Annus Horribilis
Hopefully, 2022 was my Godzilla.
After losing my father, stepmother, and husband this year, I’m excited to move on from this year. With all the painful memories I have accrued, I had to be actively mindful not to fall into the trap of the New Year. The mentality of “new year new me” or “out with the old, in with the new.” The promise of a dramatic reset to suddenly occur on New Years’ Day, outside of human influence. As if this one day will change our mentality, health, and goals, heal our wounds, or fix our mistakes.
As I reflect on 2022, I realize more than ever it was an accumulation of the last 3. 2020 and 2021 were traumatic for people worldwide. With the effects of a global pandemic still weighing heavy on us, on top of the difficulties 2022 inevitably brought - it’s understandable that so many were eager for the clock to strike midnight on January 1, 2023.
Although consistent hopefulness surrounds the turn of every new year, the numerology of this year and the last mark a very real shift in energy.
2022 was a 6 year. (See my earlier blog post on Tantric Numerology). 6 is ruled by the Arcline body - the nucleus of your aura. In the yogic teachings, it is said our destiny is written on the Arcline, and we can re-write it through spiritual devotion. 6 is the number of divinity, spiritual devotion, practice, and service to something greater than our ego. Last year’s closing means in 2023; we entered a 7 year.
While a 6 year is ruled by your Arcline, 7 is governed by the aura itself. The aura is a curative, nurturing, and elevating energy. When an aura is big and robust, it brightens the presence of the individual who possesses it, and they become uplifting and nurturing to those around them. The same goes for the opposite, a weak aura. Whatever energy is run through your aura and is put out into the world will be attracted back to you. To put it simply, what goes around comes around.
As I write this and hear my 5-year-old practicing spells in his bedroom, a Harry Potter reference springs to mind – think of your aura like a Patronus. It protects you and can also go into the world and interact on your behalf. With 2023 being a 7 year, whatever you are strengthening your aura with, your thoughts, health practices, spiritual practices, or anything you develop to shape your auric field will be highlighted. Whatever energy you fuel yourself with will then go out into the world on your behalf.
The aura, just like the Patronus, is very protective in nature. So, it naturally begs the question, “what can you do to help(protect) others?” When your boundaries are properly set, and your energy field is protected, what you can and what you feel able to do for others becomes vastly more colorful, bigger, and brighter. Setting solid boundaries is imperative in our quests to help those we love because it ensures we do not exhaust ourselves; overextending yourself is not actually giving.
Only when our boundaries are firmly set and strongly grounded can we begin to truly help others. Our boundaries act as a container; once we have a substantial container, we can fill it, and once it’s filled, it can overflow. This is the gift of a balanced 7.
An unbalanced 7, or an unbalanced auric field, leads to burning yourself out for the sake of others. It leads to neglecting yourself to help someone else. That is not truly giving. Unconditional love and support come from a place of emotional safety and set boundaries. We must put on our own oxygen masks before helping someone else.
In reflecting on the last year, all that I’ve lost, and the turning of numerological energy this new year brings, my only resolution is to fortify my container so that I can give to others.
I know that I, and many others, still ruminate on the purpose of human grief and suffering. All other emotions have a practical application, but the use of sorrow and misery is less clear. Why do these things exist? The understanding that I, and people of many different belief systems, have come to is the purpose of grief and suffering is to allow us to connect more deeply with other humans. It enables us to empathize more greatly with others so we can be a beacon of hope in their time of need.
I hope 2023 brings you a year of balance, strength, love, and nourishment of your auras.