reclaiming december // the last post of the series

the darkest days are over.

we have just started to emerge from the depths of our caves. not, fully out yet, but awakening. stretching. moving. peering at the light that has pierced through the darkness. that tiny sliver of light that reminds us that we are now starting a new journey. the journey that leads outward.

it’s transition time, friends.

and we are beginning this journey as changed people. do you feel differently? do you have any different perspectives, thoughts, feelings, dreams, understandings, hopes, insights?

now, just because the world has turned, and the light has changed, it doesn’t mean that we simply burst out into the open, i believe. no, now is the time that we emerge. we evolve. we unfold. we allow the process of transition to take its good sweet time. so as to not miss any of the beauty of waking up, coming alive, brightening and growing and changing even more.

with this post, i am ending my reclaiming december series. without really planning it too ar in advance, i have found that i accomplished exactly what i hoped that i would. i definitely reclaimed december. i experienced this past month in a way that i never have before. and i’m not really sure that i can put words to it. i can’t really describe it.

but, i feel like embodied, felt, lived in, embraced, got stuck in, loved, hated, soaked up and appreciate the darkness. i allowed myself to just be there. the whole time.

but, the darkest times have now passed. and it is time to move on. to be honest with you, though, part of me yearns to stay in the comfort of the darkness. surrounded by the mystery. connected to the depths of my soul. in that magical, inspiring stillness and silence. however, such is the cycle of nature. the cycle of life.

the light has come to us, has called to us. and now it is time to bring that balance of light and darkness out into our lives. to literally manifest and embody our truth… that which we discovered in the darkest of the dark. it is time to begin to discover and uncover how we can share our truth, our authentic self, with the world.

to do just that, i invite you to join me on a journey this coming week. a journey to begin to make that transition from the darkness into the light. the transition from one year to the next. to leave the lessons and changes of 2015 behind, and to begin to set intentions and dreams and visions for 2016.

i invite you to find your word for 2016.

some of you, i know, have already done that. some of you, like me, will do it this week. and some of you have perhaps never done it before. but, let me tell you, i’ve had a word of the year for the past 4 years and it has been amazing. it’s just a little something to help me remain focused, grounded, active in keeping my hope + dreams alive. but, it can be as powerful as you want it to be. it’s all up to you how you want to use your word.

so, to help us find our own perfect word, i have created a little mini workshop. i first shared this workshop last year, and i will repeat it this year. here’s how it works:

1. i will share find your word, part 1 on tuesday. you read it. ponder. imagine. think. and take part in the activities/exercises in the post.
2. i will share find your word, part 2 on wednesday. same thing goes for today. only you go a bit deeper. your word starts to take shape. it begins to emerge.
3. on thursday, new year’s eve, we celebrate + decide on our word for 2016!
4. on friday, the first day of the year, i will share with you my word of the year in a post (by the way, i have noooooo idea what my word is going to be yet, so i will totally be doing this with you).
5. also on friday, if you’d like, you share your word with the world in a blog post, a tweet, a Facebook status, on instagram, in a video, as a piece of art. however you want.
6. use the hashtag #findyourword2016 any and everywhere you post about your word of the year.

as i end my reclaiming december series, i want to thank you so very much for reading and sharing your thoughts and ponderings. i hope that, whether you celebrate christmas, hanukkah, the solstice, kwanzaa, or nothing at all, you found a bit of inspiration and comfort, even in these darkest of days. and, if you live in a part of the world where it is light + warm during this time of year, that you found some metaphors and truths in darkness that is unseen, and yet, felt.

as i said before,it has been a mystical, beautiful time for me. to actually slow down, instead of speeding up, in december brought me a feeling of wholeness and strength. it has kept me in the present moment, focused on living intentionally + experiencing what is happening right now, instead of worrying about should and musts and have-tos.

ok, my friends, here we go. time to take a step forward. to live in this present moment, as the light begins to fill us, inspire us, and wake us. there is so much that we each have to offer. so much that we have to share.

we no longer have any reason to fear the dark. for, everything is pure light. even in the darkest of the darks, light is bundled together, just waiting for its time to break free.

and the same goes for each one of us. feel the power that you have within you. remember that you are a big ball of potentiality and possibility.

it’s time. let’s begin to emerge from the darkness.

onwards + upwards! xoxo

here are all of my previous posts on reclaiming december:

1. why i am deciding to spend the next four weeks in a cave
2.  here’s how to stop being afraid of the dark
3. settling into our caves
4. i don’t believe in silence. i do believe in trees.
5. a dark new moon is just the beginning
6. the mystery of the dark
7. how to find your voice in these dark times
8. winter solstice: one last night in the dark
9. why it’s time to find the perfect word for this transition