The New Year is an opportunity to begin anew; it's the perfect time to catch a wave of energy that can accelerate constructive transformation in your life. Here's the 1-2-3 for making 2012 the year that absolutely changed your life.

Step 1: Clarify your Intention Matrix

This is a chance to release everything that does not nourish you and to program your future to unfold in a way that will support you. So start by writing down your intentions for the new year. Notice I didn’t say ‘resolutions’, I said ‘intentions’. Instead of filling your mind with ‘should’s’ and reproaching yourself for eventually failing, try holding intention as an alternative practice that is continuously held. Also, everyone has multiple intentions, which form a matrix. Understanding how your individual intentions relate to each other can help you achieve them faster and more accurately.

Success Mandala. To make it easier to hold all of your my intentions mentally, I suggest creating a success mandala. Use an enneagram or the chakra structures to organize your intentions. Once they are aligned in a way that your mind enjoys, it’s easier to hold simultaneous intentions mentally. To the left is an example of a success mandala I’ve made that uses an enneagram for organization, and is formatted to act as a screen saver or background photo. [Ed. Note: The Spirituality Network is working on creating a drag and drop application that will help you make your own success mandala… stay tuned!]

Step 2: Purification

Clean house. Right before the New Year is the perfect time to transform the energy of your home. There is a saying in China, "Wash away the dirt on ninyabaat.” (the 28th day of month 12). It is believed the cleaning sweeps away the bad luck of the preceding year and makes their homes ready for good luck. Then you hide your brooms and dust pans on New Year’s Day so that the newly arrived good luck cannot be swept away! So throw away broken items and dead plants. It’s perfectly fine to hire a maid service to do a thorough house cleaning before the New Year arrives. In many cultures they sprinkle salt on the floor, or burn sage or incense, to expunge old vibrations. Symbolically, you are creating a space for new things to enter your life.

Lighten your load. Give things away that you no longer need. If they are valuable, give them to friends with a note explaining what they meant to you. Your old camera could go to someone who would love to learn to photography, your old clothes can be donated to make someone very happy. Try to make a dent in simplying your closet.

Take inventory. Make a list of all your debts then pay off as many bills as possible or at least send a little something to everyone on the list to symbolize your intention to be debt free this year.

Forgive. It’s said that when we are held prisoner by our own past actions, or the actions of others, our present life cannot be fully lived. So make a list of people with which you are holding a resentment or a regret, and forgive them. Then make a list of people who may be angry with you, and ask them to forgive you. Releasing emotions in this way leads to a quieting of the inner turmoil.

Enjoy a purifying bath. Turn your bathroom into a sacred space by turning down the lights in your bathroom and lighting a candle to symbolize the release of the old year. Run your bath, adding salt, essential oils, and/or herbs to the water. Get into the tub, and imagine all of your issues and problems dissolving in the water. Take as much time as you need to replenish your mind, body, and spirit. By the way, Chinese people believe it’s unlucky to wash your hair on New Year’s Day, because it would mean you will away good luck for the New Year.

Decorate your home. Make a special effort to bring symbols of health, happiness, and prosperity into your living space. Create an altar or simply arrange pictures, statues, flowers, plants, ornaments, or other objects that are uplifting, beautiful, and meaningful to you.

Step 3: Celebrate

Celebrate. Invite friends to a New Year's Eve ceremony that honors each of them individually. Have every person share his or her vision for the year. It is powerful to have others be witnesses to your dreams.

Dance and sing. Let yourself play. A great thing to do is look for a kirtan or New Year’s spiritual ceremony. Siddha Yoga in the Bay Area offers a terrific chanting session on New Year’s Eve. Open Secrets Bookstore is offering a great NYE gathering as well.

Be still. Enter a vibrational state of prayer, asking for blessings and celestial guidance in the coming year. Write down your thoughts in a new journal, which symbolizes the start of a new cycle. Allow this conscious ritual to alter the way you see your life and give you a fresh perspective. Give your mind permission to play with new ideas. In Bali, on the actual day of the New Year (Nyep), the entire island remains silent. One prays and meditates on the coming year. Even the airports are closed.

Many years ago, Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov – the head of the Universal Brotherhood, based on the principles of initiatic science – taught the first 12 days of January represent the whole year. January 1st stands for the month of January, January 2nd stands for February, and so on. By holding intention on practicing loving kindness, openness, and generosity while giving thoughtful attention to the significance of each day, you will consecrate the coming year. This honors the microcosm within the macrocosm.

If you do observe these New Years rituals, you will enter the new year with a clear intent on traveling the path to consciousness, fulfillment, and prosperity. Bless you and have a magical, blissful and radiant 2012!