We can stop at times in our life to push the re-start button or be conscious in what we want to create, and the start of a new year is an opportunity to do so. We can do this through “new year’s resolutions,” or we can do it on a deeper, more spiritual level that accesses and changes our underlying beliefs that do not serve us.
So here’s an opportunity for deeper growth and change. Try choosing a “Word of the Year” for yourself (Thanks to Christine Kane for this idea!). This is a word that represents or states what you are aiming for within yourself and in your life this year. This word is personal to you, and comes from your centered self, not your mind. Sit for a few minutes, contemplate what you are searching for in your life, and listen to the word that comes to mind.
For me, my 2012 word is “Manifest.” It’s the word that continued to come to mind as I asked the question, and feels real and right for where I am at right now. Manifesting my dreams, manifesting the best in me, and manifesting abundance for all beings. It’s the word that I will continue to hold in my energy and intention each day and remind myself along the way of what I want to create.
Once you have a word, take some time to answer these questions:
- Your intention behind this word: Why is this word perfect for you right now? What do you want to create with it? How would your life be different by living this word?
- Your awareness behind this word: What are your old patterns and beliefs that may prevent your from living this world? How will you recognize these and move past them?
- Your clarity in making this word happen: What are 5 habits or practices you can do to rid yourself of ineffective habits? What are 5 goals you’d like to accomplish this year? What would make this year the best year yet?
Write your answers in your journal. Post your word in your house for a daily reminder. Make art out of your word – draw, paint, or color your word with intention behind it, and hang it in your house. Share it with others – tell people what you are doing and why. It gives you power and purpose for making it happen, and they can help you stay accountable to what you desire.
During the Winter Solstice Ceremony and Celebration two weeks ago, I brought folks into a guided meditation envisioning their “garden of intention” – what is growing there, and what do they want to grow there. We all wrote in our journal for 10 minutes following the meditation and shared what we wrote. Here is my journal entry from that night, which captures the word “Manifest” in my garden of intention:
There is no place to be but the garden, a place of beauty, growth, wisdom, knowledge, possibility, truth, and expansion. There are numerous colors: yellow, red, orange, white, gold, purple, each unique. There is no end to the color, as there is no end to who I am and what is possible within me. There is no end to the colors of humanity, to the uniqueness of each person, the color of gifts they bring to the garden of life. This garden has no judgments, it has no limitations, only wonder and passion for all that is.
The stone path through the garden is lined and interspersed with white phlox. No need to step over, they are resilient and happy to support my journey. The garden expands, “How big will it get?” I ponder. But it does not matter now, only to walk the path of color and phlox and trust in each step.
Choose your word, and plant it in your garden of intention. Water it, feed it, shine light on it, and watch it grow to more than you dreamed possible!
Categories: Meditation & Mindfulness