Setting New Year Goals in Sync with Nature
How to Live in Sync With the Natural Cycles of the Year (Instead of Forcing New Year Goals in January)
Every January, we’re encouraged to hit the ground running. We’re supposed to set goals, make plans, and drastically transform your life. New year, new you… right?
But what if this pressure to begin again in the middle of winter is completely out of sync with our natural rhythm?
What if there’s an older, wiser way of marking new beginning - one that honours rest, reflection, and the slow return of life?
We’ve Been Taught to Believe the New Year Begins in January
For centuries, we’ve accepted that the New Year starts on the 1st of January. This belief largely comes from Roman influence and later calendar changes formalised by religious authority in the 1700s.
Yet when we pause and really think about it, the timing feels… off.
Why do we celebrate renewal and fresh starts in the dead of winter, when the land is quiet and nothing is growing? Why do we expect ourselves to ‘spring’ forward with motivation and momentum when nature itself is resting?
The answer is simple: this system wasn’t created with our bodies- or the Earth - in mind.
There Is a More Ancient, Natural Way of Living
Long before modern calendars and productivity culture, many ancient societies lived in deep relationship with the land.
Instead of January, new beginnings were marked by powerful natural turning points:
The Winter Solstice (December) – celebrating the return of the light
The Spring Equinox (March) – honouring rebirth, balance, and renewal
These cultures understood that life moves in cycles. They observed the seasons, the sun, and the rhythms of growth and rest - and shaped their lives around them.
Nature was the calendar.
January, Janus, and the Roman Idea of Time
The shift of the New Year from March to January happened when Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar, aligning it more closely with the solar year.
January was named after Janus, the Roman god of doorways, transitions, and thresholds - often depicted with two faces, looking both backward and forward.
While this symbolism of reflection and transition is meaningful, it has very little to do with the land itself. It doesn’t reflect what’s happening in nature, especially in Britain, where January is still a time of deep winter.
There is, however, an older tradition that feels far more grounded and embodied.
Going Back to Our Roots: Ostara and the Spring New Year
In nature-based spiritual (Pagan) traditions, the Spring Equinox - known as Ostara -marks the true New Year.
Ostara celebrates:
Rebirth and renewal
Balance between light and dark
Fertility, growth, and new life.
It symbolises the Earth awakening from winter’s rest and beginning to stretch towards the light again. Seeds are planted, intentions are set, and life starts to move forward.
This is the season of genuine new beginnings- not forced, but natural.
We’ve Been Taught to Force Progress, Not Honour Stillness
Modern culture teaches us that rest is unproductive and stillness is lazy. But winter is not meant for hustle.
Personally, I’m still tired in January. I need rest. I need quiet. And that’s not a flaw - it’s natural. Winter is a time for reflection, integration, and going inward. Yes, we can think about our goals during this season. But we don’t need to chase them yet.
Spring brings energy, momentum, and growth.
When we wait for that natural rise in vitality, our intentions have roots. They’re sustainable. They feel aligned. And the most beautiful part? We stop fighting ourselves.
Living in Tune With the Natural Cycles of the Year
When we align our lives with the seasons, we begin to move with life instead of against it. We rest when the Earth rests, grow when the Earth grows, and we honour cycles instead of forcing constant progress.
Set ‘Soul Goals’
Setting ‘soul goals’ that move with the rhythms of nature is a beautiful way to stay grounded, especially when linear, productivity-driven goals feel draining. Think less about pushing for outcomes and more about tending a living process. Here’s a gentle, practical way to do it.
🌱 Spring – Awakening & Initiation
Energy: Growth, curiosity, experimentation
Soul goals to set:
Begin something without pressure to perfect it
Explore new ideas, relationships, or habits
Reconnect with what excites you
Ask yourself:
What wants to sprout in me?
Where do I feel renewed interest?
Practice: short-term experiments, journaling, learning.
If you’d like to explore this way of living more deeply and learn simple, nature-based spiritual practices you can do at home, you’re invited to join The Solstice Circle.
It’s an online learning space with self-paced short courses and exclusive content, designed to help you reconnect with the natural rhythms of the year.
✨ £7.77 a month
✨ Learn gently, in your own time
✨ Live in alignment with the seasons
Because you were never meant to bloom all year round. 🌱
