Episode 27: Simple Ways to Let Go of 2019 and a Blessing to Welcome in 2020

I’m such a fan of the twixmas season, the days in between Christmas and the New Year, where it seems to be ok to disappear and hibernate for a few days. 

The excess, expectation and obligation that comes with Christmas just isn’t my time of year and the pace of the run up is too fast and furious for me.

I’m trying more and more to follow the rhythm of the seasons and tune into my own nature, rather than get drawn out into a cycle that doesn’t suit me.

The moon cycle is a great one to follow, even simply thinking of the new moon as a beginning and the full moon as an ending.

Now that I’m coming back to my normal routines and trying hard not to snack every hour, it’s a bit overwhelming with the ‘new year new you’ messages. In the last few years, I’ve tried to avoid the rush of January resolutions. 

There are so many challenges, whether it’s Dry January or Veganuary etc. especially after the indulgence over the holidays. It feels a bit too full on and makes me want to go back to hibernating if I’m honest .

But I do think that beginnings and endings are really important, whether it’s a new day, month or term. 

There’s already been the Hindu new year a few weeks ago- so it feels like there’s lots of opportunities to begin again.

In recent years, I started to focus more on the Chinese New Year as it marks the start of Spring.The New Moon then brings a forward wave of momentum, compared with January 1st which doesn’t have any particular significance to it.  Being someone who finds winter hard, I tend to try and race towards the spring. But that way of thinking doesn’t help me to be present, and these days I’m trying to be more mindful of being in the moment rather than wishing way time.

So really embracing winter. The slowness, hibernation, the darkness that means it’s ok to stay in and read rather than be too sociable. It’s a time for rest and renewal. And it looks like nothing much is happening, but it’s all going on beneath the surface, the way a plant has deep roots into the earth.

There’s something different with the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 - being a new decade but also something about the numerology of 2020. I find goodbyes really difficult. In the rare occasion that I’m at a party or event, I tend to sneak out quietly rather than say bye. 

I’ve played around with lots of different ways of getting ready for the new year. When I was in my teens and twenties and used to go out, I’d often find it a bit underwhelming. There’s such a big build up to it, with the countdown and the fireworks, but really nothing feels that different. And there’s that point a few days in where you get fed up of wishing people a Happy New Year as it doesn’t feel so new and shiny anymore. In the way that I’ve loved watching the Sat night set at Glastonbury from the comfort of my living room, I used to love watching the late Clive James do his round up of the year and found it more enjoyable than being out .

I’m going to talk about 3 ways that I prepare for the new - decluttering, gratitude and journaling.

1 - Decluttering

2- Gratitude

3- Journal - forgiveness, reflection, honouring what’s happened.

1 - Declutter - my physical space, my diary, my wallet, my cupboard.

I find that it shakes up and moves the energy, and helps to find clarity

 The outer environment aligns with what’s going on internally. So finding order helps to calm the nervous system and make it easier to relax and feel safe and comfortable .

If you’d like an easy structure to follow for a more ordered home, try the January Cure from Apartment Therapy 

2- Gratitude is a great practice that’s been well-researched-  as it trains the brain to pause and look for what’s going well and helps to find a state of balance that doesn’t swing from high to low. I find it better to write down or share with someone else, and if you can do this practice in the moments before you get up or go to sleep, it’s soul food for the brain and body. There’s a difference between this practice and just positive thinking. Gratitude is a heart-centered state, whereas positive thinking can be quite heady and separate from the body.

3-  My third way of letting go is to journal. I do this as a ritual, usually by candlelight and with fountain pens and brightly coloured ink. I’ll post her details in the show notes but for many years now I’ve loved the free ‘ Unravel your year’ process from Susannah Conway. There are journaling prompts to reflect and learn from the last few months.  The reflection is essential so that you can move forwards with intention and lightness.

I’d like to finish with a blessing for 2020 by John O’Donohue 

I wish you a peaceful and happy New 2020.

Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year

For Josie

On the day when

The weight deadens

On your shoulders

And you stumble,

May the clay dance

To balance you.

And when your eyes

Freeze behind

The grey window

And the ghost of loss

Gets in to you,

May a flock of colours,

Indigo, red, green,

And azure blue,

Come to awaken in you

A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays

In the currach of thought

And a stain of ocean

Blackens beneath you,

May there come across the waters

A path of yellow moonlight

To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,

May the clarity of light be yours,

May the fluency of the ocean be yours,

May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow

Wind work these words

Of love around you,

An invisible cloak

To mind your life.

[Note: "Beannacht" is the Gaelic word for "blessing." A "currach" is a large boat used on the west coast of Ireland.]

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