Once upon a time, there was a new year, and everywhere the people looked there seemed to be change and loss, but the people soon realized that within every ending, there is also a beginning, for nothing can ever die, it can only change form.
I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, much like when we proclaim after Thanksgiving dinner, we are not eating for a week, this time of the year we make exaggerated claims we can’t deliver. What I do believe in, is embracing change as it occurs, as it has been my experience that we cannot forecast those changes very well and statistics show, most New Year’s resolutions fail within three months. Most likely they fail because it is something that we are projecting from our minds, not coming from our spirit. We may indeed find ourselves in need of losing weight, or cleaning out our closets, we may need to get organized, or change careers, be better partners, parents and eat healthier. Yet take a look at the most popular by far New Year’s resolution – The diet/exercise/healthy lifestyle change. Here is how it usually goes down… We boldly announce, well meaning of course, (typically our stomach stuffed as tight as the turkey was) “Diet starts the first of the year!” Subconscious sabotage? Considering the day before was a holiday and most of us drank too much, over ate and stayed up too late, knowing the next day we will wake having no energy, our body screaming for hydration nourishment and rest, needing more, not less, my inkling is yes, even if well meaning, not well planned.
Why not start from where you are? Successful change comes from wanting things to be different not thinking they should be. It comes from no longer wanting to stay in a situation you no longer can tolerate. It may be tight pants. It may be your job. It may be a relationship. Whatever it is, begin the process of seeing yourself or putting yourself in a better situation and go from there. If you start a diet, start it immediately. Don’t say you will start it next week. The day your clothes feel tight, or you feel sluggish from too much sugar, begin. If you walk into your job miserable, begin the search then. Maybe when we project a change too far into the future, what we really are saying is, I am not yet there. That is fine. We are where we are, and that is always okay. True change is not a premeditated chore. It is honestly acknowledging where we are rather than where we think we are.
Another common theme at the beginning of a new year, are predictions. It has been my experience that predictions send us out of the moment we are in and just like Ebenezer Scrooge came to realize, the future is very much dependant on decisions we make today, the past is the best predictor of the future events. The future is uncertain, but our past is known, when you look back over the past year, what has changed in your life and how or what pushed you through a new door? Many are reporting to me feelings of being in a state of limbo, on the edge of flight, as if doors began to open, pausing but not fully opening. Still, others have faced a sudden health or financial crisis. I remember reading some time ago, about a cosmic event with a black hole that was related to this shift in energy. It was explained in the article that when a star is swallowed up by a black hole, it moves into a parallel universe. As this happens, the parallel universe takes on pressure that will eventually equalize it, and at the same time, our universe loses pressure as if it was being vacuumed out and will ultimately equalize things. When changes like this occur, energy and information find new pathways as they travel amongst interstellar corridors. I can barely keep up with all of the astronomical and astrological influences happening. We have had more lunar and solar eclipses this past year then I remember in many years. These cosmic events change energy and how it flows. This can cause us to feel grumpy, disoriented and out of balance, and why we are feeling a lot of stopping and starting right now. Some of us are feeling stuck in no-man’s land. The key is, if you find yourself there don’t push, take five minutes and you may need to ask yourself, why have I not stepped into my power?
As we look back on 2011, feel the release of all that has been stored up, everything that we have seen coming but also what we did not, and allow the year to pass and feel the freshness that accompanies all things new. As we look back in review if there was something that you lost, or if something just seemed to slip through your fingers, when you feel your fears and doubts rising, ask yourself, what am I clinging to – what is trying to be free? Loosen your grip and let it go. Create alliances, our society needs to come together and create both what we want and what we need. As we begin a new year with the plug pulled and a wide-open game board in front of us try to be conscious of what you are creating. Take some time to imagine it, our intentions and desires create our experiences. We cannot know every step and every turn, some roads will be closed and we may be detoured. Accept yourself for how far you have come, be proud for the courage you have had to accept changes beyond your control and the decisions you bravely made to move forward in new directions. True peace is an inner soul reality not an outer state of behaviors others validate. As we begin a new year may we recognize there is nowhere to go, except on.
~Cynthia
