Retiring Old Stories and Calling in Wild New Energy: My Guide to Reinvention After Divorce

Closing Out the Past, Claiming the Future—A Personal Ritual for Honoring the Journey and Embracing What’s Next

Hello, beautiful souls. It’s Erica—host of the Crazy Ex Wives Club podcast.

As we close the chapter on 2025 and step into 2026, I want to offer you something more powerful than “new year, new you.”

I want to offer you clarity. Closure. And a ritual that helps you stop dragging old stories into a new season—especially if you’re rebuilding after divorce.

This is inspired by our latest episode, “Solo,” and it’s for the woman who’s done surviving. She’s ready to reinvent—on purpose.

Let’s talk about what it means to retire the past, shed old identities, and welcome the bold energy that 2026 is carrying.

The 9-Year Completion: What Are You Finally Ready to Leave Behind?

In numerology, 2025 is widely considered a “Universal 9” year—an energy of endings, completion, and release—before 2026 opens a fresh cycle.  

And whether you follow numerology or not, you can probably feel it:

• You’ve outgrown old patterns.

• You’ve told the same story one too many times.

• You’re tired of being defined by what happened to you.

So here are a few journal prompts to anchor this moment:

Reflect:

• What began for you nine years ago?

• Was it your marriage… your divorce… your awakening… your “I can’t do this anymore” moment?

• What felt impossible then—but is real for you now?

• What belief about yourself is ready to be officially retired?

Your assignment: write down one thing you’re leaving behind for good.
A story. A fear. A version of you that learned to shrink to survive.

2025’s Snake Energy: Bless the Skin You Outgrew

In the Chinese zodiac, 2025 is the Year of the Wood Snake, beginning January 29, 2025 and lasting until February 16, 2026.  

Snake energy is transformation. Shedding. Peeling away what no longer fits.

And yes—sometimes that shedding feels raw.

If you released something this year—someone, an identity, a way of coping—please hear me:

Discomfort isn’t failure. It’s evidence of growth.

Ask yourself:

• What did I finally peel away this year… even if it hurt?

• Where am I done playing small, hiding, or settling for less?

Now say this out loud (yes, out loud):

“I bless the skin I outgrew. I honor the space it created.”

Because you didn’t “lose” that version of you.
She got you here.

Fire Horse Energy in 2026: Ready, Set, Reinvent

Here’s the wild part: 2026 shifts into the Year of the Fire Horse—and that energy begins with Lunar New Year on February 17, 2026. (Until then, we’re still in Snake.)  

Fire Horse energy is:

• movement

• bravery

• rebellion against old limits

• choosing your life on purpose

This is not the year to crawl quietly into your next chapter.

This is the year to ask:

If nothing were to go wrong… what would my wild heart choose?

Freewrite for five minutes. Don’t negotiate with your fear. Don’t edit yourself. Don’t ask for permission.

Just tell the truth.

My Favorite “Real Women” Goal Setting: Mind Mapping Your Wild Dreams

Forget dry SMART goals. If you’re rebuilding after divorce, you don’t need another system that makes you feel behind.

You need a method that feels alive.

Try this:

1. Draw a big circle. Write: “2026: My Wild Dreams.”

2. Add smaller circles around it:
   Home • Friendship • Love • Finances • Travel • Wellness • Creativity • Parenting (whatever matters to you)

3. Under each, jot what you want—messy is allowed.

4. Choose one word for the year that describes the feeling you’re calling in.

My word? Simple.

Now here’s the magic filter:

Whenever a goal or opportunity comes up, ask:
Does this align with my word? Does it match the life I’m building?

If not—release it without guilt.

Your New Year Mini-Ritual: Closure + Courage + Commitment

Do this on New Year’s Eve—or anytime you feel ready to close a chapter.

Step 1: Review your year (gently).
Close your eyes (unless you’re driving, love) and scan each month of 2025.

Ask: What was my golden moment that month?
Even if it was tiny. Especially if it was tiny.

Step 2: Celebrate your proof ("I did that").
Write down your wins. This is your evidence file.

Step 3: Call in your Fire Horse self.
Visualize yourself as that fire horse: mane flying, hooves pounding, untamed—and moving forward without apology.

Step 4: Make it real.
Add your dreams to your mind map, then commit to:

One bold action every month.

Not a perfect month.
A brave month.

Don’t Reinvent Alone

Divorce can make you feel like you’re rebuilding from scratch.

But you don’t have to do it alone.

Join us inside the Crazy Ex Wives Club—a space for women who are done being shamed, silenced, or stuck. Come share your word for 2026, your mind map dreams, and your bold action for January.

And if you want deeper support, you can also:

• listen to the podcast (Apple | Spotify | Youtube)

• Join The Club

• or book a free discovery call

Because you are not “starting over.”

You’re starting from experience.

Final Thought

Retiring the old isn’t just closure—it’s creating space for joy to finally land.

Honor every hard lesson. Bless every skin you outgrew.
And when Fire Horse season arrives on February 17, 2026, let it find you already moving—already choosing yourself.  

Tell me your word for 2026 and what you’re calling in—come share it with me on Instagram so I can cheer you on.

With love & wild energy,
Erica Bennett