Rauhnächte 2023/2024

rituals and instructions  

In most areas, the Rauhnächten begin on the night of December 24th to 25th.

In other countries they begin with the winter solstice on December 21st.

A Rauhnacht always lasts from midnight to midnight and is therefore a whole day.

There are an incredible number of stories, old folk beliefs and rules for this time. The Rauhnächte have been celebrated for thousands of years, even by the Germanic and Celtic tribes. They are the special "time between the years" because this is where the lunar year and the solar year meet. A lunar year has 354 days and is based on the course of the moon, and a solar year, as you already know, has 365 days. The difference here is exactly 11 days and 12 nights, the Rauhnächte.

Our ancestors believed that during this time the gates to other dimensions were wide open.

It was believed that during this period fate was re-spun and people hoped to be able to have a positive influence on it.

People also hoped to receive signs for the coming year, as each Rauhnacht represents a month in the coming year: the first for January, the second for February, the third for March, etc.

Thus, dreams during these nights were given special meaning, oracles were cast and spiritual rituals were practiced.

People also helped each other during the darkest time of the year and had hope, as the light was now becoming more powerful every day. The winter solstice on December 21st is the darkest night of the year and from this point on, the days slowly start to get longer again. Since our ancestors were very connected to nature, this was a sacred time for them.

The first Rauhnacht is the December 25th.

It is in the topic self-loveA wonderful self-love meditation is suitable here and you can ask yourself the following questions: Where am I still too critical of myself? Where can I give myself more love? How can I do something good for myself today?

The second Rauhnacht is the December 26th. It deals with the topic release.

Questions you can ask yourself are: What do I no longer want in my life? What am I still holding on to that is not good for me? How can I best let go? How can I lovingly support myself in the process of letting go?

The third Rauhnacht is the December 27th.It deals with the power that lies within you and how you can activate them.

This rough night represents March in the coming year, when nature shows its power. Everything sprouts and begins to bloom. The earth is broken open. You too carry a very powerful part within you that you can connect with today.

Questions you can ask yourself here are: Where am I still limiting myself too much? In which areas of life am I not fully at my strength? How can I change that? What are the first steps to do that?

The fourth Rauhnacht is the December 28thThe topic here is the connection to your inner world.

What is going on inside me right now? What am I feeling? What am I thinking? I am not my thoughts, so how can I distance myself from them even better?

The fifth Rauhnacht is the December 29th. Do a beautiful meditation on this day toheart's visionfor the new year.

What you can do is listen to your heart and ask yourself: If everything is possible, how do I want my life to be? Who is with me? What do I do? Where do I live?

The sixth Rauhnacht is the December 30th It deals withthe wonders that surround us, which we unfortunately often take for granted.

Questions you can ask yourself are: What wonders surround me? How can I perceive these wonders more consciously?

The seventh Rauhnacht is the December 31stThis Rauhnacht deals with the abundance in your life. Celebrate the abundance in your life on this day.

Questions that can help you are: What is abundance for me? What gives me a feeling of abundance in my life? How can I perceive this abundance even more?

The eighth Rauhnacht is the January 1st. New Year's Day deals with your own unique path.

Questions you can ask yourself are: What defines me? What are my strengths? What gives me joy? Which path do I want to take? Are there things that are holding me back? If so, why? How can I take the first step?

The ninth Rauhnacht is the January 2nd This Rauhnacht deals with a source of positive emotionsthat you carry within you.

Questions you can ask yourself on this rough night are: Where am I still looking for happiness outside? What positive feelings am I still looking for outside? How can I give them to myself?

The tenth Rauhnacht is the January 3rd. It deals with the Topic Power of Manifestation

Questions you can ask yourself are: Do I know how manifesting works? What wish would I like to manifest?

The eleventh Rauhnacht is the January 4th. It deals with your inner wisdom.

You can ask yourself questions on this day, such as: When do I follow my intuition? When not? How can I feel the difference even better? What are the signs that I am following my mind? What are the signs that it is my inner voice? What situations in my life have shown me the difference?

The twelfth Rauhnacht is the January 5thThis Rauhnacht is dedicated to the topic of gratitude.

Gratitude is one of the most important emotions and it can have a direct impact on increasing your well-being.

Questions you can ask yourself on this day are: What am I grateful for in my life? How can I feel this gratitude more often?

Rauhnächte Ritual- The Book Ritual

Get yourself a nice empty notebook and write down your thoughts about the individual Rauhnächten, your dreams, wishes, visions and whatever else moves you in the book every evening. 

These can be the answers to questions you ask yourself, they can also be encounters in everyday life or symbols from nature. 

Each Rauhnacht represents a month in the next year - the night of December 24th to 25th for January, the night of December 25th to 26th for February and so on. If you write something in the book every day and read it again in the next year in the respective month, you will be surprised and delighted at the parallels you find!

Rauhnächte Ritual: The 3 Biggest Wishes

When you think about your wishes for the coming year, ask yourself which three wishes are particularly important to you?

You can now manifest these particularly well by putting them in written form in a small box. You open the box exactly one year later. Be excited to see how the universe listens and fulfills your wishes.

Rauhnächte Ritual: Initiate the Ritual of Forgiveness

There are some people or situations that we cannot forget, cannot let go of, but carry inside us - sometimes for decades - even though they are associated with suffering. Most of the time, it is not love that binds us to the past, but anger or rage, and the decision not to forgive the other person (yet).

Forgiveness is one of the highest spiritual disciplines in human existence. Because the mind memorizes everything, really everything, and holds on to it as experiential knowledge - even if it is not stored in active consciousness, but in (the archives of our past, as I call them).

In our joint yoga class we practice Heart and hip opening yoga sequence which can help you to accept the past as having happened and then let it go – it supports you in the process of forgiveness

Rauhnächte ritual: celebrating the transition into the new year

There are many rituals surrounding the last day of the year (which is dedicated to the Roman Pope Sylvester). This night represents the banishment of the spirit of the old year - and the hopeful joy of the coming year.

Take advantage of this night of transition and celebrate a special New Year’s Eve this year!

1. You can prepare for this special evening by taking a bath and not only symbolically washing away everything old. (* I will gladly send you the mixture for the healing herbal bath. Send an email to yoga@yogapetra.de  Password: herbal bath!)
   
2. Then you put on red underwear on New Year's Eve - according to Italian tradition, this promises happy nights of love in the new year... 
   
3. If you want to honor your home with the spirits of nature, place a plate with small foods such as nuts outside by a tree.
4. Now focus your awareness on the fact that everything is possible, that all your dreams can come true in the new year.

I wish you fulfilling Rauhnächte, a healthy, happy and fulfilling year 2023.

Namasté Petra

Sources: www.istockphoto.com/overlock sewing machine