Happy New Year!

I write you on the day of the first New Moon of 2019, and a New Moon Eclipse to boot! Last year saw the beginning of eclipses that will be taking place, this year especially, on the Cancer-Capricorn axis. And today marks the New Moon in Capricorn, a sign that carries with it an energy of looking forward, climbing mountains, enduring what we must to make our dreams come true, and cultivating the integrity we need to live an outer life that is truly consistent with our deepest core values. While Cancer reminds us that listening to the heart's true whisperings is necessary for a fulfilling and nourishing life, Capricorn gives us the tools to be able to make that life possible, one step up the mountain at a time. Right now there are 6 "planets" in the sign of Father Time:: the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Saturn, Pluto, and the South Node of the Moon. With all of this symbolism here, the Cosmos are on our side when it comes to getting real about intentions and resolves for the new year. Less about making ourselves do something we think we "should do", and more about doing things that have been calling to us and we feel it's time to actualize, this process is about opening ourselves to listen inwardly, then taking measures to make whatever it is we hear happen. One of Rumi's quotes seems quite apropos here:: "The soul has been given its own ears to hear things the mind does not understand." Perhaps we've been hearing an inkling from deep within for some time that's been inquiring us to make it happen, and now the conditions are right for this to come to fruition. The awesome thing about Capricornian energy is that it is patient and persevering, so if it takes a long time, this energy doesn't mind!

A year and a half ago, my partner Cheyne (Shane) and I moved to the Kootenays, an amazingly beautiful part of British Columbia that has magnificent mountains and full on seasons. Summers are hot, reaching 90 fairly regularly, and conversely, last year we likely got a total of 6 feet of snow! Thankfully not all at once. We bought snow shoes so we could still take our dogs outside and spend time in nature, one of the greatest gifts of living here -- the vast and stunning landscape. This winter I'd been contemplating some interesting and fun ways to interact with this awesome wintertime other than the usual snow shoe or winter hike with the dogs. So I bought a used pair of downhill skis and hit the ski hill that's literally 5 minute from my house! Thankfully, I grew up skiing, and after a few runs, my body remembered how to carve and turn down the mountain, and the "flow" state was similar for me to that of moving with my breath on my yoga mat, or surfing waves in the vast ocean. It left me feeling open, clear, and stoked!

This exercise reminded me that getting outside of my comfort zone is important and worthwhile. It's opened possibilities that were already living latent within, ready to be tapped into and expressed. This is truly a Tantric teaching, and one of my favorites. We can't experience something in our lives that isn't already inside of us, whether it's joy, anger, beauty, love. And we have inside of us the ability to make so many of our dreams come true, if only we give them the time and awareness they deserve. My intention of interacting with the place I live in a more direct way immediately opened up more opportunities for that -- connecting with community members, spending time with the majestic mountains, challenging myself in new ways. So while I may have a way to go before I'm shredding epic powder, I'm content with having taken a step in a direction that feels authentic, empowering, and aligned with my spirit at this time. The rest will come just as it needs to, and the wisdom of Capricorn knows and trusts this. Rather than become rigid and too goal-oriented, the spirit of Cap is best used when the resolve is there, yet there's room for life and its magic to step in and expand possibilities in a way that our minds may never imagine.

Is there something that your heart's been whispering for you to begin or pick back up? An experience that calls to you when you let your mind or spirit wander? An aspiration that feels ready for your energy and attention? I encourage you to that this year! May you move toward manifesting even more of your heart's deepest yearnings. Enjoy! The Force is with you!