The first full week of February marks Firstlight. Monday to Sunday, always. Last year’s bad luck is swept out, the new year’s fresh luck is invited in. In the heart of winter we gather to shelter in the warmth of community.
In 2027 Firstlight will run from Monday, February 1st through Sunday, the 7th, overlapping the 2027 Lunar New Year on the 6th. That won’t happen every year, which means that 2027 will be particularly auspicious.
Celebrating Firstlight: Let It Out
Monday to Wednesday are for sweeping the bad luck out. There are three places that bad luck is known to gather, and you must account for each.
Your living space: declutter. Release that which no longer serves you. Reduce, reuse, recycle. Donate. Sell. Bad luck hides in objects that know they are no longer serving you.
Sweep the whole house, from the back to the front, finishing at the front door. Sweep the bad luck out. Tell it that it’s unwelcome.
Clear the pantry. Clear the fridge. Throw out old and expired food so that the good luck has somewhere to live.
Your self: settle up. Pay back what you owe, return what you borrowed. Do not enter the new year with debts to friends or family. Take a shower or bath, let the water carry your bad luck away.
Your mind: forgive, forget. Finish projects, or decide they do not want to be finished and release them from the duty of completion. Clean your computer’s desktop. Clean your actual desktop. Empty the downloads folder. Unsubscribe from newsletters and podcasts that you don’t read or listen to. Give books you’ll never read to friends who might, or release them into the world for others to find.
Celebrating Firstlight: Let It In
Thursday and Friday are for letting the good luck in. All of that effort in the first part of the week was to create room for the good luck to inhabit, and now you must make sure it feels welcome.
You do this by performing auspicious acts. What is auspicious?
- Gifts of fruit. Who doesn’t like receiving a box of beautiful apples? Fruit nourishes. It enriches. Give fruit.
- Your words. Send a real, physical letter or postcard that wishes someone a specific prosperity in the new year.
- Mend that which needs mending. Fixing what’s broken is particularly auspicious.
Finally, on Friday evening, we end at the beginning: breakfast for dinner. Open the front door right before dinner to allow the good luck to enter and join you, then serve whatever breakfast foods call to you. Biscuits and gravy? Cheese and eggs? Bacon? Follow your heart, it knows.
Celebrating Firstlight: Come Together
Saturday of Firstlight is reserved for visiting with friends and family, found or otherwise. Gather in community, visit those whose luck you wish to share. It is perfectly acceptable to continue giving gifts of fruit through the weekend, as schedules allow.
Sunday brings Firstlight to its close. Hang the new year’s Shape of the Year calendar, and then take your first walk of the new year. Breathe in the fresh air. There is work to be done.