Winter always finds me feeling reflective.
While Texas rarely follows the traditional 4-season calendar, it does start to cool a bit by September and with the subsequent arrival of Halloween (or Samhain or a Fall Festival, depending on your personal preference), I’m usually well on my way to the long winter retreat traditionally suggested by the Wheel of the Year.
Energetically, I think it makes sense, even with all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. Another year is coming to a close. This is when we take stock of where we’ve been and metaphorically start plotting where we might go next. The days are longer and the nights growing shorter, a perfect time to catch up on some rest and relaxation.
It’s also definitely colder, even in Texas, and the idea of cozy blankets and hearty stews always sounds like a wonderful way to spend the next couple of months.
But this winter has been different…
Oh, there’s been plenty of reflective moments to work with, but there’s also been this very clear desire to move and change. Instead of walking toward that much-deserved (and much-desired) winter retreat at the end of 2023, I felt a deep and urgent need to get my ass in gear.
To do what exactly I wasn’t quite sure, but I could almost guarantee that it would push my boundaries and comfort levels in a thousand different ways.
So with that in mind, I decided to pick a theme…
Something that would keep me grounded and serve as a compass if I start feeling too far out in the weeds. Something that gives me a place to begin, when I don’t know where to start.
And then I saw this post. And this post. And this one…
Because isn’t that exactly how the Universe works?
And I knew I had found my place to begin: I needed a word of the year.
Yes, it’s March and I’m a little late to the party, but it’s been a hard start to 2024. I needed some time to think before I spoke and — knowing the clarity it can bring — that’s a habit I highly recommend.
The sturdy foundation I have grown used to doesn’t feel so sturdy anymore, but as scary as that can be, it also feels transformational. Like it’s full of potential. And it’s hard to ignore that kind of shift in mindset.
So, I won’t.
But I’m not assuming I’ve got the full picture yet either.
Instead, I’m embracing the idea that this path is still unfolding, and I want to use 2024 to dig into this more expansive way of seeing the world.
I’d like to refocus my energy: invest in things that matter, simplify my life, and to let go of what no longer serves me.
I’m still figuring out what all that means and I’ve realized that’s ok too. I don’t have to have all the answers. I just need to start. And maybe, if I’m lucky, I can rebuild that foundation I seem to be missing.
So, my word for this year is infrastructure.
I know… not very sexy-sounding, is it? But stay with me here, because it’s full of possibilities.
I’ve spent most of my life dreaming of big things while I played along with whatever narrative seemed most appropriate at the time. I’ve paid my dues, I’ve bided my time, and I’ve kept the peace. Those aren’t necessarily bad things, but I feel like it’s time to get off the hamster wheel and follow my own path.
So, 2024 will be a year of self-discovery, of making space, and building bridges. It will also be a year of reaching out and showing up, something I think the world could use, and something I think humans are so uniquely suited to do.
Building an infrastructure reminds me to look past all the shiny baubles and find what matters. I’m looking to get out of the rut that has settled around me and reclaim my life. I’m not talking full blown anarchy here or anything quite so upending, but… well, okay. Maybe I am.
I’ll write more soon… but until then, I’d love to hear from you.
Do you have a word of the year? And where do you want your path to go?
Love & magick,
Kate