Today is November 1. It is one day after Halloween. So, thirty days for November and 31 for December, means that on the sixty-second day, it will be 2024!
Halloween is followed by all Saints Day and all Souls Day, then Thanksgiving on November 23. Advent begins on December 3 and Chanukah’s seven days begin December 7. Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, is December 21, and Christmas is December 25. Kwanza is the 26th and New Years Eve is the 31st.
This is a deeply spiritual time. In no other time of the year are there so many holidays, and days of religious and spiritual significance. In one sixty one day period we go from an atmosphere of warmth and light to one of dark and quiet.
This is a transition time – a time to set aside our routine activities. We must start looking for more profound ways of honoring the space between letting go of the old and embracing the new. For those seeking a spiritual connection during times of transition, the world’s wisdom traditions offer rituals rich with meaning.
Shamanic philosophy sees the turning of the year as a time to honor and give back to Mother Earth, and a way of tapping into and acknowledging nature’s cycle of transformation. This should be a time of peace, to reflect, re-invent, re-evaluate.
Let’s use these 61 days, not for chaos, spending money we do not have, being in situations we dislike, and doing what everyone else wants, but for finding and creating the spiritual refreshment and relief we really need, with which we can start the New Year with joy and love and peace of heart.
According to Ray Crist, founder of the Jaguar Path, which fuses yoga practice and the philosophy of Peruvian shamanism, the Q’ero of Peru believe that we’re all shamans. Each of us possesses an intuitive power and wisdom that connects us to both the world around and the world within. Rituals empower people because through ritual, we can be the catalysts that bring forth healing and change into our own lives.
What is the healing and change you want to bring into your own life? Don’t let these precious days pass without getting some of the changes you want and need in your life – at least begun, if not completed. Yes, we may have responsibilities to others who are precious to us. Yes, there may be extra work and “Celebrations”. Yes, we may need to deal with others who don’t agree with our food plans or how we live our lives. But please don’t let this time pass without managing your recovery life constructively.
And you have heard me repeat my father’s voice so many times – if you aim at nothing you will surely hit it. So, tell me, tell yourself, tell your loved ones – what is the change you want to make between now and 2024? What do you really want and truly need in your life?
You may need to reevaluate the past year. Arrange a day to declutter your life. You may want to formally invite abundance, peace, transformation, or some other change into your life. Spend these days more in quiet and meditation than in partying and chaos.
This is something you must plan to do. It is not something that will just happen. You must intentionally make time to do it. Set time to pray and seek Your Wise Woman’s mission for your life. Write out how you can begin to accomplish that mission in the new year. Let yourself change and align your direction to the really important things.
If you so believe, look at what your Higher Power has planned for you. Prepare with your personal mission for your Higher Power in mind—what is it He/She/It needs from you? Remember, this is a private matter. Determining the personal mission your Higher Power has for your life is something that you must spend some time alone to figure out. What is His/Her/Its work for you? What is the change you want and need to accomplish?
Create a practical plan. As we determine our priorities, we must keep in mind that they must be realistic and reasonable. Practical. Do-able. One you are able to accomplish.
Nothing is worse in my mind than coming to January 1, 2024 and feeling like I have failed, made a mess of it, not done what I really wanted to do. It is ok to decide that you just want to relax and enjoy the holiday, or that you want a trip to Brazil, or that you want a hiking retreat. Do what gives you pleasure and makes you feel whole.
With our purpose established, and a plan set to accomplish that purpose, then we can begin. When you determine your purpose and you set your plan, it is actually rather enjoyable when it comes time to perform it all. The fact of the matter is, when you have prepared to do what you (or your Higher Power) has given you to do, when it comes time to do it, there is pleasure in doing it.
Time invested now in understanding your purpose in life and planning out the fulfillment of that purpose in the coming year will put you into a position of being able to enjoy doing what you know your Higher Power has led you to do with your life.
If you are struggling with abstinence and the holidays, or other life changes, Emergency Road Service, my traditional holiday program, begins November 21.
For eight weeks we can support our abstinence, conquer the Chaos, and work on how to become the people we really want to be! Call the office for details.
I wish you a blessed, peaceful, joyful holiday. May all your dreams come true.
Blessings to you,
Theresa
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