A Ritual of Reflection + Intention: A Gentle New Year Invitation

Every New Year’s Day, intentional living coach Ashley Strong Smith returns to herself through a sacred ritual. A quiet ceremony of reflection, clarity, and vision. It’s not about resolutions or reinvention. It’s about remembering who you are, honoring what the past year held, and opening your heart to what’s ready to unfold next.

Ashley invites readers into this deeply personal practice, a blend of reflection, dreaming, and grounding . It is designed to help you move yourself back to the top of your own priority list. With journals, scents, colors, and quiet moments of breath, she guides you to look lovingly at the year behind you and gently ignite the year ahead.

This ritual isn’t about perfection or productivity.
It’s about presence.

It’s about acknowledging the lessons, celebrating the growth, releasing what no longer fits, and stepping into the new year with intention, softness, and clarity.

Ashley’s full article in Issue #4 of The mUse walks you through her transformative New Year practice. One that has helped her feel grounded, inspired, and deeply connected to her truth year after year. It’s an invitation to come home to yourself, to listen, to vision, and to remember the woman you already are.

A new year isn’t calling you to change…
it’s calling you to come alive with intention.