Write to Empower Archives - Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

Hal Borland, "Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."

Feeling contemplative at this time of year, we also project forward into the New Year wondering what it will bring. Do we focus on the disappointment of what we didn’t get, the successes and accomplishments, or the opportunities to be of service waiting in the wings? The media gives us the bests and worst of this, that and the other. We are offered an examination of the year to remember what happened in the world. Perhaps we can apply that same principle to our lives before we make New Year’s resolutions. On this wondrous journey called life we spiritual beings are invited to become more human. Or as C. S Lewis says, “You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body.”

There are many spiritual tools to review your life. The 12 step groups suggest a personal moral and daily inventory. The Course in Miracles through daily study aims to remove blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. Catholics offer confession, and communion to cleanse the soul. In the Toltec spiritual philosophy, the spiritual practice of recapitulation aids us in observing our life and behavior. Recapitulation is the action of recollecting our life including all the emotions we felt surrounding the events. By re-collecting the emotions we can choose to heal ourselves from the major bumps in the road, or minor glitches instead of carrying them with us as excess baggage. To create a reality we want, it’s necessary to clean up our side of the street and examine what worked and what didn't work in our lives. Then we can more clearly magnetize what we want towards us.

A thorough examination of our selves is a valuable tool for self-improvement. When we act as the neutral observer we can learn from the past and tweak behaviors, thoughts and action for the future. We can use this review as a way to clean out our closets of outworn beliefs, throw unwanted behaviors into the compost to enrich our garden next year, and polish our assets to shine with all their brilliance. We can change our habits in 30 days, 60 seconds, or the blink of an eye. Maybe the most challenging part of changing habits is determining what are the benefits of our habits? Once we become clear about these benefits, we must ask ourselves is this benefit still working for us? When we bring our bodies to the truth, only then can we see ourselves as being different and focus on that change.

This week’s exercise has several parts. The first part is to take some time to contemplate the past year. The 2^nd part is using your journal to list some of the significant events of the last year. As you write, pause to contemplate the events that impacted your life. What worked about these events and what didn’t work? By reexamining these events you are preparing for the intentional creation of your reality. You will be much clearer as to what you do not want and much clearer as to what you DO want! The 3^rd part is to establish intentions for the New Year. If you take the time to recapitulate 2009, you will be better prepared to create reality for 2010.

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