This time of year elicits reflection and dreaming. Some folks say that is arbitrary, a reaction to our imposed calendar year end. However, the end of our calendar year also aligns with the seasonal shifts. In the Northern Hemisphere, the ending of the calendar year coincides with the start of Winter and the end of the celebratory post-harvest season. This is a time of quiet and reflection. As one Earth cycle comes to an end, there is a natural pause which allows us space feel and think.
New Years resolutions are notorious for bold beginnings and fizzled endings, often leaving one with a sense of failure. It is not the resolution which was inappropriate but our method of execution. Big changes require careful attention, not will power.
When we are successful in making changes in our lives we complete a full cycle of the spiral of change.
The stages of change are:
Pre-contemplation: Haven’t thought about it, do not know that change is needed or wanted
Contemplation: Recognize a change is needed or wanted
Preparation: Organizing body, heart, mind, environment, and spirit in support of change
Action: Taking tangible steps towards new behaviors, actions, or ways of being
Maintenance: Learning to sustain these new behaviors, actions, or ways of being
Relapse: Re-emergence of old behaviors, actions, or ways of being
All of these stages can happen at any time of year, and we can use the natural rhythms of life on Earth to support those changes we want to see in for ourselves and our world.
At New Year, or during Early Winter, we want to be gently observing the past year cycle and creating a vision of what we want to manifest in the year ahead. It is not the time for swooping changes or bold action- it is a time of observance. It is a time for accepting what is possible. ( Contemplation)
Late Winter and Early Spring are times for planning. We choose the seeds of change we want to plant and decided which need to be planted where, which will have barriers and what kind of supports our future garden will need. (Planning)
Late Spring and Early Summer are a time of action. Those seeds are starting to sprout and need constant attention and nourishment. ( Action)
In Late Summer and Autumn, we see the effects of our dedication and the manifestation of our dreams/plans. Now we will need to learn new skills in order to engage the benefits from all we have harvested. How will be preserve and persevere? Making changes is followed by learning to live sustainably with our new actions, behaviors, and way of being. ( Maintenance)
Relapse can happen anywhere along the way, and planning for relapse will help us minimize the impact on our forward direction. Change is a spiral, a cycle, just like the Wheel of the Year- when we embrace them they can help us create the world in which we want to live.