The first three rough nights: roots, inner voice and heart opening

Published on 17.12.2023 from Finde Dein Yoga

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The previous blog post was about the tradition of the Rauhnächte , where they come from and what this special time between the years is all about. The following article focuses on the individual nights , their meaning and some rituals . How can we prepare for a new year, free ourselves from old burdens and help shape our future positively?

As already described, the Rauhnächten are about taking time for yourself, getting a little closer to yourself, clearing up the past and getting ready for something new . Some questions may also arise that need to be answered. To do this, we will now take a closer look at the topics and aspects of the individual nights and give a few tips on how we could deal with them. Afterwards, in each article in this blog series, you will also get a little inspiration about which classic rituals could help to fulfill these tasks or answer questions.

First, we will look at the first three Rauhnacht, specifically from December 24th to 27th. The first Rauhnacht from December 24th to 25th symbolizes the month of January of the following year. This night is about the basis of your life, your foundation and roots. We look back on the last year, let go of the old and ask ourselves how we can strengthen our family . We meet our ancestors and honor them, because they paved our way.

For example, give your parents a gift or light a candle for everyone in the family.

You can also ask yourself the following questions and answer them for yourself:

What forms the foundation of my life and what wants to be healed?
What can I rely on?
What strengthens me and my foundation and what throws me off balance?
How do I meet my ancestors?

The second Rauhnacht from December 25th to 26th represents February of the following year and is used to deal with the topics of our own strength, higher self and inner voice. On this night we become quiet, calm down and find our inner strength and our home within ourselves.

For example, meditate that night and think about what is important to you and what forces of nature you value. You can, for example, create a collage where you record these things to remind yourself that you are protected by these forces.

You can also ask yourself the following questions and answer them for yourself:

What does my inner voice want to tell me?
What can I do to better perceive my inner voice?

Let's come to the third Rauhnacht , the night of December 26th to 27th. This represents March of the following year with the themes of opening the heart and opening up to the wonders of life . This is about our heart energy and opening ourselves up to others and our inner selves.

For example, write down your wishes and goals for the coming year on this night. It can also be a nice idea to light a candle for each wish.

Also ask yourself the following questions and answer them for yourself:

Who has supported me in my life this year?
Who inspired me, who brought me happiness and joy?
Who or what cost me energy and strength?
What are my heart's desires?
What gives me deep joy and fulfillment and makes my heart leap?
Who do I give love and friendship to? Who gives it to me?

Ritual for your Rauhnacht: Incense and Rauhnacht candle

As promised, each blog post in this series also contains a ritual that you could use for yourself. Before we begin: If you have important experiences during the Rauhnacht period, dreams or inspirations, then write them down in a book. This way you can look at them again later and see what inspiration you were given for the new year. What messages have you received? What new insights are you taking with you into the new year?

We begin our series in a very traditional way with the ritual of smoking and the Rauhnacht candle. This tradition, which is thousands of years old, served in earlier times to protect against illness and misfortune. Whole houses and farms were smoked out with different herbs to drive away evil. Myrrh, frankincense, St. John's wort or juniper were used, for example. You can also smoke out your apartment or house between the years to drive away negative energies and invite positive ones.

In addition to the plants mentioned above, the following plants are also suitable: mugwort, spruce resin, orange peel, elderberry, lavender, mistletoe, sage or palo santo. Now walk through your living room with your incense, for example an incense bowl, blowing the smoke into every corner of the room. Imagine how everything negative in the room dissolves and turns into something great and positive.

You are welcome to formulate and express your own wishes for the coming year or write them down for yourself. When carrying out this ritual, it can also be nice to light a candle at the very beginning and invite yourself to get involved in the following rituals and to allow the divine, magical or mysterious within you.

Are you curious about what other rituals there are to prepare for the new year? And what happens during the Rauhnächten four to twelve? Then stay tuned and take another look at the following articles in this series.