I use January as my yearly check-in with my inner self. It’s like getting a yearly physical except it takes longer. The check-in happens throughout the whole month. It's a time to reflect on the past year, vision the next, and establish rituals to use for the coming year.
Why do I do this? I believe the soul needs as much tending to as the body and the mind. And when the soul is healthy, your body and mind will follow. That alignment (mind, body, soul) is your greatest gift to the world and your recovery.
I use a lot of different methods during my check-in. Though they are all different, they guide me to one thing, myself. There is no dogma. It’s just finding things that work for me. Below are some of my tried and true. Please note that I also use many of these rituals with a new month and even a new day.
1) Thanking the previous year/month/ day. I take time to write down specifics by going through my calendar, and pictures. Reminiscing. When it gets to the hard stuff, I remember it, honor it. Then in a journal write all that gratitude down. All the lessons I learned and welcome in the new lessons I will be learning.
2) Writing down all of the lessons / experiences I need to let go of. These are the things that don’t serve me any more. I also may write down strategies on how to deal with a situation when it arises again in the future, because as you know sometimes it’s challenging to let go of beliefs and thought patterns.
3) Picking a word for the year/ month or day. A word that I come back to everyday to reflect on, to center me, to remind me of myself and where I want to be present. In past years, my words have been BUILD, LOVE. This year it’s ATTENTION.
4) Creating a list of the things that are speaking to me to do, or dabble in for the next year. You might call it a vision board. I don’t use magazine clippings like you see on Pinterest, and I strive to make it as messy as possible because that is how life is. It’s not perfect. I believe we shouldn’t be limited to how others see the world (cutting on magazines). So my vision board is words, scribes, and drawings of my own.
5) Creating an Archetype Wheel for the New Year. This particular wheel is based on the calendar months, not the zodiac. So each month has one archetype to focus on. In the middle of the year is the archetype for the year. The one that works with the monthly card guide me for that 30 day cycle. If you ever want guidance on doing this, send me an email.
Those are just a few of the check-in’s that I do with myself in January. I’d love to hear what you do.