Bringing 2018 to a close with reflection + ritual

Well . . . tomorrow is the last day of 2018.

I can hardly believe we are at the years end.

Since the solstice, I’ve been spending quite a bit of time in reflection . . . exploring the highs and lows of the year: dreams that were brought to completion, those that never really took form, and those who’ve come into thriving fullness.

Do you take time for this too?

I find this to be a powerful way to fully receive the gifts of the year and create space for the next year.

This years reflection revealed some pretty cool insights.

Like all good year end reflections, this one begins last year, at this time . . . hehe.

I remember meeting the new year with a sense of excitement. I had a list of personal and business goals neatly laid out, and I had carefully chosen a personal theme for the year: focus, fun, and freedom.

Those three words opened up quite the journey.

I had a lot of ideas about what freedom would mean for me . . . I imagined lots of travel, open air, and open roads. Of course those bits were definitely a part of my year, but I found myself quite surprised when spirit invited me to look at this word differently, to recognize that true freedom is something to be found within as I give myself permission to expand further into wholeness. Yep, that one felt so obvious and at the same time I was missing it . . . funny how that happens.

So, for me, 2018 revealed how to experience the deep sense of freedom I longed for. 

And as I embraced this feeling, I found myself making changes in my life to reflect it . . . big changes. Things like closing Journey Jewels, my jewelry line of eight years, and making a pivot in my work by opening the virtual doors to Crystal Shaman School.

Phew . . . that was big, unexpected, and wild ride.

I came face to face with some tightly held beliefs and a lot of emotion.

And I found myself leaning even further into sacred practices such as ceremony and shamanic journeying for clarity and support. It is through shamanic practice that I unraveled the ways I had bound myself to a particular way of being and created a true sense of freedom.

As I look back at this year I feel deep gratitude for the many unexpected ways those three words rippled through my life . . . and I am truly curious as to what will unfold in 2019.

In this final 2018 episode of Crystal Shaman Life podcast, I dive into the topic of how to bring the year to a sacred close and begin to create space for the magic of 2019. Listen in here: 

Wishing you a lovely new year!

xoxo, Lori