A variety of events have recently coincided to signal a shift of energies. The solstice, marking the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere (and the longest day in the southern hemisphere), has just passed with the accompanying turn towards longer days and more light. The vaccine against the Coronavirus, produced in amazing speed, gives reason to be hopeful about a shift from this issue. The new administration in the US, to be inaugurated on Jan 21, will bring a different focus. The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn was a significant astrological and astronomical event around the solstice, which occurs only every 20 years. But the last time the planets were visible this close to each other was in 1226! And, on Jan 1, we welcome in 2021.
I recently found some seed packages which I had intended to plant last summer, but it was too late for planting when they arrived. I realized that it is almost time to plant seeds now for the coming spring and summer. I remembered the vegetable seeds I planted last year – kale, lettuce, cucumbers, basil – which I nursed into seedlings and tended through the season. I remember carefully picking worms from the kale which they were devouring. I can think back to harvesting an abundance of cucumbers and giving up on my slow-growing, tender basil plants.
This is a time for considering what seeds to plant this year – both metaphorically and literally. Where I live, in the northeast, it’s not time to plant yet, but to start looking forward to the time to plant. How many cucumbers do I want this year? Shall I give up on the basil? I will definitely plant those flower seeds I received late last year.
Along with the seeds, it’s a time to reflect on the paths in my life. Realistically, I can have many paths going, but can only be on 1 at a time. Which paths do I choose? What paths do I invest in now and which do I put aside? Likewise, I only have time and energy for so many relationships. It’s a good time to reflect on these, too.
As you celebrate the winter holidays, marking the days of cold and hibernation and begin to move into 2021, I encourage you to consider the following questions. What seeds do you want to plant in your life this year? What paths will you take? Which of your relationships matter most to you?
You might reflect on what have been the challenges – both positive and negative – for you in the past year. In what ways have you grown, through the challenges, and how have your priorities shifted as you look ahead? What paths have you chosen this year? Where have those paths led?
Ponder which relationships you have invested in recently and where that has brought you. From your current perspective, looking back, are you satisfied with where you are, or do you wish to make adjustments as you move forward? You might reflect on which relationships nurture you and which drain you. Focusing on those which nurture you may mean divesting from others. This may involve hard choices and some losses. But, as you move in the direction of choosing your satisfaction, clarity, along with enjoyment, and possibly even pleasure, awaits you.
