The New Year has begun. And January 1st feels like a dim memory.
Has it only been 16 days since we entered a new decade full of optimism (or holiday fatigue for some)? I recall January 1st. I was nestled under a blanket by the Christmas tree as my top 5 priorities for 2020 seemingly wrote themselves onto the page in my journal. (And yes, I was surprise by what topped that list!).
Why then is my memory of that lovely “me time” so dim today?
I clearly see how a busy schedule with lots of interactions, to do-ing, and planning could easily lead me onto the mindless treadmill. Without a commitment to tune into those dreams (goals) on a weekly basis, I would easily succumb to sleep walking through the year. But that is not gonna happen to me this year.
I’m unwilling to give up on myself that easily. Nor do I wish to squander the precious moments of this Life.
Intent is important, as are self-reflection, Soul dreaming, Treasure Mapping, practical action, and personal commitment to follow through. Looking at the time segment of one year (2020), I began with my intent to discern what my Soul is dreaming for the year. I did this on the 1st and you can do it whenever you choose. (Hint: if self-reflection isn’t scheduled, it likely won’t happen). What do you do once that time is scheduled? Try this process.
Settle within the depth of your being and ask your Soul for the top 5 priorities for this year.
This isn’t a thinking exercise nor a creation process from the small mind. It is simple and entirely doable. Settle into a quiet space with the intent to drop within your being and talk with your soul. Ask the top 5 priorities question and record the answers. Don’t overthink this, make it complicated, or use too many words. It is quick, flowing, and at times nonlinear. Sometimes the list completes itself as you shower, commute to work, or do an errand. Soul time, not linear time.
Pay attention and have some fun. The Soul wants to download the Map Markers for the year. So let it.
Once the list writes itself, keep those priorities in front of you. Visually. Post them in your bathroom so they are viewed morning and night. Write them in your journal and create a bookmark that moves through your journal. Create time in your week to review these priorities and how you are living them (or not). If you snooze, you lose focus. Self-correction on a weekly basis requires only small tweaks to course correct. This is practical and ultimately less painful than the need for a massive overhaul when you’ve wandered off the Soulful path.
To discover those clues revealing how you lived the past year, ask the 3-3-1-1 questions.
The Treasure Mapping Process is endlessly creative, flexible, and playful. When mapping a new year, it is useful to reverse the playful exploration of clue’s on the path forward. To do this, mentally float back over the previous year to discover your patterns of growth and stagnation.
What 3 useful actions (habits) did I establish last year which moved me forward in the direction of my personal goals and Soul intent?
What were 3 habits which interfered with me moving forward in the direction of my personal goals and Soul intent?
What is 1 habit-action that I have yet to cultivate which will most significantly move me in the direction of my 2020 priorities?
What is 1 habit-action I must release in order to significantly move me in the direction of my 2020 priorities?
Drop in, ask the questions, witness what arises in your mind/memory, and identify the habit-actions which answer the questions. Look for established habits rather than temporary phases (eg, drinking 8 glasses of water every day rather than here and there when thirsty). Spend some time recalling the intent, effort, strategies, and most importantly, the reason you chose to create these new habits.
Reverse Treasure Mapping allows you to celebrate your gains as well as identify how to best support your intentions.
A few words to those of you who are human. You have the capacity for self-reflection which is an essential component of your evolution. You also have the capacity for self-criticism when looking at what you did and did not accomplish. Be kind. Humans have growing pains. Don’t add to the pain by berating yourself. That is the internalized critical voice which knows nothing about dreaming and everything about shutting you down.
Empower your dreams, don’t crush them before they sprout.
You can use the Reverse Treasure Mapping Process for your 5 Top Priorities or for each item. Your choice. Your way. Your 2020. Remember the power of scheduling time for self reflection, the huge benefit of tiny action consistently applied, and befriending yourself throughout the process.
If you want to tune into your Soulful Map for 2020, join me for a Treasure Mapping adventure on Saturday, January 25th.
I’ll help you amp up your intuitive superpower, engage the Oracle of Soul Sanctuary, and venture out into the ‘real world’ for a scavenger hunt. Discovering the clues for your 2020 Soulful Map is child’s play.
Peace be with you and with all. No exceptions.
It doesn’t take much to kick start the habit of self reflection. You are wired for this natural action. Pairing an open ended question with quiet time for daydreaming is incredibly restorative for your mind-body-emotion connection. Allowing space to meander, wonder, and wander without the distraction of everyday tasks opens the mind. Within a relaxed, curious state, images, ideas, and insights float in and out. Add a dose of neutrality as you witness without any pressure to record, decide, or act upon these ideas. Daydreaming is under utilized. especially given the proven benefits to health and success. Ready, set, daydream.
Learn the one essential skill that allows you to face any challenge with confidence, sturdiness, and inner calm.
More than a technique. It’s a game changer.
ia Sophia has arrived. This “Way of Wisdom” offers an invitation to step upon a Living Spiral Path and discover a new understanding of what it means to embody the Mystical Feminine.
For the past fifteen years I have lived and taught within the Mystical Feminine. I have sat within many circles and immersions with women as we explored how to practically and powerfully engage Feminine wisdom in everyday life.
When my daughter was in eighth grade, she and her Girl Scout troop were beginning to explore ideas for their individual Silver Award projects.
Around our dinner table, we tossed around possibilities. Nothing landed. Nothing stirred real interest. So we encouraged her to do what we have always trusted. Stay open. Listen. Pay attention to what people are talking about in the world.
Driving into Soul Sanctuary last weekend, I noticed the trees were engaged in a wild dance.
I should have paid closer attention as I got out of the car, because the wind nearly took me with it. Walking to the door, I had to lean in and brace myself for a moment just to stay upright. The cold whipped through my clothes and found every uncovered space, sharing its bone-numbing chill.
We recently had a big snow in my neck of the woods.
Everyone was hunkered down. The fridge was full, chicken soup was bubbling on the stove, and my book pile sat patiently on the coffee table. As the snow covered the neighborhood and the plows dumped fresh mounds over our carefully shoveled walk, we took turns peeking outside.
As a kid, snowstorms were pure joy.
“I think we need to be friends.”
Those were the first words out of my mouth when I introduced myself to Rev. Hilda Covington. We’d just finished a county meeting of nonprofit mental health and social service agencies. She was the presenter that month. We almost didn’t meet because Hilda arrived an hour and a half late to a two-hour meeting.
Life has a rhythm. It speeds up and slows down according to mysterious forces.
Your personal rhythm dances with the celestial bodies, seasons of the year, developmental phases, and the pulse of your Soulful evolutionary process. Living in harmony with these rhythms is in many ways hard to understand as it is a complicated and deeply personal process. Your rhythm dances with everyone’s rhythm in the grand Cosmic Dance.
