New Year's Greetings, sweet ones!
And welcome to the next decade. While Winter Solstice is my personal new year, there is a power behind acknowledging and working with the collective consciousness of the more culturally popular new year threshold that we've crossed. I've become less focused on new year's resolutions over the years, and more intent on reflecting as a way to focus my energy on the growth that I experienced over the past year. This process allows me to appreciate, integrate, and continue to develop the pathways of personal growth for the year to come. It's become a Lumen Letter's tradition for me to share some of the more lasting impressions of lessons learned and insights gleaned in my own life. So in no particular order, here are 19 of the more meaningful moments I experienced this past year. May these insights serve as inspiration for your own reflective process as we move into this coming cycle of the seasons, wheel of the year, and turn of the decade.
No.1: I'm figuring out that smashing stereotypes is kinda my jam. I can be a sweet, ultra-feminine mover and healer, and also a badass huntress who works hard to procure her own food from the landscape. Speaking about my hunting endeavors in my yoga classes was scary, and important. It feels really good to show up fully in all areas of my life, rather than hiding aspects of myself for fear of making others uncomfortable because I don't fit the standard expectation of (insert any label here). The more I allow myself to share who I am to the world with passion and vulnerability rather than fear and uncertainty, the more others can emulate these practices of embodying and integrating all aspects of themselves.
No.2: In a time of hyper-offended, over the top politically correct cancel culture, I'm really grateful for the people who show up in my life to remind me that not everyone is going utterly insane. From my unusual work environment in a dance studio where we can casually crack inappropriate jokes without anyone getting their panties in a bunch, to sharing meaningful and well-considered, reasonable conversations with friends and colleagues about the climate of the current human condition, I'm hopeful for the future of the world.
No.3: Nature is brutal, beautiful, and everything in between.
No.4: The art of backcountry hunting is much harder, and more nuanced, than I ever could have imagined. Gone are the days of harshly judging hunting, for now is the time of blossoming into a conservationist huntress in the name of all things innately human and balanced in the natural world. I have undeniable amounts of respect for the men and women in the hunting realms who are educating others and making a positive impact on the landscape through the hard work of honorable hunting practices.
No.5. Your story is worth sharing, and may just be that catalyst needed for positive change in someone else’s life. I still have women reaching out to me about my piece Wild & Free Flowing, that I wrote and released over a year ago. Because of that piece of writing and what I share on Instagram, I've been able to support women through their own journey of reclaiming their natural cycles, which has been such a gift.
No.6: Life’s to do list never goes away, it only gets shorter, and then inevitably longer, again and again.
No.7: Geology is way cooler than I thought it was back in high school. The way the earth shape-shifts and transforms is some sort of magical, and actually pretty rad to learn about, by visiting phenomenal landscapes and interacting with them, of course.
No.8: Always wear your personal flotation devices, because you never know when your canoe is going to sink. I never would have sought out a canoe sinking experience, but I sure am glad my wild woods man and I found ourselves paddling our canoe to shore in cold lake water for 20 minutes. I was oddly calm and in good spirits, despite the tough situation. I surprised myself, and felt incredibly resilient.
No.9: Advocating for your health is a critical skill that comes with practice, and it does get easier and easier over time.
No.10: Calling people out on their shit is a personal practice that continues to strengthen my voice and let go of the people pleasing disposition I've known for most of my life. All done with love, in a non-bitchy way, of course. If someone says something out of place, I assess the situation and if it's not going to be a total waste of time and energy-zap, I'm kindly and confidently bringing awareness to their misplaced statements or feelings.
No.11: Facing my own faults is rough territory for me. I can be super resistant to admitting that I have certain flaws, especially the ones that I don't want to associate with my own self-image. But this is where the real work lives, and deep change can occur.
No.12: Parental relationships are not a fixed dynamic once you’re an adult. Surprising breakthroughs and unearthed tensions are all possible.
No.13: Those negative feelings and thought patterns won't just go away on their own.
No.14: The musical Hamilton lives up to all the hype, and more. Hands down, my favorite musical.
No.15: All hunting is not created equally. There's a vast difference between slowly driving logging roads in hopes of spotting a deer, and backpacking through rugged terrain to quietly spot and stalk these elusive creatures through the darkened woodlands. I see plenty of the former happening, and I absolutely prefer the later. The first scenario should be called car hunting, similar to car camping...they're drastically different from real, backcountry hunting and camping.
No.16: My jobs must align with my passions and sense of purpose.
No.17: You cannot, and should not, judge a book by it's cover. Or in this day and age, a person by their social media account. Just because someone has a different political stance than I do does not mean they are an inherently bad person, or that we can't have a genuine friendship or inspiring conversation. Finding common ground and focusing on what brings us together, rather than what tears us a part, is crucial.
No.18: It's okay to feel completely lost and utterly disgusted with the world at times.
No.19: I still made the right move. My love for the PNW runs deep, and I feel so at home in this magical landscape. My spirit is wild, and so is the west. We're a perfect match.
May you appreciate and integrate your own monumental musings from this year's past,
& embrace the opportunity to be filled with an abundance of growth in the year, and decade, ahead.
Luminous love,
Jessica
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