January 2023: New Year, new... everything?
I've definitely fallen off the resolution bandwagon since the pandemic started.
Before 2020, I had been blogging my New Year's resolutions consistently for several years on a few different platforms, mainly Tumblr. I came back to the process in 2021 to set a few intentions for the year, which were basically a return to resolutions I had abandoned in years past. Read my resolutions for 2021 here.
It's not a surprise that I not only abandoned those resolutions in 2021, but I decided not to make any resolutions in 2022. A few rough things happened: I lost my daughter to Trisomy 13, I fell into depression, and some major shakeups at work had me feeling low. I decided in 2022 that I would put even less pressure on myself by not making any real resolutions.
The only thing I challenged myself to do that year was get healthy.
I threw my entire being into that, in every sense of the word.
I focused on my mental and physical health, and actually made some great strides. I learned some new recipes to help, and added some new supplements and medications that are really making a difference in the way I treat my chronic conditions. I also added new doctors to the mix, too, and they both helped me validate and treat some new symptoms that I was feeling.
Once I got my mental and physical health into a good spot, I decided to try a few new things. I learned how to make candles (!), I tried a few new painting techniques, and I met new friends at FaerieCon in Baltimore.
I decided to stop stressing about my career and other things in my life, and found that if I just let myself be, and enjoy time I had at home, I was a happier person.
I'm in a good place right now, so I figured, why not return to the annual tradition I used to enjoy so much? Yes, writing resolutions! Read on for those.
Looking for a more spiritual New Year? Check out my post about the magick of January and the ancient Roman deity "Janus".
2023: New year, new witch.
1. Financial Health - This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius.
No I'm serious, that's what Astrologists are saying. Near the end of March, Pluto will move into the sign of Aquarius, something that hasn't happened since 2008 (what else do you remember happening in 2008?)
The Great Recession started in Dec. 2007, and lasted until June 2009. I was headed off to college with a pocket full of dreams and about to get a major reality check. I had to work multiple jobs to keep up with expenses. I burned out and left school in the beginning of my senior year. I finished my bachelor's degree somewhere else a few years later, and completed my master's in 2020. I'm now in a heap of student loan debt, and I've got a mortgage that is roughly the same. My credit card debt is... definitely not where I want it to be.
Keeping that in mind, I'm making some moves to make sure I can navigate the rocky waters I feel could be ahead for me.
I'm starting 2023 off with a no spend challenge (more on that later) and then I'll go into a few other techniques to work towards more stability as the economy changes (which is already happening... hello inflation).
2. Learn some new skills - The future is bright.
I'm really kicking off 2023 with a bang. Not only is Mercury in Retrograde (I'm a Gemini Sun), it's a full Moon in Cancer (I'm a Cancer Moon). Considering I've heard a few Astrologists talk about a push for new technologies in 2023, we are off to a whacky start.
Still, there's a few things I can learn from a Retrograde and full Moon.
Don't panic if nothing is going my way (it hasn't been all week)
Don't feel guilty about being emo this week (the feelings will pass)
Use this time to refocus my energy on something new and live in the "belly of the whale."
Everything and anything that could go wrong at work this week, has. Technology isn't my friend, even though it usually is. I'm also having trouble conveying my feelings, something I don't normally have to worry about. The next few days might have me feeling emo, full Moon or not, as my daughter was originally due on Jan. 10, 2021. That's a reality I'll probably grapple with for the rest of my life. I have to give myself the grace to get through the next few days.
So whether you believe in Astrology or not, I'm just having a time.
I'm using these darker, shadowy feelings to look inward and plan ahead. I started taking a new certificate course last month to learn some new skills that could help me at work, and I signed up for a few more through my job. Hopefully by the end of the year, I'll have some new expertise in my toolkit, and look forward to a brighter future.
And there you have it. Only 2 resolutions this year.
A few years ago I vowed to "put less pressure on myself." Maybe that resolution is finally coming to fruition?
Happy New Year everyone :) May you have a magickal January.