Evolution, Not Resolution

Many speak of the value of darkness during the winter solstice. And the darkness truly is valuable. As Rickie Byars Beckwith sings in one of her songs, “the seed will need the darkness to change into new life.” What is also valuable about the winter solstice is the return of the light. As we pass the longest night and the shortest day, each day reveals more light.

As we come into this new year, it is a good time to ask ourselves, what kind of world are we choosing to create – not out there, but in here, deep within our own being.

We can begin to engage our imagination to see a greater possibility. In seeing that greater possibility, feeding it with our love and attention, and taking whatever steps are ours to take, we begin fashioning a new world.

It is so easy to just continue with past patterns and to believe that our past experiences define us, or that we are limited by them. A new year is a great time to break free from the past. In my experience, “resolutions” are not the best way to do that. I was joking with some friends recently about how crowded the gyms and fitness clubs are in January. By February, they’re back to “normal” levels.

No, it’s not by resolving to do something different that we evolve. It is by thoughtfully and prayerfully considering what is, and what is not, serving us and by beginning to truly release what no longer serves. This makes room for newness and we can fill that extra space in our consciousness with new intentions. We then align our actions with those intentions.

Without this clear inner look, where we honestly face ourselves in the mirror, look ourselves in the eye, and tell the truth about where we are, we are setting ourselves up to remain stuck. It is like trying on a new winter coat without taking the old one off – it doesn’t fit and it just makes us uncomfortable.

When we honestly look at ourselves in the mirror with the eyes of love, rather than self-criticism, we see a beautiful evolving being. There is nothing to fix, so no resolutions are needed. What we see are the next indicated steps along our path of evolution. And just as we must take off our old winter coat to put on a new one, we must release what no longer serves in order to put on new intentions.

While change can seem difficult, it is much easier when we realize we are not truly losing anything. We are replacing our old tattered coat with a brand new one. While we may be sentimental about our old coat, it is time to let it go.

When we do feel attached to people, situations, ideas, beliefs or ways of being and doing, we can create simple releasing rituals to honor the value they have had for us. For example, we can light a candle and spend some moments giving voice to our gratitude and symbolically releasing what no longer serves. In our rituals, we can also include accepting and embracing the new, what we are now choosing to step into.

Consciously making changes in our lives always involves releasing the old and embracing the new. There is always a letting go and an embracing. When we clearly and consciously make powerful choices, we might back pedal a little, but there is no turning back because we see, we know, and we choose our soul’s evolution over holding on to the restless comfort of yesterday’s joy.

Enjoy the journey.