From New Moon to New Year

White and black, light and dark, my friend's home near the enchanting frozen lake
that served as a prelude to this powerful, energetic and spiritual time of year.

I recently walked on a frozen lake with two amazing, insightful friends from high school. There was something purely magical and enchanting about that. Like an awe-struck child, I kept repeating to myself, ''I am walking on a lake, I am walking on a lake !'' as I was trying to feel nature below, above and all around me. Yes, there was something miraculous about that, since we are primarily made of water and we were directly connecting with 2 forms of this element -snow over a deep layer of ice-, and indirectly with the water underneath. I had a deep sense of reverence for life and nature. It felt part of me, I felt part of it, it was so special. The whole 24-h reunion with my homonyms were like a mindfulness retreat as we chatted, laughed, hugged, and paused in bewilderment in the middle of nature.

Within less than a two-week span, we have been interwoven with three phenomena that invite going inside, in a pervasive shadow, the basement of our senses, the abyss of our souls. The winter solstice characterizes the longest night of the year. Dark night is associated with sleep, and our inner darkness can feel gloomy, but it is also where dreams are cultivated. Our shadow elements are full of riches. We don't need to fear them, simply decode them. A solstice can be another opportunity to slow down and take the inventory of the goodness in us and in life by practicing gratitude.

And this year, the solstice seems to have laid the foundation for an apparently rare occurrence, a thirteen New Moon, which happens to be today. New Moon is when the illumination of the moon is zero percent. Such intense darkness can be a metaphor for the unknown, for stillness, which in turn both promote introspection. Unlike a blinding beam of light, darkness allows us to notice other luminous entities like the stars. It is a great opportunity to go to an Observatory (one of my favorite places near my house) and admire the constellations. A New Moon is a time for intention-setting, which is not measurable like a goal (I want to read 20 books in 2025, or I hope to run a 15 km next month) but an embodied quality that can manifest from its visualization and verbalization through journaling or sharing. Intentions can be used as a mantra and while formulating them, some people like to have a ritual (making a fire, meditating, journaling, taking a bath or a cold plunge, drumming, walking at night).

Examples of intentions include:

I am ready to receive abundance in all areas of my life and I intend to circulate all that is given to me by sharing it with others

I release what no longer serves me and I invite fresh energy

In everything I do, I am aligned with my purpose and core values 

I feel my confidence expanding

I choose myself everyday, I eat healthy and I take care of my body because it is my temple 

I welcome challenges and reframe them as consciousness-raising experiences

My whole being is filled with light, gratitude, compassion and love. I AM LOVE.

Following the lunar phases and using them as a timekeeper and a reminder that nature mirrors itself through us is one of my favorite spiritual practices. It is a way to connect deeply with nature by receiving its teachings, and feeling part of a bigger whole (nature and all of life) is profoundly spiritual.

And tomorrow, New Year's Eve will add to the spiritual energy. I am looking forward to celebrating with loved ones around a warm vegan meal, my leftover birthday cake, and parody shows to have a catharsis of all the 2024 disasters before toasting with some sparkly wine to peace on earth, more justice, healing and joy for all.

So, take a moment for yourself tonight or tomorrow, develop your own version of a ''4-S formula'' (solitude, stillness, space and silence), and formulate an intention, verbally or in writing. Write it on your mirror or put it on a post-it and revisit it to ground yourself over the next few weeks. A New Moon is a Yang phase that consists of planting the seeds of your dreams, until a Yin phase will invite you to harvest the fruit of your continued effort and dedication to your growth, enlightenment and wellbeing. Select a ritual to do with someone or by yourself, such as preparing tea, buying a journal, reading or writing a poem, singing a meaningful song or lighting up a candle. The dancing flame could symbolize the light that has been progressively more present since the solstice. The light that will ring more clarity and confidence.

Wishing you all an enlightening New Moon and may you walk through a very Happy New Year full of fruitful intentions, joy, health, light, peace and love !

On many occasions, and especially during the New Moon,
I dedicate time to inspiring reading, journaling and light-gazing.