January 2026 WATERritual:
“Let the Winter Go”
By Diann L. Neu and the WATER Community
Preparation: Have nearby a yellow daffodil, crocus, or daffodil bulbs, a container with rocks or soil, and a pitcher of water. (You can grow bulbs in the house in winter by placing them either in a special bulb vase that uses water or in a container with either rocks and water or soil and water.)
Welcome and Call to Gather
Winter can be difficult. And this one tops the list! There is more darkness than light, more despair than hope, more struggle than community. Our spiritual roots are being tested. Our political roots are shaken.
We in Silver Spring acknowledge that we sit on the traditional and contemporary homeland of the people who are the original stewards of this land, the Anacostan and Piscataway people. They lived through many difficult winters. We affirm WATER’s intention to promote healing, respect, and love for all people through our work, with special indebtedness to Native people whose lands we are privileged to share.
We hold the people of Ukraine and Russia in our prayers as they continue to experience airstrikes and violence as we enter the fourth year of this war. We pray for the children, women, and men living in Gaza as they try to live under inhumane conditions. We grieve all loss of life from gun violence.
In the Northern Hemisphere, ice and snow, cold and darkness remind that a thaw and greening are around the bend. We desperately hope so! As crocuses ready to peek out from the earth and birds return to singing, their promise invites us to pay attention to the spring renewal we desperately need. Tonight, we dare to say goodbye to winter and welcome the renewal of spring.
Letting Go of Winter
We need to let go of winter, the negatives of winter, so all can be well again. Please respond in your own space by saying, “Go, winter, go.”
Depart, deadening spirit of winter from our lives which include health risks like the flu, SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), Covid, and worsening chronic conditions …
Response: Go, winter, go.
Be gone, hazardous conditions like slippery ice, slushy sleet, dangerous snow, piercing winds, power outages; and physical dangers from cold like frostbite, hypothermia, heart strain…
Response: Go, winter, go.
Be gone, all ice, sleet, and cold in our personal lives: snide remarks, judgmental statements, cruel jokes, nasty gossip, untruthful comments, anger, jealousy…
Response: Go, winter, go.
Be gone, all cold and frozen government acts like wars, invading other countries, ICE deportations, program budget slashings, covert operations, political tactics, and so many more…
Response: Go, winter, go.
Be gone, times of loneliness, depression, fear, anger, and harshness…
Response: Go, winter, go.
Be gone all evil…
Response: Go, winter, go.
Hear our prayer and go, O Spirit of Winter. Depart from our governments, our neighborhoods, and our personal lives. Be gone. Be gone. Be gone. May all be well again.
Loud are the bells of Norwich, as the people come and go.
Here by the tower of Julian I tell them what I know.
Chorus: Ring out, bells of Norwich
And let the winter come and go.
All shall be well again I know.
Love, like the yellow daffodil, is coming through the snow;
Love, like the yellow daffodil, brings joy to all I know.
(Chorus)
Ring for the yellow daffodil, the flower in the snow.
Ring for the yellow daffodil and tell them what I know.
(Chorus)
All shall be well, I’m telling you, let the winter come and go.
All shall be well again I know.
Reading: Native American Song, from Earth Prayers, edited by Elizabeth Roberts and Elias Amidon, c. 1991.
All winter long
behind every thunder
guess what we heard!
–behind every thunder
the song of a bird,
a trumpeting bird.
All winter long
beneath every snowing
guess what we saw!
–beneath every snowing
a thaw
and a growing,
a greening and growing.
Where did we run
beyond gate and guardsman?
Guess, if you can!
–all winter long
we ran
to the sun,
the dance of the sun!
Spoken Song Refrain:
Ring out, bells of Norwich
And let the winter come and go.
All shall be well again I know.
Poem: “For the New Year” by Denise Levertov
I have a small grain of hope—
one small crystal that gleams
clear colors out of transparency.
I need more.
I break off a fragment
to send you.
Please take
this grain of a grain of hope
so that mine won’t shrink.
Please share your fragment
so that yours will grow.
Only so, by division,
will hope increase,
like a clump of irises, which will cease to flower
unless you distribute
the clustered roots, unlikely source—
clumsy and earth-covered—
of grace.
Spoken Song Refrain:
Ring out, bells of Norwich
And let the winter come and go
All shall be well again I know.
Reflection | Sharing
Winter and spring represent seasons of our lives. This year, what is that winter to which I am saying goodbye? What is the springtime for which I hope? What bulbs do I want to bloom so all can be well again? Let us take a few minutes for quiet reflection, as we are invited to join a small group for sharing.
Group Sharing
Prayers for Mercy
With ongoing wars and military conflicts, environmental degradation, natural disasters, injustice, economic disparity, political tension, and health issues, many around the world need us to pray with them or to pray for them this night. Let our response be “Compassionate Mercy, hear and answer our prayer.”
A depressed youth seeks help from being ignored and silenced by political decision-makers.
Compassionate Mercy, hear and answer our prayer.
An immigrant woman offers a moment of gratitude for finding a new and safe community for her family.
Compassionate Mercy, hear and answer our prayer.
A family loses their home due to war, displacement, fires, or weather extremes.
Compassionate Mercy, hear and answer our prayer.
A mother cries for the children she has lost in war.
Compassionate Mercy, hear and answer our prayer.
Who else needs our prayers?
Compassionate Mercy, hear and answer our prayer.
Blessing the Bulbs
Hold your bulb as we pray:
Source of Life, One who brings forth crocuses and daffodils,
Praise to you for renewing and blessing the earth with beauty.
Renew us with flowing water,
Singing birds, and spring light.
All shall be well again.
All shall be well again.
All shall be well again.
Amen. Blessed Be. Let It Be So.
Spoken Song Refrain:
Ring out, bells of Norwich
And let the winter come and go
All shall be well again I know.
“Prayer for the New Year” by Diann L. Neu
Provident God of Many Names,
Spirit of All Creation,
Be with us now at this dangerous moment in history.
Response: In your mercy, grant justice and peace.
Eternal Presence of the Divine Mothers: Gaia, Kwan Yin, Brigit, Pachamama, Shechinah, Tara, Mary, the Black Madonna,
Ease our fears, anxieties, and angers; surround us with community.
Keep alive within us a world where difference is valued.
Response: In your mercy, grant justice and peace.
Spirit of Peace,
Forgive us for our wars, wounds, hurts, misdeeds, and violent acts.
Save us from further terrorism, insurrection, destruction, and war
So that children of all nations may grow up living in peace.
Response: In your mercy, grant justice and peace.
Guardian of All Creation,
Guide the leaders of the United States and the United Nations;
Soften their hearts to hear the cries of those most in need.
Strengthen them to act responsibly to bring peace and welfare to humankind
So that all may have food, housing, jobs, medicine, equity, peace, and dignity.
Response: In your mercy, grant justice and peace.
Holy Wisdom of Our Ancestors: Eve, Sarah, Hagar, Abraham, Miriam, Mary of Magdala, Hildegard of Bingen, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, Martin Luther King, Jr., Harriet Tubman, mystics, saints, and uppity women,
Stir us today to act boldly and justly to demand an end to violence, war, and fascism.
Spark us to resist the politics of division and hate.
Inspire us to bring compassion, bravery, and new life into the coldness of empire as we seek to end imperialism.
Response: In your mercy, grant justice and peace.
Ever-present Cosmic Healer,
Sustain us to act today to speak truth to power, to save our democracy for the health and well-being of the nation, the world, the planet, the cosmos.
Strengthen us to work for nonviolent social change and global peace.
Response: In your mercy, grant justice and peace.
Take Action
- Plant bulbs inside your home and watch them bloom. Pay attention to the changes in nature around you.
- Let go of snide remarks, judgmental statements, nasty gossip, untruthful comments, anger, and jealousy.
- Contact your representatives in government and tell them to say no to war, no to ICE, no to fascism, yes to affordable healthcare, and yes to democracy. Thank those who vote for justice.
- Learn from our Canadian neighbors how to live in community.
Sending Forth
Let us go forth to notice the renewal of the earth.
May our eyes be open to the bulbs peeking out of the soil.
May our ears hear the singing birds and the truth-tellers.
May our feet touch the earth gently and protest injustice.
Let us go forth to return blessings to the earth, water, and cosmos.
May our earth be renewed.
May our waters be clean.
May our air be pure.
May the world be at peace.
May all be well again.
Amen. Blessed Be. Let It Be So.
Song: “Garden Song” by David Mallett, in Songs for Earthlings, edited by Julie Forest Middleton, c. 1998.
Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna make this garden grow.
All it takes is a rake and a hoe and a piece of fertile ground.
Inch by inch, row by row,
Earth will bless these bulbs I sow.
Earth will warm them from below till the rain comes tumblin’ down.
© 2026 Diann L. Neu, WATER: Women’s Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, dneu@hers.com
