2017 has shaken up a LOT of life for a LOT of people.
If you’ve been unaffected by the crazy shifts that have rippled through the year, you must have been living on Mars! As a 1 Universal year, 2017 has encouraged us to break away from our comfort zones, and leap headfirst into new roles, positions and circumstances we could only have dreamed about 12 months ago. It’s been a year of pioneering, trailblazing and finding new directions, on personal as well as collective levels.
It’s been strewn with challenges AND opportunities.
It’s been a time of rapid growth.
And now, in the few days we have left before the calendars turn, and we run to catch up with the onward spiral of Universal energy, it’s very, very important to take some time to reflect.
THE POWER OF REFLECTION
Rewinding back over the events of the year has some seriously positive effects.
Scan the year with your mind, just for a moment, and you may start to see some of the patterns that formed – the rises and falls in your happiness, your productivity and need to slow down and rest – or perhaps even periods of illness, where your body forced rest upon you. Go a little deeper, recall each month in turn (and don’t be afraid to grab your journal or diary as an aid to jog your memory) and you’ll start to learn from these patterns, and learn more about yourself in the process.
As the details re-form in your memory, gratitude may creep in, and even healthy bursts of pride as you remember just how much you’ve been be through, and how far you have come!
NOW IT’S YOUR TURN: REFLECTION RITUAL
This last part – the feeling of pride and achievement is a supremely powerful emotion, and not one that’s always encouraged (sitting so close on the spectrum to self-inflation and arrogance). But when it’s channelled wisely, it can be a platform for so much more. And when we use ritual to anchor it into our lives, it becomes an especially potent seed for the next year of personal growth!
WHAT YOU NEED
- A candle (and something to light it with)
- Incense or smudge
- pens and paper
- A partner! (You can do this alone, but you will gain so much more if you have a good friend with you, someone who really appreciates and understands you).
WHAT DO DO:
Step 1
Sit opposite your partner, and take a few moments to center on your breath and call in your energy.
Step 2
Light the candle.
Step 3
Light the incense or smudge to clear and bless the space. This will also connect you both.
Step 4
Call in the directions and the elements (if you want to) and any other Spirit guides, totems, ancestors or light beings who also wish to join you.
Step 5
Take a pen and a piece of paper each, and write down at the top each one
“2017 was a life-changing year. I am SO proud of …”
Now take it in turns to say out loud something that happened in 2017 that you are proud of, and write it down on your paper.
Things to include could be:
- Personal goals reached
- Business or career achievements
- Improved or new relationships formed
- Tough decisions made
- Challenges faced
- Boundaries enforced
These can be anything – large or small, as long as they make you feel proud of yourself.
Keep going.
Step 6
When your partner has run out of ideas, and can’t think of even one more thing to say, say to them:
“I know there’s one more … tell me what it is…”
And wait for them to remember it, giving the space and the time, however long it takes. And have them do the same for you. Keep going until you have each written down at least 33 things down that you are proud of. Write more if you can.
Step 7
When you really have finished your lists, read them aloud, smile, and SEE each other for the incredible humans that you both are!
Step 8
Release the directions, the elements and any Spirit guides you invited into the space.
Step 9
Blow out the incense and the candle.
Step 10
Keep your list safe. You could pin it up somewhere you’ll see it every day, or place it on your altar as a sacred reminder of your innate power to achieve whatever you desire!