Those who study astrology and honor the movements of the sun, moon and planets as powerful times and times of spiritual and magickal opportunity often poo-poo the change of the calendar year. Our calendar is contrived, and not based on anything truly “natural.” It’s a young calendar, too. Many spiritual people find more power in older measurements of time like the Chinese New Year or the Jewish New Year.

Nonetheless, many astrologers found the New Moon in Capricorn on January 1, 2014 to be an auspicious start to the calendar year, although most were quick to say the changing calendar is simply an artificial marker and means nothing.

I disagree.

Sometimes magick is not only what we observe in the movements of the heavens. Sometimes power comes from what we ourselves do.

As a planet, we have all agreed to our calendar. We have all agreed to the date and time that marks our new year. More importantly, even the most secular of us have agreed that the change of the calendar means something. What does it mean? It means an opportunity to let go of the past. It means a time to celebrate past accomplishments. It means a clean slate for the future. It means a time to be optimistic about what might be, and a time to take control of our future by manifesting different behaviors and reaching for different ideals.

That so many people across the globe have agreed to this is what gives the concept of the New Year its magickal power. That we all put our energy into this is what makes it meaningful and valuable.

That’s a way magick, energy, spiritual power – whatever you want to call it – works.

Every year our planet collectively creates the intention of a wonderful new year. Magickal practitioners might see this as a creation of a “magickal child” or an “artificial elemental.”

Tracking the New Year ringing in across the globe is like a “Rolling Thunder” spell, which increases power each time a time zone is added.

Every magickal ritual needs a point of release, where the collective energy that has been built during the ritual into a fervor is sent into the Universe all at once.  At this moment our intentions are sent out to be made real.

When people say that their NYE experience was “magical,” they may be more accurate than they think!

So often we focus on the terrible things that have happened and are happening on our planet. On the other hand, it could be a lot worse.

What if this global magickal spell for a great year which we perform annually is actually working to help keep us in balance, and safe from global catastrophic events?