Practical ways to harvest, honor, celebrate, release, & create anew
​For many of us, there is little doubt that 2020 will stand out as one of the most challenging years of our lives. And while we may see light at the end of the tunnel in certain areas, the past year’s trials and tribulations have certainly made a mark on our individual and collective lives, bodies, hearts, and minds - with much work yet to be done to heal, rebalance, re-imagine, and re-emerge anew.
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​Given the backdrop, it might be easy to forego reflection practices like this in favor of prioritizing the urgencies of the moment. Instead, consider 

If we slow down enough to tune into the turning of the seasonal tides and the energetic qualities of yet another poignant transition, many of us naturally feel drawn to take inventory of the year, of our lives, where our lives and contributions fit into the matrix of creation unfolding around us, and to set intentions for the next revolution around the sun.  

This is what many of our ancestors did for thousands of years. In my heart, the more people do something like this, the better for all of us and the evolution of our shared world.  With reflection comes deeper understanding, and this makes it more likely that we will honor and integrate our learning as we move forward – individually and collectively.  

I have brought together elements of various practices into a reflection exercise designed around the following basic questions:

1. What have been the most significant themes, learning, milestones, and patterns of the past year? (think personal and collective… COVID pandemic, political climate / election season, collective uprising for racial justice, fires and climate disasters, etc)
2. How have these influenced and informed your life, your learning, your experience and choices?
3. What do you need to grieve, release, forgive, compost, or integrate following the last year?
4. What is important to celebrate, honor, and uplift?
5. What intentions do you feel called to plant for the next year that will help you keep moving towards what you see possible - for yourself, your family, your communities, and the world?

The practice creates a context for deeper learning and for intentions to surface for the coming year and beyond so that we begin the next revolution around the sun having honored where we have come from, and connected to where we are heading from here.

You will notice that each aspect/question can be very rich in itself. Take your time.  It's best to give the practice plenty of room to breathe and evolve.  Set aside large blocks of time to do this on your own, individually at first... if you can, take walks in nature, sit by a fire, sing, do art, listen to music, write in your journal, or speak into a recorder... whatever works for you... then share your insights, reflections, and discoveries with people who are close to you - your partner, your family, mentors and allies, etc... and perhaps later with a larger group of people in your community.  Create sacred space… Use sage or incense; or you can light a candle… Be patient, be mindful, honest, open, and deliberate.  Create a context that helps facilitate reflection. Traditionally this process was conducted over many days, even weeks, during the darkest days of the year - in a ceremonial way.

And of course, if you engaged in this process - or something like it - last year, it’s great to get those notes out and reflect on your process, insights, and intentions from that time.

Enjoy exploring the aspects of the practice that resonate most with you and share it with others if the experience proves helpful and useful.

I am reminded that our shared future indeed will be a woven tapestry of our individual and collective visions, intentions, commitments, choices, and actions. 

Each section contains a series of guiding questions. Some will resonate with you more than others.  Just gravitate to the ones that feel best, and you can create your own of course.

Feel free to share it with others if you think it could be useful to your friends and families (BTW, some form of this can be very cool to do with your family during the holidays).

May we create the time and space to harvest from and release the year past - especially given the nature of its unfolding - and may the learning and growth serve to fertilize possibilities for the coming year - and beyond!

Happy and rewarding NEW BEGINNINGS to you all. Here comes the light!
    

With love, 
                       Christopher

For any of you who have wanted to explore coaching for yourselves or share this possibility with a friend, colleague, or family member - I will have openings in my coaching practice beginning January 15th, 2020. Strategy sessions are an excellent way for people to get clear on priorities, edges, and next steps, and to explore how coaching with me could benefit them as they launch into the new year. 

You can either click on the certificate below to be taken directly to the contact page where you can fill in your info and get in touch with me to schedule, or you can download the image of the certificate, print it out as a gift for someone, or send via email to anyone you would like to share this opportunity with.

I look forward to connecting with you and those you care about.

Blessings for the Solstice and the Holidays!

CMK