Happy new year, gorgeous.
If you’ve been a reader or subscriber for a while, you may remember my annual rant about resolutions. They start off so powerfully, don’t they?, in the Capricorn energy of the New Year (more about that below, in the section about the upcoming New Moon, the time when we are naturally drawn to our vision work, to our goals and intentions. Have you noticed how resolutions—commitments to wellness, more money, deeper love, more satisfying work—start off strong and evaporate over time? Is your gym more crowded this month than last? Check again in March and you will probably see that the attendance has returned to normal levels.
What happens to your beautiful resolutions, your powerful visions?
Say you had a powerful vision over the holidays, something you really want (I hope you did!). Maybe it’s a new deep loving long-term relationship. Or maybe it’s developing and launching a new product line for your business that will be of service to your tribe. Or maybe it’s having more financial abundance.
We’ll use increased financial abundance as an example. You had this beautiful vision over the holidays, and you know what you have to do to get there (some combination of raising your rates, growing your practice, or developing some new products to sell). And you get started. Just as in the past, you start taking actions toward that goal, but soon your actions begin to lessen, to the point where you eventually forget the vision altogether. What’s your relationship with the resolution?
Feel into your heart.
- Do you have abundance in your heart, in your soul, right now?
- Do you know you are taken care of, that your needs are met, that you have access to nourishing food, friends, and love?
- Do you know in your heart that you are sheltered and clothed safely and beautifully?
When you believe that abundance is only available to you in the future—once you’ve attained your goal or manifested your vision—then an unresolvable dilemma arises, and your relationship to the resolution weakens. It gets to be too painful to hold onto, and eventually becomes forgotten.
But when you bring the possibility of the resolution into your heart right now, when you take hold of abundance as an inner state of being, then you’re opening the door that will allow that inner abundance to move you forward in a powerful and consistent way to the bigger more expanded abundance of your vision.
Be a Yes to your resolutions, dear one, but from your heart, not from your head. As they say, When you’re alone with your mind, you’re in a bad f’ing neighborhood.
A word for the year
This year, my vision and goal for 2013 came down to a single word—Heal. And the prayer that came with the word is
May I be healed in my body
May I be healed in my heart
May I be healed in my spirit
May I be a force for healing in every action that I take
May my work deliver healing to my tribe
What is your word for 2013? Please let me know in the comments.
New Moon in Capricorn 11:44 a.m. PST Friday January 11th
New Moons are great for setting intentions. But it’s helpful if the intentions match the energy of the sign. Because we’re dealing with Capricorn, this energy is about discipline, ambition, structure and responsibility. It’s purposeful and quiet.
This New Moon window (Thursday–Saturday) is the highlight of the Capricorn season—the time of year when we are drawn to prepare for the future, make commitments and recognize responsibilities, and call forth our dreams and visions. It’s also a good time to focus on the practical and attainable, putting on your big-girl panties, developing maturity and common sense.
One of the perhaps unexpected gifts of the grounded, earthy Capricorn energy is the chance to drop into a new relationship with order and structure in our lives and work. Capricorn teaches us that reasonable boundaries and rules actually offer us freedom. It’s incredibly liberating to find out that the tools and structures we put in place free us to be more present to the moment, to be creative, loving, and responsive (amazing what can happen when we’re not spending our time trying to remember what we are meant to do next!).
Three suggestions for your New Moon working, for your business, for your body, for your soul:
Take some time, as close to the actual New Moon as you can (but any time in the three-day-window is fine) to do this work. You can work at your altar, or be outside, or any place you feel connected to Spirit. As always, pick the one issue that rises to the top, that feels most important, and take some time meditating on it. I find that in New Moon workings, dealing as we are with internal energies, it’s more useful to concentrate on one idea rather than many.
- How are you dropping into your heart (and out of your head) as you make your amazing plans for 2013?
- What is the powerful self-loving vision you have for your love, ease, fitness and health?
- What do you need (re-do your altar space, make an altar space, get some support or mentorship) to support your most audacious goals, the ones that are whispered to you in the darkness?
How are you dropping into the energy of the Capricorn Full Moon? Please let me know in the comments.
Pele’s heart image: This beautiful image, Pele’s Heart, is a photo by Brad Lewis, the Volcanoman. I own a copy of this, a gift from a dear friend. The power and passion of love!) Heal image: background from Creativity103.com, montage is my own.
Very thought provoking. I came here from the Circle and very much enjoyed the read. My word is Sparkle.
@Witchy Godmother Hi Witchy Godmother from the Circle! I love your word Sparkle! How beautiful. Thanks for taking the time to comment…!
So timely, Sue. Across this day I was having a dawning epiphany about being in alignment. Not that we often don’t know these things…in our head, but then it finally trickles into the heart. I realized that I will continue to lose the so-called achievements, if they didn’t come through the heart. All beautiful lessons. I’m excited to see where this new perspective leads me. Structures around these desires, bringing ideas into physical form after allowing them to settle down into my heart, it’s feeling more aligned all the time.
Best to you. Excited for New Moon!
@ChristiJarland1 How beautiful, “…los[ing] the so-called achievements, if they didn’t come through the heart.” I love this, thank you!
Love and blessings,
Sue
What a great post, Sue! More people need to know this.
I make resolutions every year, and I always fulfill most of them. It’s such a joy to review them the next year and realise how far I’ve come 🙂
Much love! xx
Haha, and now I forgot to share my word! It’s “unfold” 🙂
Sibylle, thank you so much! It’s clear your resolutions must be coming through your heart, and not your mind. You inspire me!
Love,
Sue
Love that Capricorn New Moon energy. 😀 My word for the year is finally in my heart but I’m still working with it to make sure it is solid. This is my first time to do this type of thing. I gave up resolutions years ago.
@TarotByArwen Oh please share the Word of the Year once you’re sure. I love these!
Love and New Moon blessings,
Sue
Oh yes, so true about head vs heart when it comes to manifesting! And as a Capricorn, this helps me better understand the energy I am experiencing right now, thank you for sharing! My word for 2013 is TEND, along with the intention to BE LOVE.
Laurie, I love it! Tend, and Be Love! Doesn’t get much better than that. Thank you for sharing from your heart.
Love and light,
Sue
Sue: A healing force you are totally. Feeling my resolutions with my HEART, exactly what I needed to hear and feel today. love and light always, Tanya
@caperpoet1 Tanya, thank you so much. I am humbled and joyous to read these words.
Love!
Sue
my word for 2013 is ‘enough’ – i am enough just as i am and whatever way i am led to grow and pay attention is enough… i am choosing to live my life by this statement ” can you disappoint another to be true to yourself… can you bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul? This is to be trustworthy…
@KathyPlourde Wow. This is very powerful stuff, Kathy. Thank you so much! Great to read and sit with your words. Enough, just beautifully enough.
Love!
Sue
Hi Sue, I enjoyed reading your post, and especially seeing your word HEAL (along with the image). My word for this year is Sustenance.
Erin, I love it! Sustenance. I feel nourished just reading it. 🙂
Love!Sue