Looking Back and Looking Forward

Ahhh…New Year’s Eve. The energy of renewal is palpable.  

Did you know that the month of “January” is named for the ancient Roman God, Janus?  

Janus was the god of beginnings and endings, doors and gates, passageways and transitions and is often depicted as having two faces - one looking back and one looking forward. 

Well, that makes sense. 

Taking time to reflect is important and often gets put on the backburner for other, seemingly more important things that have to be done at the time. 

Now that the holiday season is nearly over and the year is just beginning, it’s a great time to look back. 

It’s also a great time to look forward. 

Every year since I was in my teens I’ve done the fairly common New Year’s Eve energetic ritual of writing down the list of things I want to leave behind from the year, and the list of things I want to bring in during the year ahead.

I tear up the page of things I want to leave behind into very small pieces while releasing them with gratitude for what each taught or brought me. 

I put the pieces in the trash. (Some people prefer flushing them. Your choice.)

I then take the page with the things I want to bring into my life during the next year and read them out loud. If I’m with others, I share my list and they do the same. We get the honor of witnessing each other’s wishes. 

I tear up that page and burn it, releasing my wishes to the Universe.

I may be by a fire, or more often than not, I take my homemade aluminum foil “fire pit” and put it on the driveway and light up the little pile.

I love doing this outside near or at midnight under the light of the moon and the stars. 

I also prefer to share the experience with others, but it’s not necessary. I’ve done it plenty of times alone. Both are meaningful. 

If you don’t get to it on December 31, no worries! Any time you can do it is perfect. 

To help you with your lists, here is a 2021 Reflection Guide and 2022 Action Planning Guide to support you in looking back and looking forward.

Give yourself credit for all that you accomplished over the past year. I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I’ve found that we always accomplish much more than we think we did. 

What is on your heart and mind for what you hope and wish for in the year ahead?

We’ve all been reminded these past few years about how we have no idea what each day is going to bring us and that we have little to no control over anything or anybody. 

We can plan all we want and the plan may or may not come to fruition. Maybe it’s better than we had hoped it would be or maybe it doesn’t happen at all, and that’s a good thing too. 

Who knows?!?! All we can do is live one moment at a time, keep our hearts and minds open, take care of our bodies, take care of each other, and keep laughing. 

So long, 2021! 

May 2022 bring you much joy, love, laughter, health, and abundance in all ways.