With this fresh new year, a fresh new adventure begins. I dearly love beginnings and blank canvases to create upon.
It is my practice to choose a different theme for each year, with a word, symbol, song or quote to guide me. In reality, those markers for the journey are given to me, Divinely so, a map of sorts to direct my journey. As I have shared previously, these elements begin to show up, by way of synchronicities, signs and repetitions, about three quarters of the way through the year, well before the beginning of the next adventure. I don’t do anything to begin the process, I just start receiving information that is, without doubt, intended for me.
The Word for 2019
My word showed up first. Enchantment is defined as the state of being delighted or feeling great pleasure. It can also mean that one is under a magical spell.
The word enchant comes from the Latin words “in” and “cantare”, which literally mean “to sing”. Images of Snow White or Cinderella come to mind, as they sang to animals who then helped them with chores. Or I imagine the Sirens of mythology, whose songs drew sailors to their doom.
Singing or speaking enchantments reminds me that the voice is remarkably powerful. This has been an important lesson for me, the last decade, learning to speak up or “sing out”, and use my voice. I have been silent for far too long.
When I realized my word for 2019 was enchantment, I dug out my copy of Thomas Moore’s book, The Re-enchantment of Everyday Life. I read this non-fiction book several years ago and loved it. I’m enjoying reading through it again. The book will be important to my journey this year, as I see the world as magical and enchanted, one that speaks to my soul in a variety of ways.
Moore writes,
“An enchanted world is one that speaks to the soul, to the mysterious depths of the heart and imagination where we find value, love and union with the world around us.”
I already feel the pull of the mysterious. This enchanted journey will, indeed, be magical and soul expanding.
A Symbol for the New Year
My symbol for 2019 is the queen chess piece. This element arrived shortly after I received my word for the year. I confess I hoped my symbol would be the tree. An enchanted forest or an ancient enchanted oak seemed fitting.
But no. I don’t choose the symbols for the year either. They too are given to me. At first I resisted the queen image, in the form of a queen chess piece. Why? I didn’t want people to wonder, “Who does she think she is?”
And yet, as I was bombarded by images of the queen chess piece and the word queen, I accepted that this symbol carries meaning and significance for me. It does not matter what anyone else thinks or wonders. This is for me, and it is given to me for a specific reason.
I am still learning the reasons, and I am undone by them. I’ll be sharing more, as the year unfolds. However, there are strong connections between this symbol and my life, on many levels. My journey the last few years has led me here, to this place in time, and I am stepping up into a role I am invited to occupy. More than occupy, I am invited to become. I am invited to BE. This year, I am the Queen of Enchantment and I will be using my voice to create and inspire.
Join me on this unique journey, as I venture into unknown and uncharted territory. Let me show you an enchanted world, that is big and beautiful and mysterious.
Blog Updates
Both of my blogs, this one and Journey With Healthy Me, are evolving. I will be making changes to their theme designs this month. And after five years of posting daily in this blog, I am making a change here too. In 2014 I created Cindy Goes Beyond with the intention of writing daily. I found blogging to be an excellent way to birth that desire into reality. I’ve continued the practice. Last year, I posted 10 posts a week, every week, between the two blogs. I set a lofty goal for myself, and incredibly, I met that intention.
This year, as I work diligently to take both blogs to a new level, I am setting the intention of posting in each two to three times a week. I’ll continue the habit of writing daily, I just won’t be posting every day. That frees up blocks of time to explore wonderful opportunities that are arriving, and allows me to grow, as a person and a blogger.
And growth is always a wonderful thing. I’m excited to see what this Year of Enchantment offers.
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