In the Northern Hemisphere, Winter has arrived. At the end of the year, so much seems to be accelerating:

Do more! Finish all your projects! Buy everything that’s on sale! Become a whole new you by the 1st of January!

(capitalist patriarchy™️)

Instead, this would be the time to slow down. To reflect on what in our lives we need to let go. To rest. 

And eventually, as the days begin to get longer again, to sense into what wants to emerge. This is what we’re trying to practice at Parayma! We will close our offices officially from the 22nd of December, to the 6th of January.

Rauhnächte

Between Dec 25 and Jan 6, Celtic and Germanic traditions refer to these nights as the Rauhnächte: a time “between the years, when the pace softens and space opens for reflection and renewal.

These nights have long been seen as a moment for looking back and looking ahead:

• honoring what supported you,
• releasing what slowed you down,
• and sensing what the coming year may ask of you.

12 nights → 12 months

Each of these twelve nights symbolically echoes one month of the coming year, offering an invitation to reflect, release, and listen for what’s emerging. Other traditions see each night as having a particular theme. Below, you’ll find an overview of both.

1. Dec 25: Letting go of the old (January)
2. Dec 26: Stillness & tending your inner ground (February)
3. Dec 27: Openness & connection (March)
4. Dec 28: Listening inward (April)
5. Dec 29: Clearing what feels heavy (May)
6. Dec 30: Inviting guidance (June)
7. Dec 31: Gratitude for what carried you (July)
8. Jan 1: Visioning the path ahead (August)
9. Jan 2: Courage & aligned action (September)
10. Jan 3: Support & community (October)
11. Jan 4: Creativity & expression (November)
12. Jan 5: Integration & renewal (December)

Honouring these nights doesn’t require complex rituals. Even a few minutes of stillness: lighting a candle, taking a breath, or sitting with a question that’s been waiting for space can open a softer rhythm for your winter.

End-of-year gift

For many of us, though, it’s not just a new year. It’s a new chapter in our changework journey that is calling.

If the beginning of the new year also coincides with the beginning of a new chapter in your changework journey, we have a special gift for you:

The Changework Compass is now available as a self-paced journey! When you sign up for this special edition of the Changework Compass during Slow Shift Week, you will be offered the unbeatable price of 150€ for a 10-week journey with all workbooks and lifetime access included.

You will also be gifted:

• A live welcome call in late December to co-initiate the journey together
• A live integration call in March to reflect and close the journey together
• A signed copy of my upcoming book
• Access to our private community space
• The opportunity to ask questions and get my support

If this resonates, it would be my joy to become your ally and cheerleader on your changework journey. Learn more and sign up for Changework Compass today!

Other favourite rituals

In addition to the Rauhnächte, I also always go through the Year Compass as a reflection process. I love to complement this more mind-focused ritual with a creative one. For this, every year I participate in my favourite workshop of the year: Visioning the year ahead through intuitive collaging. 

What rituals are a part of your process as the year comes to a close, and the beginning of the next one approaches? May the final days of the year bring softness, clarity, and a quieter rhythm to your winter!