As I sit down to do some visioning for the coming year, I’m reminded of an interview by Oprah Winfrey with Melinda Gates, who shared that she chooses a word each year to embody her overall focus. That year, she had chosen “Shine” as her guiding energy. She explained it wasn’t so much about shining herself but finding ways to support everyone to shine through her philanthropy work and her life. It was simple and incredibly powerful. As I craft my own vision, I’m being reminded of that same concept.
The idea of a new year with new possibilities and potential for growth is a powerful concept, even if the actual date of January 1st is mostly arbitrary. For me, it can be so powerful that I start to get a little excited and carried away with things I’d like to work on, explore, learn, expand on. I sometimes need to re-direct myself back to the silence with my Soul. What is really my purpose in this exercise? The lower self may see it as a fun list of things to accomplish, but from the Soul’s expanded perspective, it is more of a conscious acknowledgement and aligning ourselves with what is already on its way. It is the process of our little will coming into greater harmony with the flow of Divine Will.
By keeping my vision simple, choosing one or two words to represent the energies I am guided to work with, I can relax into trusting my divine self to draw to me experiences which will help me master those energies. It rarely happens that I start off the year with a big bang to dive headlong into those resonances. It is usually a subtle, slow build that I don’t often observe consciously until later. Yet, looking back, I see how all those experiences, situations and people gave me many wonderful and creative opportunities to work with those energies, build those spiritual “muscles” and begin to truly embody them.
Trust in your Soul. Trust your inner wisdom to guide you, not just in the quiet comfort of your meditation chair, but with whatever each moment brings going forward. Even when something comes along that feels startling and unexpected, remember that you drew it to you with your intention. It is an answer from your Soul to keep guiding you forward.