A New Year Ritual for Release

On New Year’s Eve, we each wrote out our wishes for 2017 on a sheet of white paper and then folded them into little origami boats. Before midnight, we went to the Seine and said prayers to the goddess Yemanya, mother of the sea. They do this in Brazil on December 31st as a sacred ritual. They send their little boats out on the water, and if the goddess takes their boat out to sea, it means that she will grant their wishes. But if your boat washes ashore, then it means that now is not the time– they have more alignment work and healing to do.

After we said our prayers, we dropped our little boat of wishes onto the river and watched them be carried away by the current. I have to say that I had no idea of how exciting it would be. I didn’t think that our little boats would actually float and travel! We stuck a coin inside and wondered if they would topple, but they did not! Our boats were beautiful and white against the dark waters of the midnight Seine. We launched them near the Pont St. Michel and then raced to the other side of the bridge and watched them come sailing through. My heart leapt for joy as I saw my own little boat come gliding safely beneath the bridge.

That was magical and it still makes me smile inside. Tonight, I shall say another little prayer to The Goddess to thank her for the gift of Allowing and the gift of creativity and the gift of birth.

Goodnight from Paris, Friends!