Use the sea ritual and practices shared here for a new moon cycle; a new year’s swim, ocean blessing; or any time when you want to call on the sea to release and start afresh.
A version of this article originally featured in Kindred Spirit magazine.
Whether you step into the sea to swim, or connect to the ocean in your mind, the water offers an opportunity to release, cleanse your energy, and to call in guidance for the next phase of your life.
Whenever you’re craving a fresh start, you’ll find the freshest of all in the ocean…
For millennia, the ocean has been appreciated as a source of healing and divinity – a place of respite, rituals, and deep transformation. Constant yet ever-changing, this vast and beautiful expanse of water sustains us all, providing much of the air that we breathe. It covers more than 70% of our blue planet, yet still holds untold mysteries. Within it lies another world and a deep wisdom that can shift our perspective of life on land.
I swim in the sea all year round in Penzance, where I live in Cornwall, UK. My swim has become my daily devotional practice – a ritual in which I tend to my own needs and intuition, while connecting to something greater than myself.
In key moments of transition, like the start of a new year, the sea offers us an opportunity to connect with its deepest gifts.
The New Year Swim: a popular sea ritual
In recent years, a bracing sea dip has become an increasingly popular way to welcome in the new year – providing perhaps the “freshest” of fresh starts!
For some, that’s a revitalising hangover cure, or an annual exhilarating challenge to share with friends. But for others, stepping into the sea at the turn of the year holds a deeper spiritual power. It offers an experience of soul cleansing and deep nurturing unique to the ocean. In and around the water, we can connect not just to the sea without, but the sea within – seeking out guidance to inspire us forward.
Whether you’re able to get to the ocean, or simply bring it to mind, you can – respectfully and gratefully – use the power of the sea to soothe and stimulate your ocean heart, readying you to dive into whatever comes next.
A sea ritual for the new year
If we choose to accept the ocean’s invitation, its gifts to us are boundless. To receive them at any time, all we need do is release, open, love and listen.
On the winter solstice, on New Year’s Day, on the new moon, or at key moments of transition, I’ll extend my morning swim with a simple ocean ritual.
But you don’t have to get into the sea to feel the benefits. You could take some time beside it, releasing into the rain and the waves, tasting its salty wisdom on my skin, and calling in guidance.
If you’re far from the sea, you could simply imagine yourself moving through the steps of the ritual described below. In this instance, you might use some treasures collected by the sea to create an altar to focus on, or a sacred space in which to meditate. You could add salt crystals to a bowl of water, and use this to cleanse your feet instead of stepping into the sea. Or bring the sea to mind as you soak in the bath.
Before you begin
- You can do this ritual at any time of day. But if you’re able to head to the sea before sunrise, you could spend some time quietly meditating and stretching, collecting stones and shells for a sea altar, or creating a mandala from beach materials. You can then enter the sea as the sun rises, calling in all the energy of this new energetic cycle.
- Before you enter the water, stand at the shoreline, setting a conscious intention to release and renew. Taking some deep breaths of sea air, bring your awareness to the energy coming into your body, filling your lungs and belly, before releasing completely – letting it all go. As you breathe, offer your gratitude to the ocean for this gift. And for the life it has sustained this past year. Ask its permission to be here, preparing to enter.
- Take in the horizon, the vast scale of the sea, its potency and depths. Sense your own size in relation to this – a sense of your place in the wider universe.
- Notice the constant movement of the sea – the sense of cycles, fluidity, and the shifting nature of time.
- Observe the current mood of the sea – is it calm or dynamic, quiet or loud? And your subjective experience – how are you feeling about stepping into it?
Stepping into the sea
- If you’re unable to get into the water, simply step forward towards the sea.
- In this shift from land to sea, consider the experience of leaving one world behind to move into the next – as we release one year to step into the next. Or move from one moon cycle to another.
- Walking mindfully into the water, bring your attention to the sensations of the ground beneath your feet, and the cool water against your skin. Notice the gift of your presence here; the blessing of a year of full human experience.
In the sea
- Greet Mother Ocean. Listen to your intuition about what feels right in this moment, and allow your body to move in whatever way feels good or necessary. You can move further into the sea to swim, or simply walk, stretch or stand in the shallows.
- When you’re ready, take some time to be in stillness. You might stand at the water’s edge, or lie floating on your back. Allow the sea to hold you, and your body to gently soften. Feel the tension in your body and mind dissipating into the water.
- If there is anything specific that you would like to release, bring this to mind now. Notice how this thought feels in your body, and gently begin the process of softening again. As you soften, let these experiences, thoughts or beliefs leave your body now, to be gently washed away by the waves into the ocean’s vastness.
- Stretch out your arms and allow your ocean heart to open to the sea. Allow your soul, your essence, to be soothed and cleansed by the water. You might choose to immerse yourself fully in the sea to release further.
- Feeling clearer and lighter, sense the immensity of your boundless capacity for love and compassion, and return this to the ocean. As this energy melds with the ocean, feel the expansion of your edges, a sense of becoming one with the sea. Find the delight in your connection – and in the knowledge that this is available to you at any time.
- In this moment of attunement, listen. What message does the sea have for you in this moment for the weeks or year ahead? What do you need to hear now? What do you both know to be true?
Return to shore
- Returning to the shore, offer your thanks to Mother Ocean for her renewal.
- Take some time to capture your experience, and the message you received – in a journal, audio recording, artwork, or whatever form feels right to you.
- Fuelled by the ocean’s energy, I will often also draw cards from my Sea Soul Blessings or Sea Soul Journeys Oracle decks for some extra ocean guidance, and consider how this relates to the experience of the morning’s ritual.
Using these, or your preferred deck of cards, you might draw three cards to represent past, present and future, draw a guiding card for the new year or new moon cycle, and/or select a card for each month of the year, or day of the moon cycle ahead.
Using the sea as a guide through the year – daily sea rituals
As the year progresses, you can return to the sea at any time to release and renew, or to ask for support and guidance.
If you’re a cold water swimmer, you could take a moment to consciously connect to the sea as you swim. On land, you might revisit the meditation or sea rituals above; soak in a sea salt bath and bring memories of the sea to mind; or simply find the sea in your breath and open your ocean heart to receive that, moment by moment. You might also like to try some of the other rituals I’ve shared, and find more inspiration in these other posts about spirituality and ocean wisdom.
For when you can’t get to the sea, I created Sea Soul Blessings and the Sea Soul Journeys Oracle cards to bring its wisdom to you wherever you are. Draw a card to reconnect to the sea each day, for guidance, and as a reminder to pause and reflect, soaking up peace, compassion and clarity.
Want to discover the perfect sea ritual for you?
If you’d like support on your journey, The Sea Circle is a monthly subscription for sea souls and ocean hearts to come together, deepening our connection to the sea through meditation, self-compassion, nature connection, journaling and other mindful practices. Find out more.
If you’d like one to one support, you could join me for a Sea Soul Retreat where we craft sea rituals and practices just for you – or for some intuitive coaching to evoke your connection with the ocean as a guide to lead you onward.
If you liked this, sign up for our Sea Soul Newsletter for regular support and encouragement to connect to the ocean.
If you’re thinking of getting into the sea – and this isn’t something you’ve done before or regularly – be sure to take advice from organisations like the Outdoor Swimming Society. Be aware of potential risks, and don’t go alone. Acclimatise gently, and don’t push yourself beyond what feels possible. Remember, even a paddle can have positive benefits.