Yesterday marked my 31st trip around the sun, and boy…was it an adventure! Without diving into a long story that is truly not that interesting, I will say this: adulting doesn’t stop just because it’s your birthday. But, hey, at least I looked cute.
If you read my recent Birthday Rituals post, you know that I like to celebrate in some pretty unique ways. This post is dedicated to my updates on this topic, and also on intentions as we close out 2018. Right after Thanksgiving, I caught a terrible ick. I’m not entirely sure if it was a cold, the flu, or some hybrid of the two, but it was BAD. So I’m a little behind on my birthday rituals. Still, I’d like to share what I’ve accomplished so far:
A theme. After many, many weeks of letting this percolate in the back of my brain, only one theme has felt right: The Night Sky. One of my favorite things is looking up at the night sky and taking a brief moment to reflect on how small I am, and how infinite the universe is. I love gazing up at the stars and the moon! It’s prompted me to incorporate the lunar phases into my new planner system (which I’ll be sharing very soon). If I take a few moments to gaze up at the night sky every once in a while, it feels like I attended a yoga session. Somehow I feel lighter, more connected, and more at ease.
The night sky has two major points of light: the moon and the stars.
In tarot, The Moon is the 18th card in the deck and one of the major arcana. It traditionally represents illusion, subconscious, and intuition. If I were to pull the Moon card in a reading, it is most likely a warning to be careful and tread lightly. Often it is a card of risk, confusion, and mistruths. While this may seem frightening at first, I also see the Moon card as something deeply wonderous. It’s a reminder to listen to my gut instincts, pay attention when it whispers to me and to release what no longer serves me.
However, the Star card (17th card in the deck) is all about hope, faith, and purpose. It’s a reminder to focus on the highest version of yourself. This is a card about serenity, optimism, and renewal. If I pull the Star in a tarot reading, I know that I must be balanced and find harmony in my present situation.
Most importantly, I think the night sky has historically served as a guide for people searching for meaning throughout the world. Constellations and moon phases have long guided explorers, sailors, and scientists to find their way in the dark. I love the symbology of this, and feel that it’s a perfect metaphor for the next phase of my journey in life.
Core Desired Feelings. As you can see, I’ve defined my core desired feelings for my 31st year into the following: Curious, Divine Feminine, Intuitive, Joy, and Magic. Based on Danielle La Porte’s book, The Desire Map, I selected words that represent how I most want to feel in the coming year. I will still be doing some work to explore these feelings more deeply, but here’s what they mean to me at this moment:
- Curious — The thrill of learning for learning’s sake. Excitement, enthusiasm, and energy around the pursuit of knowledge.
- Divine Feminine — Deeply connected to intuition, and guarding what is “sacred” to oneself. “Being” instead of “Doing”. Radical self care. Radical self-acceptance. Sensual, celebratory, rejuvenating. Powerful softness.
- Intuitive — A knowing; connectedness to the greater. An intimacy with the universal vibration.
- Joy — Utter contentment and happiness. Deep gratitude; a state of profound blessedness.
- Magic — A feeling of enchantment, wonder, and awe.
Birthday Tarot spread. I’m going to do this one tonight. I tried to do one the night before my birthday and felt disconnected to the deck I was using.
Popping a bottle of champagne. As I write this, I am sipping a cocktail of prosecco, lychee fruit, and coconut cream. It’s pretty good but definitely needs some refinement before I share a recipe.
Gifting myself something memorable. I feel like I have the whole year to discover what this might be. Of all my birthday rituals, this is the one I am most stuck on. But since one of my Core Desired Feelings is intuitive, I won’t force it. The right thing will find me.
Beyond wrapping up my birthday rituals, I have set the following intentions for myself for the remainder of 2018:
- Sharing my new planner system.
- Cleaning and refreshing our home before the New Year.
- Finding a new tarot deck.
What are you doing to celebrate the end of this year? How will you welcome 2019? Leave a comment below!
Cheers!
Leave a Reply