Not Quite Christmas Yet.

It is however the day of the Solstice.  Here in this part of the world the longest day of the year, and for people in the northern hemisphere the longest night of the year, and the time of the ancient pagan celebrations.  A time of bonfires and mid-winter darkness, of druids and dancing and drinking and feasting together to keep the cold at bay.  A time to celebrate the end of an old year and the soon to commence year to come.  Naturally then like Janus we look both backwards and forwards, to see where we have come from, the things we have left behind us in the last year, those parts of our life that had to fall away, like dead branches being pruned, so that new life and growth can come forth when the springtime returns.

Conversely we look forward, our dreams and desires for the year ahead laid out before us, and we offer them up to the universe.  Some fall by the wayside, others become real and concrete and are fulfilled.

All this is reflection for me of course.  It has been a long year, and it has taken many twists and turns for me to get to where I am.  12 months ago I was preparing to spend the holiday with my partner and her daughter, I was buying presents and baking a chocolate mud cake with enough chocolate to kill a large donkey.  How things change in the course of a year.  First dealing with a miscarriage, then I found myself single again, and then in another relationship, I turned 40 and felt age starting to catch up with me a bit.  And yet I feel more positive and optimistic about the holiday season than I have in many years.  Life is getting better. 

So what do I have in store for me in 2012?

I wish for all the things that we all wish for, good health, happiness, prosperity, being with family and friends and the chance to enjoy life and love.  I would like a new and better paying job, the chance to upgrade to a slightly newer car, and the chance for my current relationship to continue to grow and evolve.

I do indeed wish that everyone could know happiness and joy and good things.  Often though it is not always the case.  Some people hold themselves back through stubborn attitudes, through lack of compassion, or being trapped in a paradigm that has outlived its usefulness.  How we choose to live now determines how we shall be forced to live in the future.  Time to open our hearts and to be compassionate to all, and especially to ourselves.