Do you get the sense that the things you would like to move forward with seem to be dragging, while the things you don’t necessarily want to deal with take a lot of your time and are slowing you down? Well, I don’t know about you, but to me it feels like this year is being a bit sleepy and hasn’t actually launched yet.
If you remember last year’s energy around this time, it was clear that something had shifted right from the start and we experienced a general sense of upliftment and awakening. Then the collapse of time became more and more evident as the year went by, and it seemed that 2012 came and went in a flash. Everything happened so quickly!
The beginning of this year, however, feels a bit dense and heavy and really s-l-o-w. The image that comes to mind is that as December 21st was approaching, we were rushing and getting ready to take the big leap, only to find ourselves jumping into a pool of molasses. It may sound odd, but it is as if time is speeding up and slowing down at the same time, and the light is still overshadowed by darkness, or at least by a lack of clarity and direction. So what is going on?
The Big Shift From Darkness to Light
According to the lunar calendar, when the Sun moves from the Tropic of Capricorn to the Tropic of Cancer in mid-January, the harvest season begins. This is known as Makar Sankranti, which is also a major harvest festival celebrated in various parts of India and one of the few Hindu festivals celebrated on a fixed date, which is January 14th (a day before or after on leap years).
It is a time of celebration, because it marks the day when the Sun (Lord Surya in the Hindu traditions) begins its entrance into the Northern Hemisphere to regain its full power, and the slumbering Laws of Nature wake up to remain lively for the next 6 months. This day is referred to with many stories filled with symbolism in different regions of India, but a core idea permeates them all: it marks the beginning of light overcoming darkness.
The Sun symbolizes and carries the energy of awareness, knowledge, and spiritual wisdom. So Makar Sankranti reflects our own ability to turn away from the darkness of our delusions and allow the light within to shine brighter. It is a reminder for us to move toward more and more light as the year progresses and as our life evolves. This is particularly significant in 2013, because it is a year of greater creative potential and power shifts.
Ever since the alignment with the Central Sun of our galaxy during the Winter Solstice of 2012, more light and raw energy have been and will be made available to us. By the same token, as more light gets projected on and around us, our shadows become more obvious. These shadows feel now like something heavy, dense, and dark that is holding us back. There is a greater distinction and contrast between light and dark, so darkness seems denser and light seems, well, lighter.
Time to Take Responsibility and Start Walking Your Talk
This year we will be offered many opportunities to look at our own shadows and the self-images we hide behind, to strengthen our true sense of self and come closer to our purpose. Of course, this is not some magic pill that will be handed to us. We have to put the effort that inner change requires and make the commitment to do what it takes to become a channel of light and love: to heal our wounds, change our beliefs, and take conscious action to create new, positive experiences to replace old impressions and judgments.
I read a lot of positive quotes about life and spirituality circulating through social media sites, but the question is, how much of what is being repeated is actually integrated into our lives? And better yet, how much of what we are saying comes from personal experience? Change doesn’t come from reading uplifting quotes or books, because the ego-mind is too quick to utilize them to give us the illusion of change while keeping us in the same emotional place. True knowledge comes from experience and personal insight, and deep transformation requires strong determination, mental self-discipline, and the emotional courage and effort to look at and change the ugly parts in ourselves.
This year is about breaking free from the illusion that someone else is going to take care of the things you don’t want to deal with, and to stop carrying the responsibilities of others as well. We cannot promote creative cooperation if we maintain the codependency and power-based relationships from the old cycle. It’s time to take full responsibility for ourselves at all levels and allow others to do the same, so we can begin to establish relationships based on love, support, and mutual respect.
We’ve been receiving a lot of help from our Universe’s own evolutionary process, and this year is no exception. As a matter of fact, it will bring about resources and opportunities for us to shift things and tilt the balance both in our life and the world, but only if we are willing to burst the bubbles and face up to the reality we’ve been creating and maintaining. It is important to remember that, on this physical plane, change can only happen through us, and so it has to start from within to remain steady. There is simply no other way.
Harness the Creative Potential of 2013
You cannot be divorced from your own potential: it is part of who you are—it is who you are. Your reality reflects both your conscious and unconscious emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. They create a vibrational pattern that manifests in everything you perceive, everything you experience, and everything you do. So you cannot expect someone or something external to transform what only you can change: your own perception—of yourself, of others, and of life.
Between 12/12/12 and 12/21/12, our creative energy began to pull back, like an undertow, and is now getting ready to come back with full force to give us the momentum we need to transform our personal environment. This will become more palpable at the end of January. So I encourage you to make the commitment early in the year to connect with yourself and your goals, because by mid-year you will probably have to push some boundaries, break some rules, and find a way to remain firmly on course, to be able to see things come to fruition later in the year. Generally speaking, issues will become more intense because there is a greater (and increasing) contrast between light and dark, conscious and unconscious, and soul integration and karma.
The next several years will bring about the rebirth of humanity, and what this means is that, ready or not, you will be prompted to hatch and leave behind the comfortable, “safe” self-images that no longer serve you. Life will fully support you if you are willing to do the necessary inner work, or you will find yourself in painful situations to start questioning your life and hopefully look within.
The more resistance to change, the more painful life will become (mentally, emotionally and/or physically). Actions not in integrity will trigger instant karma; awareness and conscious action will also cause quicker positive results. The key here is being self-disciplined and alert—remaining a consistent witness to yourself to eventually become a constant (ego-less) witness to the light.
The key word for 2013 is RESPONSIBILITY: it is time to really start walking your talk. So contact me today to learn how to harness the amazing creative potential of this year and begin connecting the inner with the outer, the spiritual with the physical, and the ideal with the practical in you, and to integrate all these aspects to start creating more balance and joy in your life.
© 2013 Yol Swan. All rights reserved.
