
Finding Your Word of the Year

Over the past four or five years, I've had a word come to me in December. It generally feels foreign, intriguing, and desirable. The first time this happened, I had never even heard of the practice of choosing a word for the upcoming year. It just happened.
The word was "truth," and I wanted to experience and embody every part of that word in the coming year. I did, and man o' man did it support me. That was 2018, the year I quit my corporate job and moved out west. The year I manifested my childhood dream job! The year everything I didn't even know I wanted started coming to fruition -- because I kept following "truth" wherever it led.
The truth of my work life - I was burnt out and unsatisfied (to the point I was getting stress-induced Shingles at the tender age of 32).
The truth of my personal life - I was relying on booze, nights out, and shallow dates to entertain myself. It wasn't working.
The truth of my soul - it was gaining its voice, and I was listening more and more with each passing day.
Following this word around for that year brought me so much. It wasn't all easy, but it was what I needed.
So in the tradition this year, I've chosen the word "Join." Again it came to me without effort, just the simple knowledge that "yup, this is it."
Join
I will officially join Greg later this year as we get married.
I have started a new job hoping that it allows me to join my coaching and "woo woo" self with my practical outward-facing self.
I wish to join the work I've been doing in my personal life with the offerings I give clients more deliberately.
I want to join all parts of myself here in this life experience to show me what can unfold next.
I want to continue joining the community in my small town, supporting efforts that I know deserve it (like housing insecurity and other volunteer services.)
I want to join more in my work with horses to become a better horsewoman.
And so, Join is here to teach me, lead me, and show me what this year is all about.
How Do You Find Your Word?
I highly encourage folks to *be* with the intention of uncovering your word for the year. It's not about forcing things or making a "resolution." It's about tuning in with your intuition and higher self and asking for guidance.
That said, I know we "doers" need an activity sometimes to get to that space. Here's what I would recommend.
Determine if you want this to be a more meaningful ceremony or something you do casually.
If you want a ceremony:
Pick a morning or evening you know is free of distractions.
Draw a bath and listen to some binaural beats or meditations to get you in a centered space. (Maybe add some candles, bath salts, even crystals!)
Then move on to journaling, asking questions like:
What is this next year about for me?
Where is my soul leading me?
How could I better embody the upgrades I've made recently in my life?
Tune into another favorite practice - Tarot, walking meditations, sound baths, a float tank. What would help you be in stillness better and gain clarity?
Write or talk out what you've uncovered. What's come up during this practice? What feels like it's leading you? -- Distill it down if it's overly verbose and ask, "what is the word?" "what is the phrase?"
The Causal Approach:
Journal and ask, or take from the journal prompts above.
Grab a dictionary and your favorite diving tool, a pendulum, Tarot Cards, Runes, Crystals, and play around. To which letter are you guided? What word?
Go for a walk and tune in, don't bring any music (unless you need it to tune in), and walk to find the word.
Meditate on it!
Do that activity that brings you the most joy and let your mind wander while in action. What comes up - a theme, a phrase? Use that!
The biggest thing to remember is this doesn't have to be some "awe-inspiring" word. My word is "join," for crying out loud. It's not necessarily the most meaningful word when you first hear it, but when it came to me, I saw that it *meant*, which is the key to this practice. Find a word that brings you into the *meaning* for the year.
Enjoy the process, and let me know what you uncover!