Rauhnächte is the ancient winter portal between years—a liminal space where the veil thins, the old releases its grip, and the new begins to whisper. The first night is about clearing… making room for what’s ready to arrive.
I’ll be burning an incense blend of palo santo, sage, and frankincense throughout my home—clearing stagnant energy, releasing the weight of the past year, and welcoming in peace, love, and light. Smoke through the corners. The doorways. The places that hold memory.
I’ll also pull 3 cards and record the message that comes through—trusting that Rauhnächte speaks in layers, revealing wisdom when the time is right.
Card 1: Let Go - This card reveals something that you need to let go of. So you can ask, What do I need to release to make room for the new?
Card 2: Embrace - This card reveals something you should be embracing, but maybe fear has been stopping you. You can ask, What energy, feeling, or practice should I embrace now?
Card 3: Outcome - The card suggests areas in your life where can focus on renewal and growth. You can ask, What will be the result of this release and embrace?
This isn’t about doing more.
It’s about slowing down.
Listening.
Honoring the pause between what was and what will be.
How are you honoring the first night of Rauhnächte?
Love this! I came across Rauhnächte when digging through resources for the 12 Days of Yule post and really like the idea of the liminal days between years. It’s great to have a spread for it - thank you, Silverbear!
Ah, how lovely! As an old austrian girl, who grew up with the Raunächte rituals of smoke cleansing not only the home but also the stables for the cattle and pigs, it is so good to see this tradition being shared, taught, spread to other countries and kept alive!
Your blogpost is so beautifully written!
I´ll be using francincense only (my daughter cannot tolerate the smell of too much incense) and stay mostly in my room with it. I´ll be taking a cleansing bath and listen to a guided meditaton to release, what no longer serves me.
And I will definitely follow your three card spread! Am I allowed to share my cards in this thread?
I followed the guided release red candle meditation while I was soaking in a hot cleansing bath and it inspired me, to quickly paint into my Book of Shadows, what I had seen. In front of the bonfire are paper cut outs in the shape of wooden sticks, each inscribed with what I want to release and let go of. Maybe I will burn them in my fire bowl for real, I don´t know yet.
I wasn´t sure about the Ace of Cups, because usually they represent something pure and new beginnings. For me, I feel that I need to let go of my wish to be friends with just everyone. As an adhd/autistic person it´s difficult for me to understand, that someone being friendly doesn´t equal being friends. lol
This resonates strongly with me! My teenage daughters mental health struggle was very difficult last year, and we had to visit several mental health clinics. At times, I didn´t even have access to my feelings, because I was so stressed and only functioning the whole time like a robot. Now, I´m seeing that things are slowly getting better and I´m allowing myself to take a deep breath and letting go of some fears. It truly is time to step into the sun!
The Nine of Pentacles of course is a very lovely card! The yellow and red are colors of warmth and energy, the lush green speaks of fertility, the falcon on the persons hand waits patiently until the hood is lifted, so it can take off to new heights. I´m working very hard to establish my little art-therapy business in Vienna and this makes me feel, like I´m moving in the right direction and things will come to fruition.
If any of you lovely witches has additional input, I´d be happy to hear about it!
Looking forward to the next Raunächte prompt tomorrow!
Interesting, I remember hearing about this from my German teacher, I’ll have to ask her more about it the next time I see her!
Historically, people believed these nights were dangerous but holy—when spirits roamed freely, when the old year had not yet fully died, and the new year had not yet been born.
I was feeling something like this earlier tonight – old worries and patterns coming to haunt me. I performed cleansing with my shamanic rattle, making sure to get all the corners too, and opened the windows. I might still burn some incense, if it feels like something still lingers, for now things seem peaceful. Now for the card reading, I can’t say no to one
The Chariot – I think I know what this refers to. So often I feel impatient to get to the next thing, and my mood can reflect it too. The best things are often born in the spaces between things, and by rushing those spaces, I can miss them, and miss my own rest too. My birth cards are Strength and The Star, and together they’re like the antithesis to The Chariot – a gentle and intuitive approach. This is something I’ll try my best to embrace for the coming year, to fill the space left by the rolling wagon of rush and action.
I was expecting to get one of the cards mentioned above but I got Six of Pentacles instead. Six is the number of The Lovers, a card of deep and meaningful connection. In the suit of Pentacles, the Earth element, a card of sharing both the labor and the fruits from it. Or some kind of reciprocity or collaboration.
Hmmm… it’s not the first time I’ve got this card, and also the Three of Pentacles, making me wonder if I’m going to be working together with others next year. I’ve been studying to become a healer, much with the expectation that most of the time I’ll be working alone, but maybe it doesn’t have to be so. I’d love to collaborate with people I have good chemistry with.
Though even when working “alone”, I’d be working with one or more people, my client(s). There’s giving and receiving of energy, a constant energetic (and sometimes verbal) dialogue. Embracing something requires letting go of whatever was before, a kind of transformation. I need to let go of old, inflexible patterns of giving and receiving, to embrace new, better ones that come with experience.
Knight of Cups – I’ve been drawing Knight of Wands a lot for myself recently, for that passionate, driving energy of The Chariot or maybe The Magician. Water is gentler than fire, but still flowing, and I have affinity for both. So looking at all these cards, the result looks like being less explosive and reactive while still staying in the flow, keeping my Knight-like passion and drive while being more sensitive to others and their needs. Becoming calmer and more contemplative again, and tapping into my intuition. Opening myself to give and receive.
Rauhnächte • First Night 
How are you honoring the first night of Rauhnächte?
