2012 is finally no longer and I must admit that I am thrilled to have turned the pages on the book of a brand new year! 2012 was a year of deeply felt loss and powerful lessons in letting go...of my wolf dog Tekota, my sweet cat Juno, my pony Studley, my corgi Gabriel and my father, who passed away last Memorial Day at the ripe old age of 93. My beloved brother came face to face with a perilous journey of his own, as a horrific bout of pneumonia plunged him into complete renal failure. There was even more than all of this but let it suffice to say that I've been really looking forward to turning towards the new year!
Having nowhere else to turn, I went inward on a much needed spiritual journey, twisting and spiraling back to the essence of my wild womans soul and I became aware of many needs that I'd left unsatisfied. One of the beauties of menopause is that you finally stop caring about pleasing others and finally begin to take care of yourself in very real ways. I became a woman obsessed and in a very short amount of time I became certified as a Health ,Wellness and Nutrition coach through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City and added several new forms to my Reiki arsenal.
The severity of my brothers illness had me reconnect with LaWanna Rine, the woman who mentored me for well over a decade and taught me almost everything that I know about healing herbs and flowers, gemstones and energy. In short, after years of wandering through the desert I found the courage to dance my way back home.
In early December I began to sense that we had turned the corner. We brought home a puppy from the APL and she came with a horrible case of parvo yet she survived! My husband sold his business to a wonderful company who made him a magnificent offer not just for the business but for him and his entire team! I began to work again at a well known luxury retailer only to discover that I loved to work hard, but that to my surprise I still had the burning energy and desire to create a new business (or two).
The best news for all of us? Yesterday, exactly one year to the day that we discovered that my brother had no renal function , he received a new kidney...a gift from a dear friend who stepped right up and insisted upon donating her kidney to him, never wavering once.
So arrives 2013 and I'm filled with optimism! On New Years eve I spun my pendulum around and around wondering what this years message would be. You see although I'm a bit of a maverick I'm used to doing what people expect of me and I'm really tired of that. Who knows how much more time we all have on this earth...it could be decades, it could be days. So I kept asking my pendulum, what AM I supposed to do? Open a new store just like my old one? A resounding NO. Be a Public Relations Consultant full time? NO. Then I heard my mothers voice....."Dear" she said, stop worrying about it, do what you love and just have fun!" Coming from my mother, who was the patrician one in the family that was an interesting piece of advice. So I asked the pendulum...Am I only supposed to do what's fun for me this year? A resounding YES!
So here's a list of the promises that I've made to myself this year, my manifesto if you will. Thank you for letting me share them with you and helping me breath them into life. It's a little bit frightening, this "only do what's fun thing" because it puts the onus on me. We'll see what happens...I'm ready!
The Windesphere Witches Manifesto
I will choose only work that brings me joy.
I will choose only friendships that are fun for us both.
I will not say yes to any philanthropic job unless it is truly something that I care about.
I will have chickens and a plot in the community garden around the corner.
I will support the farmers market much more than I did last year.
I will allow the Goddess and the Wise Woman Traditions to guide me as I create my practice as a Natural Chef , Holistic Health Consultant, Herbalist and Energy Practitioner.
I will make perfume, aromatherapy and body products again...something I haven't done for many years.
I will take care of this 53 year old body, feed it only fabulous food, indulge it with long walks and fresh air, pamper it, make it up and dress it beautifully.
Enjoy my husband even more than I do already.
I will write consistently and make my hobby of writing profitable.
I will begin the process of discovering what kind of entertaining and bridal consulting business I want to open and let go of the ghosts of retail past.
I will start to design giftware and dinnerware again and maybe even put all of this stuff that I'm going to be making on an Etsy site.
I will not be quiet about Womens Rights.
I will go trail riding as much as I can.
I will find a Celtic group to sing with.
I will stop worrying about my son and just enjoy him.(And his adorable girlfriend)
I will stop worrying period. It's a bad habit of mine.
I will practice more Yoga.
I will give at least one talk a month about one of the many crazy topics that I'm interested in, and even create a webinars, ebooks and maybe a course or two!
I will drink more Champagne and even bathe in it from time to time..
I will remember to always believe in magic and honor the Goddess in everything I do....
Happy New Year Everyone!