Open - Present - Aligned
Happy New Year, dear reader! Thanks for being here on this journey with me. I appreciate you!
Do you choose a word or two to guide you at the start of the new year? Or maybe a theme or vibe that helps you focus your intentions and energy in the days to come? Drop them in the comments! I’d love to know.
These are three words that are resonating with me right now:
Open — Present — Aligned
I am open to the unfolding of the mystery of this new year. Being open to what unfolds has a much lighter energy than trying to control the calendar or the outcomes. Being open creates space for mystery to be… mysterious. Being open feels more fluid and expansive and full of possibilities. I’m tired of trying to exert control over all the things, all the people, and all the activities. I’m slowly releasing my grip. I’m realizing that I can only control myself - and that’s enough of a challenge!
I am practicing being more present. More present to the moment in front of me, and less distracted by noise. More present to what my soul desires, and less distracted by what society tells me I should want. More present to new beginnings that happen every day, not just on January 1st.
A new year is a promise of a fresh start, full of exciting possibilities. Unfortunately, for me and for many, the energy and excitement around New Year’s Day — making resolutions, and committing to grand goals — tend to dissipate by the middle of February, if not before.
But being more present helps me see that every month, every day, every moment brings a fresh start, an opportunity to begin again. You don’t have to wait until January 1st again!
When I started paying attention to the cycles of the moon a few years ago, I realized that every moon cycle - from new moon through the phases of first quarter, full moon, and last quarter - gave me a new chance to clear the slate and begin again.
I use a lunar calendar to track my own changing energy through the moon phases, and I typically publish my Substack posts twice monthly around the new and full moon. Paying attention to where the moon is helps me keep track of this commitment.
Alignment is the third word that resonates strongly with me in this season. I am feeling the call to live in closer alignment with my true self, with my artist soul, and with the cycles of nature. Living in alignment with my true self requires me to notice what feeds my soul and what makes me come alive.
If you are feeling this invitation too, it may be time to stop ‘shoulding’ on yourself and start listening to your own inner wisdom.
When I am in alignment with my true self, alignment with my artist soul seems to fall into place. My artist soul needs me to create the time and the space necessary to allow her to flourish.
In order to find and express my unique creative voice, I need the time and space to create whatever brings me joy, without regard to outcome and without concern for how my art will be received. Painter Louise Fletcher reminds us that “your creative voice is made up of your personal choices. You can’t think your way there! You have to choose what brings you joy.”
Living in alignment with the cycle of nature is a bit more challenging during this hectic time of the year. As I wrote in my last post, there is a disconnect between the silence of a slow Solstice and the hectic demands of the happy holidays.
This disconnect, or lack of alignment, continues into the New Year with the call of ‘New Year, New You,’ and the proclamation of resolutions to do more and be better. While I’m a fan of the whole self-actualization journey, listening to my inner wisdom is the essential ingredient here. Slow and sustainable and aligned is my vibe right now.
Paying attention to nature brings me joy and grounds me. Even if it’s too cold to be out in it, noticing what’s happening right outside the window, like noticing the full moon on Saturday night, regulates my nervous system. How about you?
But consider this. There’s a drawback to celebrating the New Year at the beginning of January. Nature isn’t ready yet. In the Northern Hemisphere, we are still in hibernation mode buried as we are in Cleveland under a foot of snow. Nature is still resting in winter’s dark stillness. Nature is still focused on rejuvenation and renewal, the energies of Solstice, which was just a few weeks ago.The returning light is barely perceptible, and the northern half of the world is not yet ready to jump into full-on performance mode. It feels a bit out of alignment to go there now.
If you are also feeling disconnected, it’s only natural! We are part of nature so it makes sense that we feel the same cyclical shifts of energy. Give yourself permission to rest, too. Allow yourself to dream without putting pencil to paper to figure out how to turn your dreams into reality. It is too soon.
But the light is returning, even if we can’t feel it yet.
On February 1st, the Celtic world will celebrate the Feast of St. Brigid. In pre-Christian times, Brigid was celebrated as a goddess of spring, of healing, of metal-smithing and of poetry. Brigid the goddess was woven into Brigid the saint and her spirit is very much alive in the Celtic people today.
As the goddess of Spring, Brigid takes the reins from the winter Callieach, bringing light and warmth to Ireland and Scotland. There is a Celtic legend that Brigid was miraculously transported to the nativity of Jesus and acted as his midwife. That journey is portrayed in a beautiful painting by John Duncan shown below.
St. Bride by John Duncan (1913)
In my Celtic tradition, Brigid is the Light Bearer, midwiving the birth of the Christ-light in each of us.
In the midst of the continued wintery stillness, how are you tending your Christ-light? Now more than ever it is painfully clear that we need to be light bearers in the world’s darkness.
Come tend your inner light with us at our next Creative Resistance session on Saturday January 17th at 11:00 eastern. We’ll gather in creative community just before St. Brigid’s Feast Day to create mandalas of radiant light. All you need is paper and colored pencils or markers! You can register here:
I’m holding the Christ-light for all of you!