Are We There Yet?!
YOU made it! Take a deep breath and give yourself a shout out because you made it. Whew!
There is an expectation that when the calendar hits January 1st, we instantly enter a new beginning. In my own life I've noticed over the years that this is rarely the case, the entry into 2020 was no exception. More often than not, I don't land in the new beginning until March, around the time of the spring equinox. So despite the New Year's Day celebration in January, the Lunar New Year last weekend, and all the excitement to dive into new goals, new intentions, new resolutions, it's a slow start. All I feel inclined to do in January is hibernate, and over time I've come to appreciate flowing with the seasonal shift, rather than the calendar shift.
This past month I've listened as friends and clients shared how challenging and exhausting January has been, and how long it seemed to carry on. A running theme has been Are we there yet?! It didn't matter where there was, so long as it wasn't here. Can you relate?
I noticed that January brought countless opportunities to test out the lessons and insights learned from the last year and decade. There was a lot of completion, wrapping up loose ends, clearing out of physical, emotional, and mental clutter. Honoring life lived in the best way possible in the moment, even when it wasn't ideal, or graceful, or was a downright hot mess. It's been a time of navigating the in-betweens. One foot in the old story and one foot in the new. It can be an uncomfortable space to be in when you long for a new beginning, the fresh start.
This weekend marked Imbolc, or St. Brigid's Day, the half-way point between the winter solstice and spring equinox, it signals the entry into springtime. So are we there yet? Not quite, but we're getting closer. The new beginning you seek, the potentiality you're feeling into, the options making themselves known - it's all coming.
While you may not be able to hibernate until spring arrives, I encourage you to allow yourself to move a bit slower if that feels right. Be gentle with yourself, nourish your body, go to bed early and allow space for deeper dreamtime and rest. Our culture has us conditioned to hit the ground running at the dawn of new year, but at our core we sync up with the seasons and the elements. If you find yourself needing more quiet, longing for stillness, try creating moments for that each day. Even a few deep breaths go a long way to calming and soothing any sense of overwhelm. Allowing time for slowness and quiet in these final weeks of winter will help you identify what it's time to release, get clear on what you want to create and how you want to feel in your life going forward.
Groundhog Day is a perfect symbol for this passage as you get clear on patterns and habits that don't serve you. The shift happens when you see the pattern and options to make a different choice, breaking the cycle so you don't have to repeat the same experiences going forward. Can you allow yourself to acknowledge the shadows? To recognize those parts of your life that might benefit from some attention or healing? The winter months are intended to be time for reflection and mending the weary or worn out aspects of self.
Individually and collectively there are challenging times ahead AND there is tremendous potential for bright new beginnings, healing, and creation. Tune into the forms of support that feel most in service to you. If you feel like a session or an intuitive reading would be supportive, please reach out, I'm here. Know that you are never alone even, when it feels a solitary journey. We aren't there yet, but I do believe we are all walking each other home.
