Before setting intentions, goals, resolutions, or “picking your one word.” Before visioning or, for some of you, giving the finger to 2018, or rebelling against all of these things with a big ol’ New Year, New You Bullshit fuck you.
Before all of this, consider a few things:
CELEBRATE
Yep. Celebrate or at least acknowledge 2018 with all its blessings and lessons.
The lessons you experienced this past year may have sucked big time but likely somewhere in the shit there was even a teensy blessing.
Perhaps the job or relationship that ended gifted you with a freedom, an allowance to yourself to consciously choose who you want in your life and how you want to express in the world.
Maybe people in your life faded away through the loss of a friendship or the death of a loved one. Both so keenly felt can leave you with the bittersweetness of loving and appreciating those still in your life or point you to some yet unexplored path or even how you’ve held back from loving believing that a broken heart is about crumbling when in fact its about expanding. Breaking you wide open.
So darling, celebrate.
Celebrate 2018 for all you learned, all you received, all you gave, all you became.
Give it your hot and holy blessing and let it dissolve with gratitude.
Then…
WAIT.
Resist the urge to be swept up in the “one word” pressure induced collective.
HOWEVER if this feels freeing to you, do it! Do/Be what gives you energy and feels aligned. BUT if this feels flat, surface, burdensome or pulls you into a pit of compare and despair, if it pulls you off your centre, I urge you to WAIT.
Know this…
Just because we change the word from resolution to intention doesn’t mean the energy behind the word has changed.
What if we based our choices on feeling Whole instead of being a project to either: a) be fixed or b) which btw I think is much more insidious: to be showcased for all to see. Parading our sophisticated spirituality which ends up becoming a parody of what we truly desire (which I don’t know about you, but for me is often distilled into being Seen; being Witnessed; being Valued; being Heard).
You don’t have to scream to be heard.
How about pausing and tuning in first? What about “right timing”?
Just because the Gregorian calendar has tripped the odometer on “all the things” it doesn’t mean we have to do or be or feel anything other than how we are in this moment.
SIDE NOTE: Because I love (lurv!) the history of things…the briefest history of the calendar: the current calendar as we know it was adopted in 1582 as decreed by Pope Gregory XIII. Up until this point the old Roman (and then Julian) calendar had New Years Day as March 25th aka. Lady Day (the Feast of Annunciation of the Virgin Mary).
What about taking our cue from Nature?
Since Solstice daylight has been getting longer but we are still in the winter season; at the beginning of it in fact.
Maybe you feel more aligned with Winters call for rest, visioning, and surrender. According to Nature, Imbolc (aka. Candlemas) at the beginning of February signifies the first stirrings of Spring.
Now – today and into the month of January – is the pivotal point between dissolution and gestation.
If you are a frequent visitor of this page you know I remind us all a lot about how growth doesn’t just happen because you madly release and then intend, intend, intend.
While these things are necessary on the scope of the phases of creation, cultivating patience and resilience to wait for right timing, to draw to yourself what you need to support you in manifesting what you desire, to getting super clear about what desires drive you, and to consciously choosing how to align your energy takes time and practice.
So darling, celebrate. Celebrate all that you are.
Then wait and while you do, let your creative wild self fingerpaint her way into what you are visioning for yourself and your world.
No pressure. No rush. Let Nature guide the way; for She points you faithfully to your own True Nature.
Want a little guidance on a super simple NYE ritual you can do any time in whatever way you like? You don’t have to do this tonight; in fact, the Dark Moon on Jan 5 and 6th would be a great time to line up with lunar wisdom.
Simple New Year’s Eve Ritual
- do something physical. Get in your body. Dance. Go for a walk. Make Love.
- gather items that represent the elements to you. This could just be you. Your body is Earth, your blood is Fire, your breath is Air, your being is Water, and all of them together are your Soul. Recognizing this union brings forward Spirit. My personal ritual involved a bath (water) with a Lavender bath soak (earth and made by Two Drunk Witches who are highlighted in the upcoming Rebelle Moon IMBOLC Ritual Box); a Spruce and Douglas Fir candle (fire, air, and earth made by Woodland Alchemy from the Yule Ritual Box); Enya on my phone (air); and some black lavender tea (water and earth).
- THEN…reflect on each month of 2018 writing down or voicing what you are celebrating from each month (if you don’t recall each month then do this for each Season). What did January bring? What are you celebrating about the Spring? about Summer? What blessings and lessons presented themselves in the Fall?
- then with gratitude bless 2018 for all that it gave you, all that it asked of you.
- do this solo or with loved ones. It’s as simple as that!
Wanna discuss this with other like-minded/hearted women? Consider joining us over on Facebook in the SHE Revival community, click here.
Stay tuned for guidance on how to tune into your vision of deep heartfelt intentions in a soulful way in the next Rebelle Moon Ritual Box designed for Imbolc and the first stirrings of growth or take a look now at www.RitualBox.ca