to be doing the work required to get it. To me vision boards are about keeping you focused on your long terms goals and vision for your life. You want to print them out and hang them in easily seen places. Repeatedly seeing what we’re trying to achieve helps us do the necessary day to day actions to get there. It’s about focusing and narrowing down our manifestations so our energy can be more intentionally focused when creating them. It’s also then easier for us to recognize when they do manifest.

But most of all… have FUN! Nothing is more powerful than something created with love and joy. I’d love to hear about your new year intentions or vision board making process in the comments 🙂 Excited to see what blooms for everyone in spring from the seeds your planting now!