Here we are at the end of another year, excited about what lies ahead, maybe a bit remorseful about things undone this year, maybe just sad and in pain and not caring. Wherever you are on your journey right now, this is a fantastic time to make shifts. We have the energy of so many other souls who are in the exact same place with us. Think of that... every person on this planet is on the same track, we are all preparing for yet another new year. That's a lot of synchronicity in our energy, use it.
There are a few things I tend to do every year, these are traditions that really started for me about four years ago, about the time my entire life changed.
The first was taken from an experience I had when a couple of friends took me to a new year's eve fire burning.
We all wrote down things we didn't want going into the new year with us. I could be wounds, habits, relationships, our past, whatever it was, you wrote it all down. At midnight we threw our lists into this enormous bonfire and consciously released all the things we'd written down.
It was a fun night and I hadn't had fun in a very long time at that point, but I didn't really expect anything to come of my burning some words I'd written on paper. What happened though was that anytime something from that paper came up for me after that, I said to myself, I let that go... and I'd release it again in that moment.
Burning that paper set up a habit for me of clearing things and that is a very powerful habit.
With that in mind that's the first thing I do at the end of the year.
Emotional Clearing
This year I started this process back in October, but I am at the end of a personal decade of pain and I am ready to be free of that, so I did the extra work to clean out my emotional cupboards bare!
For most, you can do a simple meditation, asking your guides to show you what you need to release in the new year. You can even then write these things down and at midnight, burn them. It's really quite powerful.
This is a time to forgive, to release, to walk away and close doors.
Whatever your personal rituals are for clearing and releasing, use them now to clean up emotional and spiritual space so you can be ready in the new year for something wonderful to come in.
We always have to remember that new things cannot come in as long as we are holding onto old things with a death grip.
No matter what it is, there is a plan in play for you and learning to trust that will be the biggest shift of your entire life. If you aren't quite there yet, then for now, just consciously, with intention, release what you are able to.
We all know when we are stuck, holding onto something we shouldn't. Whether that's a person, a want, or a wound, Holding onto it is hurting you. It's constricting the flow of love and light into your life.
Believe me, whatever it is that god is asking you to release, it's nowhere near as good as what he'll bring in when you can surrender this.
Physical Cleaning.
We all have this notion of "spring cleaning" but what if you did that now instead of in a few months? What if you spent the last few days or week of the year, cleaning and clearing your physical space.
I don't think many people truly understand the effect our environment has on us. If you are living in dust and clutter, you are feeling it on an emotional level and the worst part of that is that it feeds on itself usually making you feel more stress and depression which moves you farther and farther away from dealing with your stuff.
Your environment is either supporting you or defeating you and it all depends on how you have it set up.
If it's allowed to collect clutter, if you have full rooms that you don't go into because it's the "junk" room, then you are always under a certain amount of stress, that stress can lead to a depression and that is never going to be a place from which you deal with the clutter. You sink further, more clutter appears, it's a very scary downward spiral I got caught in myself during the time in my life where I was having my miscarriages.
It's only a few days before new years now, but commit to cleaning something. Commit to doing one space up nice, maybe rearrange things according to feng shui principals. You'll be amazed at the difference that can make. Bring in some live plants to your space, or cut flowers. Something to represent new life. It's part of my year end ritual to replenish cleaning supplies and throw out anything that's been mostly used up.
On top of that this year, I've set the intention to clear out my closet of clothes I no longer wear and the bathroom of cosmetics I no longer use. I'm also setting up my kitchen for healthier eating in the new year.
You can make this process as extensive or as bare bones as you need to, but challenge yourself to at least clear one space and make that your home base for the new year.
Take a Reflective Look at the Year Ending
Many of us at this point in the year are saying, "Good riddance!"
If you find yourself in this boat, or even if you are simply looking forward to the new year with zeal for all it will hold for you, I challenge you to spend some quiet time reflecting on the year that just past.
I know for myself, this was a switch I just made last year, but it closes the circle. When we simply abandon the old year for the new year, there is unfinished business there. There are things leaking into our new year we may not want and we miss opportunities to grow or strengthen ourselves by not appreciating what we accomplished last year... Even if all you accomplished was making it through!
I know many people who had horrendously painful years in 2014. There were more deaths last year than I've ever been connected to personally and people were in deep pain on many levels. Here's the thing, you can't just push it all away and say 2015 will be better. If you don't deal with the pain, if you don't forgive and accept your success and failures, then you aren't going to be changing anything in the new year.
Take a moment, write a blog post, or a journal note and go over your year. (You'll be seeing mine on my personal blog on new year's eve.) Take an honest look at the year passed, what you learned, how you grew, areas you got stuck and then accept what was with gratitude.
This is different from the emotional clearing simply in this is more personal, this is all about you, your emotions, what you felt, saw, experienced and learned.
As you hopefully were able to extend forgiveness to any who hurt you during the emotional clearing, extend forgiveness now to yourself for any ways you feel you let yourself down. Extend love and tell yourself you did a damn good job!
That's so important because too often at this time of year, all we do is look at all the ways we failed and determine to do better in the coming year. Of course we're going to strive to do better each year, but take a moment now to appreciate all the ways you succeeded this year, even if that success was merely that you're still here, you're still trying.
Set Intentions
One powerful change for the new year it to set intentions rather than making a resolution. A resolution is set in the premise of something we no longer want in our life, while an intention is based on the positive energy of what we do want in our lives.
That is an enormous difference in energy.
Taking one of the most basic resolutions - This year I'm going to lose weight.
Flip it into an intention - This year I'm going to eat healthy and respect my body.
It's the same thing, said with different energy.
With one, you're already thinking of deprivation, diets, having to get up early to go to the gym.
The other, think of fresh foods, how much fun it will be to get to play with real food in your kitchen and create good foods for yourself and you family. Think of fun afternoons at the park chasing a ball around with your kids, or taking a tango class in the evenings. Think of the energy you'll have and how that will make you feel. Think of that sexy red dress you're going to buy, in whatever size you want, because you feel good about yourself exactly as you are now!
HUGE difference there.
Most of us feel that resolutions don't work. Most of us never keep them. Studies say that most people have abandoned their resolutions by 2 weeks into the new year, then we feel like we've failed... again.
Don't do that to yourself this year.
You absolutely can affect change in your life, when you set an intention, rather than make a resolution, you aren't getting rid of old habits, you are bringing in new healthy things to continue pursuing happiness.
So with all that in mind, I'm going to paint you a picture of a healthy new year's eve.
Choose to stay in. If you have family, then incorporate them into this, or send them all out for the night so you can have quality alone time.
Start with a good detox bath, light candles, make certain you have the lavender and do the clearing meditation while you're in the tub. When you get out, write down whatever came up so you have your paper to burn at midnight.
Then have some dinner, whatever is a guilty pleasure for you. Turn on some music or a favorite movie, and do your cleaning project.
If you plan ahead, you can have a few new purchases ready to debut in your new space.
Then sit in the space and realize what an amazing person you are. Thank god for every experience he's brought you and thank him doubly for allowing you the strength to handle the pain and the crisis points.
Connect with yourself and make a commitment to love yourself better this year. To be your own best friend, to look out for yourself, nourish your body, mind and soul, and to break out of any fear that has a hold on you right now.
Then I want you to start a blog. You can keep it private, but write out your intentions for this coming year and make one of them, to write to yourself every day. You make a post on how you're doing, what you're struggling with, what gave you joy and what you're grateful for. Tag the really good ones "new year's eve 2015" then next year, you can add reading those posts to your new, new year's eve traditions.
No, it's not a big party, fancy clothes, or a kiss at midnight, but it's a beautiful evening of love to yourself that will absolutely set the direction for your new year.
Whatever you do this Wednesday and into the new year, be well and be blessed and know that you've got more power than you realize and more beauty than you understand. This is the year to let them both out! Happy New Year everyone. ~ Samantha
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