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The past few weeks of December have been very intense for many of us. I have felt the energies building to an incredible peak. There have been days lately that I honestly thought that the top of my head was going to go flying off and take flight. I could envision as my head ricocheted in every which direction, pinging here and there and everywhere! I could imagine everything that has been bottled up inside of me would start spilling over like an erupting volcano! How's that for creative visualization?!
As 2008 draws to a close, I have spent time reflecting on this past year. This year has been about change for all of us. The ironic thing is that while a lot has changed it has not been much of the outward results we had been longing for. Much of the change has been quite internal. We have done a lot of work on ourselves this year, which has really strengthened our resolve and brought clarity to many areas of our lives that had been ignored, avoided, or neglected up until this point.
2008 was a year of soul searching. Many of us delved deep within ourselves to uncover areas that were not working and discovered new ways of doing and seeing things. It has been a year of gaining inner awareness, insight and understanding of what we really want and need in our lives and equally what we really don't want or need in our lives. It has been a time of clearing those proverbial skeletons out of our closets and getting rid of the cobwebs that have been lingering!
If there has been an area in our psyche that we have kept buried within us or something we feared would or wouldn't happen, then you can bet that it did or didn't happen in 2008! Our worst fears and insecurities came to the surface to be examined and put into perspective. There were very few people who got off easy this year without having to do some serious work on their core issues and do some honest soul searching one way or another.
Our perceptions of how we see things are changing drastically. This year brought a change in our country by electing the first black man as President, something we never thought was possible a very short time ago. The financial collapse of some of our largest corporations and institutes is further causing us to reevaluate how we do things, how and where we place our trust and value. We are seeing the incongruities in our world and society and figuring out a new and better way of doing things.
Many of us have experienced financial hardships, which have caused us to examine how we spend our money and what we value most. We have had to cut back in areas we spent money freely and learned we need to spend with conscious awareness and think before we buy to determine if we really want and need what we are purchasing. We discovered we could be very content with a whole lot less than we thought we could and found the simple pleasures in life.
I have avoided going to the store during this holiday season. When I have gone I am repulsed seeing carts filled with so many "things". I wonder if we really appreciate and need all the "things" that we are giving and receiving. It seems we need to teach our children (and perhaps ourselves too) that it is quality over quantity. Really enjoying and appreciating the things we have rather than having this overwhelming amount of "stuff" that often gets tossed to the side.
I was telling my friend how sad I was that I couldn't buy anyone any presents this year and that I felt bad when I was given a present but couldn't reciprocate. My friend said I should just gratefully accept the gift since I give all year in other ways to those who are giving to me now. It made me feel a little better to hear this. Money and things do not fill the void within us and do not necessarily show love.
Many people have been dealing with medical issues that have prompted them to slow down and take it easy. We have had to make room to "be" with ourselves rather than "do" so many things. We have been releasing and dealing with a lot of our old stuff through healing our physical bodies on an emotional level.
2008 has been a year of focusing on areas that have been blocking us from moving forward. The key component has been uncovering and resolving our root issues and life situations. Until we really come to terms with our patterns and heal them once and for all we will not be able to go to new things. We must really focus on living consciously and with inner awareness in order to experience a true sense of balance and purpose in our lives.
This year brought back old friends into our lives and we made many new ones too. We are learning to depend on one another in a new way. We are experiencing the interconnectedness between us all. We are learning from one another and using each other as a support system. An important lesson for us to learn is that we are not alone on this planet and we have each other to turn to. Accepting love and support is as important as giving it.
There were things we wanted to happen this year that didn't come to fruition. It seems this was a time to plant the seeds in our garden. The results will be experienced as we nurture ourselves. 2008 was all about weeding out the old, tending to our needs and getting clear on what we really want and need. There is no more room for being indecisive and unclear. The energy is going to continue to build until we can learn to take responsibility for our lives and do what is necessary to live authentically.
2009 will result in the fruits of our labor. We will begin to see the outward manifestation that our inner work produced. With the New Year we will be grounded within our beingness, assimilate the changes and see things with a new awareness and a keener perception.
We have done a lot of work this year. It has been challenging to say the least. Many of us are still in the thick of things and are not sure how issues are going to play out. It's neither the time for the answers or to see the results. This time is about appreciating what we have, doing what needs to be done, living in the present moment and resting.
As we trust the process and go with the flow, we will be able to transition into the New Year with more peacefulness, inner awareness and clarity than we've ever known before.
Prayer
Dear God/dess,
I end this year grateful for all the gifts and blessings I have received. This year has really shown me where my priorities are and what I really want and need in my life.
Thank you for the clarity You have shown me and the awarenesses You have guided me in receiving. I can see clearly what I need to do and I trust that with you beside me I can make the changes necessary to experience more peace, love and happiness than ever before.
I allow things to unfold, as You would have them be. I trust the process of life.
I know that even though things aren't settled quite yet in my life or the world, I trust that things are happening for a reason.
Thank you for the many gifts of love and friendship I have received.
And so it is.
Amen.
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