new year ritual: reflecting + visioning
D E C E M B E R 2 9 , 2 0 2 3
…things are closer than they appear…
resolutions ?
perhaps… but more importantly,
reflection. rumination. integration.
vision casting.
feeling the shape of the future.
sensing what life yearns to create through us-
what we yearn to give life to.
there are so many things i uncover
when i look closely in the rearview mirror of a year.
wisdom, understanding, revelation
gleaned in the passing of time.
so much to witness
honor
cherish and celebrate
I believe that
awareness + time = transformation
(and that there are many other variables we can introduce to deepen awareness // accelerate time,
which is a major focus of my life’s work, but… i digress).
the calendar year is one way to measure time.
Arbitrary, perhaps. Abstract, most definitely.
but useful.
As the year comes to an end,
we have one measure of Time packaged up in a neat little bow-
and Awareness waiting for us to claim it.
what rituals do you perform as the wheel turns?
as the spiral circles back to the start,
deeper than before,
how do you give thanks for where you’ve been,
for all that you’ve experienced,
and for all the experiences that have yet to be?
Every year, during this liminal week // holiday sandwich
between the solstice and the new year
my love and I complete our year-end review.
We’ve been doing this for over 15 years now,
and have collected many new thought-provoking questions for our list.
We complete the exercise separately and then spend hours (days)
reviewing it together, measuring/celebrating growth
combining/ aligning visions
leaving no stone unturned.
ace of swords level clarity. technicolor vision.
enthusiastic ecstatic // electric courage to pioneer new trails
I thought perhaps our list of questions could be valuable for others,
so I’m sharing it here.
I’d truly love to know…
what are you most proud of this year?
where would you give yourself the blue ribbon for “most growth?” “most courage?”
what dream seeds are you planting in your future?
what limitations are you ready to grow beyond?
what do you plan to do
with this one
wild and precious year???
2023 Reflections
what was the biggest change that occurred in 2023?
when did i feel most alive in 2023?
what was the smartest decision i made in 2023?
what was the biggest risk i took in 2023?
what was my biggest failure in 2023?
what fears surfaced in my life in 2023?
in what areas of my life do i feel stuck? what are some of my thoughts// behavior patterns that contribute to this sense of stuckness?
is there anything preventing me from feeling fully free?
what is one limiting // constricting belief i held in 2023? how can i release it in 2024?
what was the greatest lesson i learned in 2023?
what is my biggest piece of unfinished business in 2023?
if i could travel back to one year ago (end of year 2022) what would i say to myself?
what were the three most significant events of 2023?
who were the three people // guides that had the greatest impact on my life in 2023?
who really saw me in 2023, and what did they reflect back to me?
what is one thing i can forgive yourself for in 2023?
what is one thing i can forgive another for 2023?
what is one healthy habit i built in 2023?
what is my favorite book from 2023?
what one word or phrase best sums up // describes my 2023 experience?
what else do i need to do or say to be complete with 2023?
2023 Visions
what does a “courageous leap into the new” look like for me in 2024? What does it look like to be brave + bold, and really “go for it?”
what does my ideal self look like in 2024? what are the qualities? when am i at my best?
what areas of my life are most in need of revitalizing? how will i live them out more fully in 2024?
what rituals would inspire // nourish me most in 2024?
what habits would i like to build // continue in 2024?
how will i stay connected to my body // my meditative center in 2024? what helps me come home to myself?
what inner regions feel strange, alien, unknown to me? where are my blind spots? what methods will i use to gain deeper insight and greater wisdom?
what are my biggest fears for 2024? how would i like to meet // move through them?
what are the roles i most easily // often hide behind? how can i respond differently in 2024?
where do i seek and find true happiness? what does fulfillment look like in 2024?
what will support my clarity in 2024? what will hinder it?
what does victory look like in 2024? what do i really want to achieve?
how will i express // experience love in 2024?
how will i improve my finances in 2024?
what indulgence am i willing to experience in 2024?
how can i be more open-minded, and open-hearted in 2024?
what am i most looking forward to learning in 2024?
if i knew you couldn’t fail, what would i attempt in 2024?
how will i share my soul purpose with others / the world in 2024?
how will my financial abundance benefit others / the world in 2024?
regarding my work, what am i most committed to changing and improving in 2024?
what is one undeveloped skill i am willing to explore in 2024?
what one word / phrase will be my prayer, intention or theme in 2024?
who are my symbolic guides // role models for this phrase? (animals, people, archetypes, etc)