Yesterday was my 70th birthday.
I’ve been waiting to be this age all my life. It feels like coming home.
Regardless of how much longer I live, there is no doubt that these are the last years of my life journey and I intend to engage in them with consciousness, enthusiasm and a dedicated sense of purpose. Barbara Marx Hubbard calls this age a time of regenapause. The time for the wise ones to use their energies for evolution. It is with these thoughts that I begin this new decade.
“A crone is a juicy older woman with zest, passions, and soul.
If you aspire to be one, the secret is to be yourself, while your mind,
heart and body still function well enough, and you appreciate being alive.
Jean Shinoda Bolen, Crones Don’t Whine
My intention for the past year, September 1, 2014 – September 1, 2015, was to “embrace this life in all its realness – broken, messy, mysterious and vibrantly alive.” To be grateful for this life, to enjoy living in the moment, being as conscious as possible of letting go of the past and clearing the way for the future. My moon phase for the year was Crescent, indicating a year of gathering resources and making plans and preparations for the future. Knowing 2015 is a 9 a year of completion, I have no expectations of finding an answer to the “what’s next?” question. Although I do look forward to watching October unfold, as it will highlight the indications for the 2016 calendar year.
My solar return for this year has a Disseminating moon, indicating it’s time to share what I have learned in order to gain perspective and broaden my knowledge.
I spent the day of my solar return quietly creating an 8-phase wheel to walk meditatively into my new year. My solar return was at 4:57 pm. I began the walk at 4:30 pm and finished at 5:45 pm making 70 complete circuits. I walked into the wheel with the nickname Sandy and walked out of the wheel and into my new year as Sunny. The name change itself is a story for another time. Suffice to say, it sets an image of what I aspire to be.
2016 will begin another cycle of experience and awareness. It will be a #1 year and the beginning of another 9-year cycle. Considering there will be a solar eclipse on my birthday in 2016, and the ongoing transit of Neptune transiting my Sun, I may not see my new vision clearly until 2017. Therefore this solar return year my intention can be summed up with this affirmation:
TRUSTING, I go into the darkness, embrace the illusion and come out with
an enhanced sense of my creative identity and a new sense of purpose.
This solar return year my focus will be taking better care of myself, honing my communication skills, and exploring future possibilities with faith in the future.