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Have you felt tension lately regarding what you want to achieve this year?
Lately, I've felt the conflict of wanting to set goals and make plans for the year AND a desire to resist it and do nothing but wait.
On the one hand, I feel the energy of possibility... this masculine energy that is calling and saying:
What will you do?
What results will you see at the end of the year?
What do you want this year?
This is both exciting and energizing, but it also causes me to feel a huge knot in my stomach because the truth is:
I don't yet know what I want for myself OR for this year.
Have you been feeling this too?
It's easy to base new year's goals on how we ended last year and what we did not yet achieve, but since following a more feminine and rhythmic path, I am drawn to aligning with my higher self and purpose rather than what I think I "should" do based on outer expectations of success.
So this year I'm doing something different...I am waiting and letting go of the outcome. Instead of asking, "What intentions or goals do I have for the year?" I am asking, "What intention does this year have for me?"
Ego and Essence
To answer this question, you must first quiet the ego in order to then connect to your essence. The ego is not bad or negative, in fact she serves a great purpose...to keep you safe and feeling accepted. However, when the ego is in charge of your life purpose, she can keep you from taking chances, seeing possibility and trusting your own inner wisdom.
That's when it's time to call in your essence, aka your higher self, the big SELF, your divine nature, your inner wise woman. This is the part of you that is connected to spirit, that sees the bigger picture and that knows that every life has a purpose and a plan. She is limitless, expansive and sees possibilities everywhere. She trusts and by doing so, she connects to her purpose and creates her personal legacy in service to others.
3 Steps to Connecting to Essence and Calling In Your Intentions
Step 1: RELEASE and SURRENDER
Before receiving guidance from our essence, we must get ego out of the way.
Start by sitting quietly in a space where you will not be interrupted and close your eyes. Imagine that you are emptying out all the is bothering you or not serving you by saying, "I release..." This could be worries/fears about family members, your health, your job, etc. This could be a script you've been playing over and over again in your mind.
Sometimes our fears and worries can be so overpowering that it is hard to release them. By doing so we might feel that we are losing control or somehow becoming less vigilant. This is protective ego doing her job. For just this moment, set this aside and use the powerful mantra, "I surrender..."
The words "I surrender" can hold negative connotations of powerlessness for some people, so as you do this remember that you are surrendering these fears in service to your purpose and to align with your own inner wisdom.
If you find that emotions come up for you during this time, allow the emotions to be released in a way that is safe and not harmful to you or others. Some ways to do this are through crying, journaling, dancing, and drumming.
Step 2: RECEIVE
Now that you have emptied out the emotions that keep your ego in protection mode, your next action is to do nothing and receive your inner guidance. At this point you might ask a simple question to focus on such as, "What intention does 2016 have for me?" or "What is my soul purpose?" or "What do I really want?"
This process may be new and even unusual for you, since we are so used to finding answers outside ourselves rather than inside. So here is a tip: close your eyes and focus your energy on your third eye between and a little above your eyes (see image above). Imagine that eye turned inwards to your own inner wisdom. This is a way to activate the pineal gland and your own intuition. Your intuition might come as an image, a phrase, a sound, a thought, or a feeling. Trust what comes to you.
3. WELCOME
Now that you've received a message from your own inner wise woman be on the look out for signs everywhere. In the same way that the ego can easily spot danger and longs to protect you, use your essence's eagle-eye gift of spotting possibility to help you create the life you desire. Signs, symbols, and synchronistic events are going on all around you, so use your essence to acknowledge them by offering up gratitude, writing them down or taking inspired action. To make it even more fun, imagine this is a game that you are playing with the Universe, because in actuality, you are co-creating this year and your life together.
When I did this process, the image that came to me was a pine cone. I had no idea what it meant, but after googling it I discovered that it has deep symbolic connection to the third eye, intuition and spiritual awareness! Since then, I am feeling more energized about increasing my own intuitive skills in 2016 and sharing this on my blog with you!
I'd love to hear your wise woman's wisdom and the intuitive hits you received. Please feel free to comment below to share and amplify your intentions for this year.