It’s the holiday season!!!!
What does that mean to you? Each of us is so different so of course, I encourage you to do you!!!
For me, this season is leading up to the winter solstice and that’s my true time of celebration. It’s funny that it’s just wired into me that way. Christmas is fine, but the solstice always brings me some real gifts.
I celebrate the solstice by preparing ahead of time- preparations like journaling about the year past. What am I most proud of? What did I hope to do that didn’t get done. What surprises did the year bring? Where did I disappoint myself. This process can take a hour or a week?
I meditate on this past year a bit. Sort of replaying and savoring it. Then I sit in stillness, maybe soft music playing. Or I might take my past year reverie out on a hike.
Then the most fun part for me… is once I’ve reviewed the past year, I cast my gaze on the new year ahead. If I could dream any dream for the new year, what would it be? Dreams for me personally and dreams for the world. Are there small steps I can make to move closer towards making these dreamy dreams a reality? These small steps toward my big dreams become my intentions for the new year.
Intentions aren’t the same as resolutions. They’re more like hopes or visions… positive, nebulous loveliness that I refer back to on a regular basis as the year moves on. Once I’ve written out those big dream ideas, I look what I’ve written and decide if I need to add to them. Here’s where I’ll caution you. Choose your intentions with love and care.
It’s easy to begin to want to add that list of shit you think is wrong with you. “I’m going to lose weight. I’m going to clean the basement. I’m going to drink less. etc etc etc.” I’m not saying you may not want to accomplish all these things. But when i’m pondering my Solstice Special Intentions, I want to keep my focus on my big dreams- ways to fulfill my life purpose, ways to serve the world as only I can. Those huge dreams can come true whether I’m a size or 3 larger than I wish. Those amazing goals can happen whether my house is messy or not, whether my basement is full of old junk… or not.
If I throw too much of my thoughts about where I’m “broken” into my intentions, it slows me down. I can find myself thinking about that BIG dream, then the critic in my head says, “Well, you can’t do that until you clean the basement or ________.” There are higher self dreams and smaller self dreams. Try to keep your intentions focused on your higher self, the big deal stuff. Don’t allow your HUGE intentions to be side-lined by small self declarations of “unworthiness.”
There’s my solstice homework. On the big day, I’ll have a “ceremony” which can mean something different to each of us. I have an intention to offer some sound ceremony online and will let you now where/when that will happen.
So… what are your intentions for this holiday season and the new year ahead?
Sending light and love to us all.
❤️