21 Questions To Ask Yourself To Release 2021 and Receive More Magic in 2022
However 2021 has turned out for you, now is the time to release it with love so you can usher in a brand new year with peace, perspective and power! Here are 21 questions to use to reflect on the past year and form part of your own at-home ritual.
I like to spend a good few weeks at the end of the year and start of the next reviewing, releasing and calling in the new. What I've learned is that there is NO RUSH to do this.
A new year journal practice that’s perfect for any new beginning
Honestly, these questions might even spread into Springtime, the time of year we more naturally feel the pull to clear out the old and usher in the new. Whatever you do, take the pressure off. You don’t need a bunch of new year’s resolutions, the perfect ‘Word of the Year’ or all your goals mapped out by Jan 1st.
In the wintery darkness we have an opportunity to go inwards and simply enquire about what’s happened and what we want
I suggest marking out a few nights when you can be alone to light some candles, brew a hot cup of tea, and settle in for a few hours of open-hearted honesty.
The power of Release and Receive Rituals
When we pour love on and gently release what we no longer need, we make space to receive more of what we truly desire.
Think of it like an overstuffed room, full of dusty old files and paperwork, bursting open with objects you once found beautiful or clothes that no longer fit. Maybe, at one time in your past, it was essential stuff. But now you want something different. A new kind of abundance, where fresh ideas and dreams have room to circulate, where the windows are open wide for new opportunities come in easily, and where you truly enjoy the space you’ve curated.
What’s the first thing you need to do to usher in the new? Make space for it. Declutter. Clear out. Cleanse.
It’s the same principle with making our desires manifest. That overstuffed room though? This time it’s your beautiful body that’s the storage vessel and the place you experience the sensations of joy, prosperity, pleasure.
The journalling questions I’ve prepared for you are about taking some quiet time to reflect — almost like shaking out an rug and seeing what’s underneath. When we gently invite what’s underneath to the surface to be seen, we can move through the process of either refining, or releasing.
I recommend you ritualise this process in any way that feels good. Maybe you have a favourite journal and pen. Perhaps it’s a special candle that you light. Or maybe you make a whole evening of it and draw yourself a salt bath, play music that helps you connect with yourself, do a few monies of meditation… and then dive in.
Whatever you do, be kind and gentle with yourself through this exploration, and take as much time as you need. There’s no need to do anything perfectly, you job is simply to notice what comes up and love it all.
“Opening to receive is really about opening to feel — and we do so gently, slowly and somatically. Working *with* our bodies as our ally, instead of pushing through.”
With all that said, grab your journal and see what comes up for you with these 21 questions to release 2021 and usher in a beautiful new chapter.
21 powerful journal prompts to help you release 2021 and receive your desires in the new year
#1 WHAT WERE YOUR TOP FIVE MOMENTS OF THE YEAR?
I know that there are things you achieved or experienced that were uplifting, transformative, and expansive. What were they?
#2 WHAT ARE YOU REALLY GLAD IS OVER?
It could be a toxic relationship, a stagnant job, a living situation, or even a friend. We all have stuff that we’re glad is behind us. What’s yours?
#3 HOW ARE YOU DIFFERENT TODAY THAN YOU WERE 365 DAYS AGO?
What did your life look like a year ago? How did you act, stand, and talk, and how is it different to the you sitting here today?
#4 IS THERE ANYTHING YOU ACHIEVED THAT YOU FORGOT TO CELEBRATE?
A lot of us are very guilty of this: rushing from moment to moment, without taking time to acknowledge how much we’ve done. The result? We end up exhausted. Take a minute to congratulate yourself for all you’ve accomplished this year. Every win, no matter how small, deserves to be celebrated (and supports us in digesting all the goodness in our lives).
#5 WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING YOU LEARNED ABOUT YOURSELF THIS YEAR?
Have you been in a situation where you've been invited to reflect on your values or character this year? Did you shed some old stories about yourself this year? Did you begin to see yourself in a different — hopefully more positive — way? Do you think it will guide your behaviour in 2020?
#6 WHO ARE THE PEOPLE YOU'RE MOST GRATEFUL FOR THIS YEAR?
Sometimes we’re surprised by the people that stand by us, and the ones who drift away. Let’s take some time to be thankful for those who gave us their attention, and loved us just as we are.
#7 WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU TOLERATED FOR A LONG TIME, BUT NOW YOU WILL NOT?
Was there a straw that broke the camel’s back this year? What unacceptable behaviour do you now draw the line at — both your own and other people’s? What are you ready to honour and release?
#8 WHAT WAS ONE THING THAT YOU FOUND CHALLENGING, BUT CAN NOW SEE SUPPORTED YOUR GROWTH?
What gruelling experiences did you have that actually ended up helping you become a stronger, braver person?
#9 WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND TO BE ESSENTIAL THIS YEAR?
What practices, people, states of mind, ways of being, habits or practical things have been essential for you this year. Have you fully marinated in gratitude for the resources available to you, or can you allow a little of it to seep into your bones now?
#10 WHAT IS CHALLENGING YOUR STABILITY?
Take the time to ask the question of what isn’t serving you anymore and allow yourself to travel into 2022 with a lighter load.
#11 WHERE IN LIFE COULD YOU LEARN TO SOFTEN AND LET GO A LITTLE? WHAT FEELS LIKE IT’S READY TO BE RELEASED?
Recognise that everything we experience or hold onto requires a degree of energy to process and integrate. Letting go (or softening a little) creates space for digesting vital aspects of life. What feels like it could benefit from a little softening?
#12 WHO OR WHAT ARE YOU READY TO FORGIVE?
Forgiveness is the ultimate gift to yourself. How can you take a weight off your shoulders so you can move forward feeling lighter?
#13 IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL YOURSELF THIS TIME LAST YEAR?
What words of love or wisdom would have helped you make the most of 2021? What advice would you have given yourself?
#14 HOW HAVE YOU LEARNED TO CARE FOR YOURSELF THIS PAST YEAR?
Self-love is an ongoing journey - celebrate and honour the sometimes subtle changes you've made in your habits, relationships and thought-patterns that mean you take even greater care of yourself.
#15 WHAT PARTS OF YOURSELF HAVE YOU LEARNED TO SEE, LOVE OR ACCEPT THIS YEAR?
Is there a wound from the past you shone the light of awareness on this year? What younger parts of yourself have you invited back? What rejected parts of yourself have you learned to love?
#16 HOW HAS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR BODY CHANGED OVER THE LAST YEAR?
If there's one thing I advocate for, it's cultivating a deeper connection with the body and all it communicates with us. How have you treated your body? Listened to her? Spoken to her?
#17 WHAT HAS YOUR MENSTRUAL CYCLE ALERTED YOU TO THIS YEAR THAT YOU MAY OTHERWISE HAVE IGNORED?
Your cycle is an indicator of your health on all planes - from emotional, energetic and physical. Can you notice any patterns in your cycle this year that helped you see where you had to make a change?
#18 WHAT HAS NURTURED AND FED YOU THIS YEAR?
Fortifying your foundation and feeding it with the love or food that it needs to grow. How have you nurtured and nourished yourself this year? What ideas, images and experiences support your authenticity, wellbeing and growth?
#19 WHAT BEAUTIFUL AND NATURAL EXPRESSIONS HAVE COME THROUGH YOU THIS YEAR?
When have you felt the most “you” this year? And what expressions of truth have come through you as a result?
#20 WHAT WANTS TO BE EXPRESSED THROUGH YOU NOW?
How willing are you to share your truth with others? Is there anything that might want to be looked at that feels like it’s preventing you from fully expressing yourself?
#21 WHAT ARE YOU OPEN TO RECEIVE?
This question is two-pronged. First, what are you desiring? Go wild and don’t censor yourself or put down what is “reasonable”, “likely”, or “practical”. Notice what comes up as you journal on your desires -- any feelings, sensations, memories or thoughts. Take note. Then, part 2 is to ask yourself how open you are to receive those desires? How does your body feel? Do you talk yourself out of your desires or feel guilt or shame? Notice
Once you’ve journaled on these questions, I suggest putting on a song and moving your body to help digest everything you’ve unearthed.
Here’s my current favourite Receiving Playlist to help you open up to more magic.
I hope these questions will give you a sweeter view of everything you achieved, and will give you the strength to enter 2022 with much more peace and power.