Standing in the Gateway of the Year - Part 2
Gentle reflection for a gentle January, a free digital download and some great things my friends are doing.
As you’ve probably guessed from the title, this is a follow up to the letter I wrote to you earlier this week. In that letter, I told you the story of falling down a rabbit hole while researching New Year’s Day, encouraged you to feel free to decide when to celebrate the beginning of a new year and explained what I enjoy about the new year beginning in January. This letter follows up with some gentle practices, processes and events to support you in lingering in the doorway of the year.
Expanding the Horizon: A FREE Guided Reflection Practice
A few years ago I began offering my directees the opportunity to use their January session to be guided through a reflection practice and they loved it so much that I ended up making a video of that guided practice. Since then, I’ve realised that many of us, myself included, prefer to reflect with written resources that can be quietly worked through in their own time (perhaps in a cosy armchair in the corner of a coffee shop). This week, I’ve reworked the video practice into a written resource but I’ve also included a link to the original video version of the practice in case you’d prefer some company as you reflect. The practice is currently available via my website but, as a thank you for being here, I’m offering this resource to my Substack subscribers for free. Inspired by Wilke Au’s compass practice (which appears in his book The Enduring Heart: Spirituality for the Long Haul), my version centres on a hot air balloon ride. Using a blend of journaling prompts, embodied practice and visualisation, it leads you into a deeper reflection on your life. Preview it here or click below to download and/or print.
Other Gentle Reflection Practices I’m Loving this January…
This year, in lieu of a work Christmas party, I took myself out for brunch and spent some time with a lovely resource from James A. Pearson. It’s a step-by-step guide to writing your own end of year reflection poem and, although I am not a poet, I ended up with a simple verse that really did speak to - or for - the deep places of my heart. You can get the guide here.
Inspired by Mary Thoma I’ve also been mentally compiling a list of 10 memorable moments from the year. In her latest newsletter, she shared that she enjoys a process suggested to her by Austin Kleon that involves jotting down highlights and events that have mattered to her this year. She aims for 100 but I’m beginning with 10. I’m still enjoying tinkering with my mini photo printer and Soulmanac scrapbook and I plan to employ both in recording my 10 moments.
As well as following particular practice or processes, something else I’m feeling drawn to do this January is to ask myself questions that situate me in a context bigger than my own life. While I absolutely think it’s healthy and good to take time to notice and savour the unique details that make up our individual lives (I’m convinced that this is one of the ways we glimpse what Frederick Buechner calls the “subterranean grace” of our lives), I also think it is super important to balance this with noticing and savouring the places of intersection between our lives and what’s happening in the wider world. Maybe it’s because my work is so solitary but I find that too much time reflecting on my own life can make me feel a bit disconnected. To help with this I’ve been asking myself a new set of questions:
What was I honoured to have been a part of this year?
What was I not a part of but that still brought me and/or others life?
What did I witness or receive that delighted me?
What flow of work do I want to contribute to this year?
Whose work do I want to encourage and support?
Following on from this, I’ve realised that something I want to be better about this year is highlighting what others in my flow of work are offering. I usually share about these things on social media but rarely share them via my Substack. I’d like to change that so here are a few things my friends are offering this month that might appeal to you.
Great Offerings this January
First, my friend Debbie Horrocks is hosting two Journaling Soul Sessions this Sunday 12th January. One is in person in Glasgow and the other is online via Zoom (8pm-9.30pm GMT). I recently attended another of Debbie’s online events and it was everything I hoped it would be - spacious, gentle, and friendly. I sometimes struggle with journaling but the words flowed easily in response to her prompts. The evening ended with a simple yet profound time of sharing, which I still find myself thinking about weeks later. You can find out more her January Journaling sessions here.
Next week, in the US, my friend Andrew Lang is launching Gentle Change Collective, a programme to support folks in moving from feelings of “what can I do” and general stuckness as they look at the world into practical, relational action in their communities. Andrew inspires me by living his life at the intersection of contemplation and action. He brings a playful, compassionate energy to everything he does and loves to facilitate conversation and build community while also helping people find daily practices that truly “fit” them. This programme is an opportunity to gather with others who want to respond to the challenges around them in a gentle, practical way. He is offering three five-week cohort programmes (in February, May, October) and they will offer an ongoing, supportive community of folks moving in similar directions as well as monthly workshops with experts in various inner work modalities, activism, and change-making. He’s offering an early bird rate and you can find out more about both that and the programme as a whole here.
Lastly (for now), if you are a spiritual companion and would like to reflect on your practice over the past year, my friend Fiona Koefoed-Jespersen is offering a space to do just that. On 13th January 7-9pm GMT, Fiona is hosting Looking Back/Looking Forward - an online workshop for spiritual companions to reflect and plan for their work at the start of the year. Fiona is one of the wisest and most experienced spiritual directors I know and I have loved every one of the online offerings of hers that I have attended. You can find out more here.
I’m sure there are other people I know who are doing great things this week. If that’s you or someone else you know, please tell us about it in the comments!
With love until next time,
Thanks for the mention Jen, and for all these other lovely resources and ideas too. I'm now wishing I could have a cosy cabin weekend to play with them all. Happy New Year to you ❤️