Winter visioning

The energy of winter is deep and slow. And yet, January often holds the expectation of fresh starts, new beginnings, ambitions and actions.

In recent years, I haven’t made New Year’s resolutions, preferring instead to wait until the rising energy of Spring to start to make plans. This year has felt somewhat different for me, however. Maybe I wanted to move away from the stultifying energy that was so present in the darker months last year, maybe having a week away in the beauty and peaceful landscape of Sweden has given me the rest I needed. Whatever the reason, there is a desire to create, go deeper, connect and be in community. Ideas bubble up gently to the surface and offer possibilities and directions. I sit with them and allow them to rest in my imagination. I play with the feeling of pursuing them. These are not hard and fast decisions or commitments. These are light and fluid visions and dreamings.

How would it be to try..?

What would my life look and feel like if I..?

Would it increase my pleasure and joy if I…?

Would it be manageable in the context of my life to…?

If I put soulful energy in this direction, will I..?

If you feel drawn to do so, you might like to choose a quiet evening in the next week to curl up with a notebook and feel into your visions for the year ahead. Perhaps light a candle or a fire and allow the experience to feel important, special and useful. Give yourself time to write freely, putting onto paper any thoughts, inspirations or experiences you’d like to see as reality this year, large or small. When you have finished, close your eyes and relax, taking a few deep breaths. Place one hand on your heart and the other on your solar plexus. Keep your awareness resting there and gently bring the energy of your writing to that place. You might like to read what you’ve written out loud, slowly sentence by sentence, closing your eyes and keeping your hands in place.

How does it feel?

Is there a little spark of excitement in your heart or a feeling of warmth at your solar plexus? Or do you feel a tightening and shortness of breath? Or is there very little to feel? Keep tuning in. You are asking your body and your energy system to guide you here. It takes practice, but when you notice these feelings - and even better live according to them - you are in tune with a much greater wisdom than your mind. Your energy system might be telling to go for it! If you feel anxious or overwhelm, it might be suggesting that you are asking too much of yourself in the context of your life as it is right now. This may mean that the vision or idea is still right for you, but you need to take a longer to get there. Ask your system. How does it feel if you expand the timeframe for that to come to fruition?. Your system may be even telling you that your dreams are not stimulating or joyful enough for you if you don’t get a lot of feedback.

Again, see this as play and experimentation. Don’t try to get it right. Experiencing and feeling energy is a journey and such a very beautiful one, worth sticking with.

If you’d like to have more guidance, my monthly Soul Circles are a great place to start

I wish you a beautiful start to the year!