January 2026 Blog: Setting Intentions and Surrendering

Hello 2026!

January has a funny way of arriving with a lot of noise. Suddenly everyone is talking about fresh starts, big goals and changing your whole life overnight. But if you step outside and actually look around, nature is doing the complete opposite. Everything is still resting.

So if you have been feeling a bit out of sync with the whole “new year, new you” energy, then congratulations! You are not behind, but you aligned with natures rhythms and seasonal calendar. 

To me, January is not really a beginning… Even though the calendar tells us the year starts on the 1st of January, seasonally and energetically it does not feel that way at all. We are still in winter. The days are short and the earth is still. Seeds are not pushing their way up through the soil yet, they are gathering strength underneath it. Just as we should be doing so too and I have a folklore tale below which depicts this perfectly. 

Many old cultures saw spring as the true beginning of the year, and I do too. I personally celebrate the new year at the Spring Equinox. January, for me, is more of a reflection and a check in point. I still tap into the renewal energy the collective brings, but not in the way that most do. 

For me, this month is a month for noticing where I am and what direction I want to go, rather than setting pressuring goals with the intentions to get at them straight away only to be met with overwhelm and burn out. 

Folklore Tale: The Sleeping Maiden and the Wisdom of Winter

Long ago, before calendars ruled our lives, people marked the year by what the land was doing. In the deepest part of winter, when the ground was frozen and the nights were long, they told the story of the Sleeping Maiden. She was not a girl, and not an old woman, though she had been both many times before. She was the spirit of the land itself, keeper of roots and buried things.

As the final leaves fell and the last harvest was gathered, the Maiden walked the land one last time. Wherever her feet touched the earth, the soil softened, preparing itself for rest. When the sun reached its weakest point, the Maiden lay down.

Some say she slept beneath a hill. Others say within the womb of the earth. But all agree on this, she did not disappear, she was held.

Snow fell like a blanket. Rivers slowed. Trees turned inward and the world exhaled. Through December and into January, the Maiden slept.

Above her, people grew uneasy. The land looked empty, but the elders knew better. They said, “Listen with your bones.” For beneath the frozen ground, the Maiden dreamed. She dreamed of green shoots and returning light. Of all that would one day rise and with each dream, the seeds below the soil stirred. January was the heart of her sleep.

This was the month of deep inward turning. When roots thickened in darkness and life chose its direction quietly. No one was meant to wake her. Those who rushed the land found nothing thrived. Those who honoured her rest were rewarded when she finally stirred. As the days lengthened, the Maiden began to turn in her sleep..

By the Spring Equinox, she would rise. Green life would push upward and humans, too, would feel something awaken within them. But January belonged to her dreaming.

For this was the truth the elders carried:

“What sleeps in winter is not wasted.
What rests is not lost.
And what is dreamed in the dark 
shapes what will grow in the light.”

I love this story because it reminds us that rest is not something to fix or push through but it is part of the cycle. January is not actually meant for you to be productive but you are meant to be restful and introspective. January is a time where things are slowly forming within, dreams, ideas, new versions of yourself. But what is lovely is that they can quietly simmer away for now, before they’re ready to bloom in Spring.

You can hear me read a version of this wonderful folklore tale on my podcast, Your Magick World. Just search the name wherever you listen to your podcasts! 

Nature in January 

At first glance, January can look a bit empty and you’d be right to think everything is a bit bleak… the trees are bare and the ground frozen. Grey skies for the most part (where I am in the North West of the UK anyway!). But actually, underneath all of that, life is still happening.

Roots are growing stronger and animals are conserving energy. The soil is replenishing itself ready for spring. Nature never rushes itself and it never apologises for resting. Somehow, everything still gets done exactly when it needs to. A lesson to be learnt by many humans I think? 

There is something very comforting in that and I feel we have a lot to learn from the cycles of nature. 

A list of things to spot outside in the UK in January:

• frost patterns on leaves and grass (actual magick!)
• early signs of buds swelling, the first glimmers of Spring being on the way
• a winter sky (in my opinion, no sky beats a clear winter sky) 
• robins being very territorial guarding their winter lands 
• blue tits, great tits and coal tits can be easy to spot around bird feeders 
• foxes are more active and vocal in winter, especially around dusk and dawn 
• icy puddles (be careful not to slip!)

Setting Intentions in Winter: An Easy January ritual 

I’m sure you’ve heard it before… new year, new me! Well, we’re not about that here. This is a time for soft intentions and sometimes even big intentions! I’m not saying think small..

January does not need to be about intense goal setting or strict routines. Instead of asking yourself what you want to achieve this year, it can be much kinder to ask how you want your life to feel. You might choose words like ease, safety, creativity, softness or clarity. These are not things you have to force but you can grow your intentions around these words. 

Soft intentions give you space to grow without pressure. This is a simple ritual you can come back to at any point this month:

You will need a candle, a piece of paper and a pen.

✧ Light the candle and take a few slow breaths. Write down three words you want this year to feel like. Not goals, just feelings.

✧ Hold the paper close to your heart and say the words out loud. Then place the paper somewhere safe until spring.

✧ That is it. No pressure. No timelines.

The astrology of January

The astrology this month really supports this slower, more reflective energy. If you would like to learn a little more of the energies of January accompanied with a full moon and new moon ritual guide, I invite you to my Monthly Moon guidebook! 

✧ On the 1st of January, Mercury moves into Capricorn, which is helpful for quiet thinking and gentle planning.

✧ On the 2nd of January, Chiron ends its retrograde. This can bring emotional healing and a sense of things slowly clicking into place.

✧ The Full Moon in Cancer arrives on the 3rd of January. This moon is often called the Wolf Moon. It is deeply connected to home, emotions and feeling safe. It is a good time to release anything that feels heavy or overwhelming.

✧ Venus moves into Aquarius on the 17th of January, bringing a focus on authenticity and honest connections.

✧ The New Moon in Capricorn on the 18th of January is perfect for holding quiet intentions. Not acting on them yet, just keeping them close.

✧ Aquarius season begins on the 20th of January, which is my season as an Aquarius sun. Mercury also moves into Aquarius on the same day, followed by Mars on the 23rd. You may start to feel a gentle stirring of energy and ideas, but there is still no rush.

✧ On the 26th of January, Neptune enters Aries, marking the start of a very big spiritual shift. This is long-term energy and not something that needs immediate action.

January inside Your Magick World

Inside the membership this January, everything is centred around moving gently through this in-between season. Our monthly theme is called Inner Compass, realigning and retuning our inner compass to help us navigate the rest of the year with ease.

There are rituals, moon guidance, meditations and an Inner Compass workbook designed to support rest, reflection and soft intention setting.

It is a space to slow down, listen inward and trust that you do not need all the answers yet.

If you’re interested in joining the membership, find out more details here.