Hi friends,
I have quite a vulnerable post to share with you today.
I know I normally publish my newsletters on a Sunday (unless it’s a Muse Monday feature), but this is my last newsletter of 2023 and it seemed important somehow to publish it close to Yule. 2023 was a year of collapse and rebuilding for me. My life changed drastically in January of 2023 when my son and I left a toxic situation and moved away from the place where we’ve lived since his birth. It was a true tower card (a card in the major arcana in tarot) moment. This year has been incredibly full, and I wanted to take a moment to reflect on all that has happened before deciding what I want 2024 to look like. I have included some journal prompts for you in case you want to join me in journaling as part of your belated Yule celebration. And I have shared an excerpt from my journal for my paid subscribers.
Originally, I was going to publish this newsletter yesterday on the Winter Solstice, but I didn’t get to celebrate the solstice this year. The past two days have been incredibly stressful with trying to parent my neurodivergent son who after a period of stable mental health has suddenly declined. I was in pure survival mode the past two days and have had to make some tough choices. My son is with friends for a few hours, so I finally had a moment to just breathe and journey inward like I wanted to yesterday on the solstice.
Even though my solstice consisted of fending off my son’s violent attacks, trying to calm his anxiety, and going on multiple walks with him in an effort to get him out of his head and back into his body, I still had a moment of supreme gratitude when I checked the mail and found three parcels from three beloved friends. Receiving love parcels from dear hearts on a day when I wanted to bury myself in the Earth and never emerge, helped me get through the stress and made me feel so loved.
And I managed to notice the beauty of the sunlight streaming through the bare branches of the trees in our woods.
Having a grateful heart even in the darkest of times is one of my special gifts. I think there is a saying that goes something like “On the darkest day of the year, be the light.” I am the light. I am the light. I am the light.
My wish for you is that you can be the light too.
Though we can be the light, we must spend some time in darkness to dream what we want into existence. This is the first step. A seed must be planted before it can grow.
Let’s plant those seeds. If you’d like, join me in dreaming what you want 2024 to look like. We can journal about what we accomplished this year, what challenged us, what felt incredible and what depleted our souls. It’s also the perfect time to create a vision board.
I have shared an excerpt from my journal with my paid subscribers, but first here are some journal prompts for you.
*(Note: For those of you in the Southern Hemisphere, you are stepping into the longest day of the year. These prompts might not feel helpful if you are in more of a pushing energy out into the world place, but they could still be helpful if you need to journey inward and figure out your next step, and since the new year begins on January 1st for all of us, you might want to try these prompts too).
What was the most surprising thing that happened this year?
What did you want to happen that didn’t?
What was your greatest challenge this year and how did you handle it?
What took up most of your energy this year and is that something that you want to continue in the new year, or not?
What was your greatest accomplishment this year, or the thing that you are most proud of (it can be something that seems small)?
How many magical moments did you experience?
How many joyful moments did you experience?
What brought you the most joy and satisfaction this year?
What caused you the most pain this year?
What did you outgrow and how can you release that in a gentle, safe way?
What are you ready to grow in 2024?
I hope you all had a wonderful Solstice and may a plethora of blessings find you in the new year.
With Love,
Caitlin
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