Beginnings

Clearing and cleansing in our lives

As we enter a new year, it is a good time to think about what needs clearing and cleansing in our lives. Before we can welcome something new in, it can be necessary to let go of something else first. There may be a need to tie up loose ends to complete a cycle before we can fully step into a new one. For many of us, 2020 has brought some challenges and some opportunities. Most of us will be keen to step into 2021 with hope of a fresh start.

This ‘new year, new hope’ energy is highlighted in modern society by the switch to a new calendar year in January. Those who follow the pagan wheel of the year may view it as being at Samhain. For those of us who are interested in astrology, our ‘new year’ is the point at which the sun returns to the same position it occupied at our birth - our solar return.

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No matter which way we look at it, a new energy is coming and an opportunity exists to complete the old cycle and let go of what is no longer needed. It is time for a stock take. What have we learnt? What do we need to let go of? What would we like to grow in the coming year? It can be useful to note down the answers to these questions in a diary or journal. Perhaps using oracle or tarot cards as a prompt to explore different facets.

It is also a good time to meditate on the significance of beginnings. The approach we take when we start something new will help to determine the shape of the journey and the eventual outcome which follows. When we are focussed on our planning and set clear intentions, we are more likely to have a good outcome.

However, once the wheels are set in motion, it is important to maintain a sense of spontaneity and allow creative impulses to come in. Sometimes, the course we set needs adjusting or the whole thing will crash onto the rocks. Sometimes we just need to take a little detour which adds to our knowledge and we can rejoin our path with a greater sense of purpose.

This month, take some time to reflect and set yourself one goal for the coming year. Have a rough plan for how you might achieve it - thinking about resources or people to help with it - and also what you will do if you hit a bump in the road. Sometimes we allow those bumps to stop the journey completely instead of fixing the wheel and continuing on. Take a note from nature and allow the cycle to complete. A completed journey is never wasted even if we do find ourselves somewhere quite different.

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