New Year – January 1st. What do we do every year when the New Year rolls around?
We set resolutions. This year I’m going to meditate every day for 20 minutes. I’m going to eat healthier foods and get in shape. I’m going to read at least 1 book per week.
We pick a word of the year. My word this year was ‘nurture’.
We get back “on the wagon” and back on track.
We set new goals or reignite goals that we haven’t reached yet. We make a vision board.
We do ceremonies to close out the old year and rituals to welcome the new year. And we celebrate because we get another chance.
The truth is that January 1st is just another day that occurs after December 31st. It’s not like we go to bed one person and we wake up the next morning – the first day of the new year – as someone totally different. So why do we do all of this?
The changing of the calendar year is like a changing of the guard. It offers us valuable ritual and ceremony to start over so that we can do better next time. We get worn down and worn out from working so hard for a whole year that the resetting of the calendar is a little like being reborn and we get to realign.
What does it mean to realign?
Well, when we started this year when it was new, we set goals and resolutions, clarified our vision ahead, and pointed forward and said I want to go there. But as the year went on, we were met with challenges and obstacles that might have thrown us a bit off course. Life happened. Kids happened. Sickness happened. Jobs changed. Relationships changed. Homes changed. New goals popped up – responsibilities, too. Values shifted. Our vision shifted or maybe even blurred a bit.
Realigning means refocusing on your vision – what’s important and why it’s important to you, clearing away all of the clutter that’s gotten you off track from getting through your ‘why’ to your ‘what’, and mostly, getting back in touch with your wise inner counsel for guidance and direction.
That’s why we do yoga, meditation, journaling, nature walks, fire ceremonies, card readings, self-care and all our other rituals and spiritual practices. We’re humans living the human experience, and life throws us off track so we feel a constant need to realign. We do this on a small scale in our every day lives.
But the big, conscious realignment happens at the calendar new year. On January 1st you can almost hear a global sigh of relief that we get to start again.
More chances to realign
But what if I told you that there are 3 other “new years” in each calendar year – major mileposts to realign with your Soul and yourSELF so you can stay connected to your ‘why’ and on track for your ‘what’? Good news – it’s true!
The first of these 3 additional “new years” is a cosmic event. It’s the astrological new year when the New Moon is in Aries.
For ages, folks have planned life by the phases of the Moon and, in the early days of civilization, the Moon was used as the calendar to track the passing of time. The New Moon is the first phase of the Moon cycle and it’s about new beginnings, blank slates, and starting over. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and is about independence, birth, growth and new beginnings. The Aries New Moon always happens in the spring – the first season when life begins to wake up. Spring is about new beginnings, birth, starting over, creation, growth.
That’s the alignment of three “firsts” at once so take advantage of this powerful cosmic energy to realign yourself.
The second and third additional “new years” are the school years. Remember when you were a kid? School started around September which happens to be the changing from summer to fall. Many adults still to this day feel another changing of the guard when the leaves begin to turn, the warm summer air turns cool, and the kids go back to school. It’s a new school year – the start of a new phase of life. Why not take advantage of this change of energy to consciously realign yourself as well?
And what about year-round school? That usually starts in July. Another version of the changing of the guards with the chance to realign yourself. It’s also smack dab in the middle of the calendar year – the perfect time to check in and take stock of where you are vs where you’re trying to go. Are you on track to meet your goals? Does your word of the year still feel right? Are you feeling connected and grounded like you want? There’s still time to shift, adjust plans, and refocus on a new vision if it’s changed.
Coincidentally (or not) these “new year” opportunities provide neat quarterly opportunities to consciously realign yourself:
*January 1st (calendar new year)
*New Moon in Aries (astrological new year in spring)
*year-round school year & mid-year point in summer
*traditional school year in fall
What’s next?
It’s officially fall. The kids are back in school and the excitement of summer is fading. There’s a natural stirring in the air of new, fresh energy as the coolness sets in and the leaves begin to change. We’ve also just experienced a huge shift of global consciousness energy with the Full Moon/Super Moon/Blood Moon and the eclipse this past weekend (during Mercury Retrograde, I might add). You may be feeling a little off balance from this major energy upheaval, so it’s the perfect time for self-care and realignment with your Soul and yourSELF.
And we’re nearing the time of year when the veil is the thinnest to the world of spirit when messages tend to come through loud and clear. If you would like some help getting back on track (or even just a spiritual tune-up), I’m offering a Fall Realignment Reading special through October 31st. We’ll consult the cards to get insight into your unique situation, clear the energetic clutter that’s got you off track and give you clear direction to realign with your ‘what’ and your ‘why’. The energies have aligned for this to happen. Why not take advantage of it while it’s available?
No matter what you do please make sure you practice the art of realigning by working with your spiritual practices that take you inward to reconnect to your inner wisdom and guidance, surrounding yourself with like-minded others, refining your ‘what’ and reconnecting with your ‘why’. When you veer off course, even just a little, observe what’s happening without judgment and get some help from Spirit to mindfully get back on your path.
To master the art of realignment, keep realigning every chance you have and take all the help you can get.
What’s your go-to realignment practice? Share your tips with us in the comments below.
========
About Jen:
Jennifer Blumenthal, Chief Soul Officer of Seduction of Soul Studio and author of the popular Moon Wishing eCourse, is a psychic Soul Mentor, Healer, + Coach to brilliant, creative, soul-seeking women in their ‘me time’ of life. She helps them connect to the inner wisdom of their souls and the magic of the Universe so they can start living life with the fullness + richness that they crave.
Her work is a customized and unique blend of coaching, mentoring, teaching and healing combining practical + magical, constructive + creative, left-brain + right-brain to create lasting, enjoyable, fulfilling change. You can download her free ebook, Bliss Map: 3 Questions to Illuminate Your Soul’s Deepest Desires, at www.JenniferBlumenthal.com.
========
photo credits:
Dottie Beasley Photography
Copyright: amaviael
