Letting Go of 2021

It's almost the end of 2021, so time for my yearly letting go post! I started writing this a couple of days ago and it's now New Year's Eve. You can see my previous posts at the links below:

Letting Go of 2017: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2017/12/letting-go-of-2017.html

Letting Go of 2018: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2018/12/letting-go-of-2018.html

Letting Go of 2019 + Starting a New Decade:  https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2019/12/letting-go-of-2019-starting-new-decade.html

Letting Go of 2020: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2020/12/letting-go-of-2020.html

 

2020 was a difficult year worldwide, with the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. 2021 has been a bit better (although not for everyone, since we all have different experiences), but still quite hard. Back in June I wrote my mid-year reflections post, which you can read here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/06/mid-2021-reflections.html

I've written about numerology in past posts. If that's something you follow, you'll be interested to know that The Universal Year number for 2021 was 5, so 2022's will be 6. This year was about freedom and change (maybe in relation to lockdowns easing and the world "opening up" again!). Next year will be about accepting and assuming responsibility. You can read more about it here: https://www.numerology.com/articles/numerology-news/2022-numerology-predictions/

My Personal Year number for 2021 is 9, so next year's will be 1. As I mentioned in last year's post, 9 is about completion and closure, and 1 is about starting at the beginning again, a new cycle. (2017 was actually a 1 universal year.) I use the book 21st Century Goddess for my year number information, but I also used this online resource for a change (it calculates your Personal Year number if you don't already know it):  https://feliciabender.com/monthly-numerology-forecast/#calculate 

The Numerology article linked to above also tells how to work out your personal number.

 

Reflection

The past couple of years were quite hard for me and although 2021 has felt a bit easier, there have still been quite a few down points.

I was able to do some things this year that I couldn't in 2020 (due to lockdowns and personal circumstances), such as going to my favourite pub The Black Rabbit in Arundel, attending dance events and going Christmas shopping in Worthing.

In January we were about a year into the pandemic. In the UK we were in lockdown again, in England specifically we had gone into our 3rd lockdown after Christmas and New Year. So, I didn't do a huge amount during the first part of the year, just my weekly park walks and going to the library and supermarket mainly! I also celebrated sabbats (seasonal festivals) like I usually do. I write about them on my other blog The Seasonal Life.

I went on a walk to the beach with a group from my local mental health resource centre in May. In July we opened up fully in England, (due to vaccinations having been rolled out) and most restrictions were eased. It was a relief but I thought it best to still be cautious and take precautions.

In September I went to my belly dance group's hafla (dance party), the first time I'd seen my dance friends (and danced in public) in about 18 months! And in November I did a metal belly dance workshop with Lianna Greene that had been postponed a couple of times before. I didn't manage to get to any Meetup events (I was planning to go to Brighton Christmas Festival with a group, but the outing was cancelled due to the rise in Omicron cases). I also went to the beach a few times.

I wrote quarterly updates over on The Seasonal Life. I decided to do that rather than monthly/double monthly ones for 2021). You can see them up to the Summer-Autumn Update here (I haven't written the Autumn-Winter one yet): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2021/10/summer-autumn-update.html

In "world" news (rather than personal), there's been the ongoing pandemic. Brexit continues to cause issues (not much to say about that). There's also been reports on the lifeboat migrants crisis, with people sadly losing their lives when crossing the Channel. I think some people "forget" or don't care that migrants (or so-called "migrants" because that's just a label) are human beings. There's still a lot of racism and prejudice in the world.

Prince Phillip died in April, which must have been very hard on the Queen. In the Mid-2021 Reflections post, I wrote a bit about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announcing they were permanently stepping down as working royals and the Oprah interview. Their first daughter Lilibet "Lili" Diana was born in June, a sibling for Archie. I thought it was sweet that they named her Lilibet after the Queen's nickname (short for Elizabeth) and Harry's late mother Princess Diana. They seem happy in LA and shared the first photo of Lili on a cute family Christmas card: https://people.com/royals/meghan-markle-prince-harry-archie-lilibet-sweetest-family-moments/

Blogging wise I haven't been as active here on Falling Petals, I just haven't felt very inspired. I wrote two posts about feeling better when you've been in a low place, Starting From the Bottom- Part 1 and Starting From the Bottom- Part 2. And then apart from my mid-year reflection posts and monthly Gratitude Lists, I wrote one more- How to REALLY Believe (LOA) which is Law of Attraction related.

I blogged more regularly on my entertainment blog Star Sparkle Blog and The Seasonal Life.

Releasing

I usually have a section on releasing in these end of year posts. You can see my previous posts for info about releasing your year. They are linked above or you can find them here, here and here. There was only a short section on it last year.

You can release things by journalling, doing a ceremony, whatever feels right to you. It can just help me to write this. See below for a cople of posts on letting things go:

Top 3 Things You Need To Leave In 2021: https://beyondcommitted.com/leave-in-2021/

Letting Go of What Doesn't Serve You: https://theblissfulmind.com/letting-go-serves-you/

 

The 2nd post (The Blissful Mind) isn't New Year specific and letting go can be applied to any time of year, whenever you feel like things are pulling you down and/or you want a fresh start. Also, the New Year can start at different times depending on your culture, where you live, your belief system etc. In my first letting go post in 2017, I wrote how it was based on following the Gregorian/Western calendar, since some cultures follow a different one (i.e. the Chinese one starts around February). And if you follow the Wheel of the Year (a pagan/Wiccan seasonal cycle) as I do, then New Year began either at Samhain at the end of October or Yule/the Winter Solstice in December. For some it doesn't begin till Imbolg/Imbolc in early February.

I will be saying goodbye to my BlackBerry at the beginning of the new year, when BlackBerry turns its services off! Now I know that BlackBerries are "old school" and not many people use them anymore (hence turning the service off), but at one time it was my absolute dream phone. At one point it felt out of reach to me, which I wrote about in a manifesting post. I've had it for 7 (almost 8 years now).

Earlier this year I got a new phone (a Motorola) so I will be transitioning over to that one full time. I'm glad I'm on Vodafone because they've been one of the last networks to discontinue BlackBerry. It meant I could hold onto my beloved BB for longer!

Anyway, I think since this is a post about letting go, it was relevant to mention that, lol.

Resolutions/Intentions/Goals

I've previously written about setting New Year's resolutions, intentions and goals, and the difference between them all (see Letting Go of 2017 and Letting Go of 2018). I didn't set any intentions at the beginning of 2021, but this year I've set one. Some years I choose a Word of the Year. I didn't for 2021, so I'll see if I feel inspired to choose one for 2022. I think it's important not to put pressure on yourself, around that or any other aspect of New Year. It can be a depressing time for some people. I prefer Christmas myself and find the start of January quite dreary. So, we should try to go easy on ourselves. :)

If you do feel inspired to set intentions, here's a post from Catherine of The Blissful Mind on daily intentions: https://theblissfulmind.com/daily-intentions/

You could also apply it yearly, for your New Year intentions.

Update 2/1/22: I just came across this post from Jess Carlson about creating intentions instead of resolutions: https://jesscarlson.com/intentions-over-resolutions/

 

And if you'd like to choose a Word of the Year, check out this post by Dominee who runs Blessing Manifesting (soon to be Self-Love Rainbow): https://www.selfloverainbow.com/my-word-of-the-year-for-2022-a-name-change/

Update 11/6/22: I've updated the Blessing Manifesting link to the new address.

You can find some links in last year's post too. 

So that's about it for now. Hope this post helped you if you're also wishing to reflect on and/or release 2021. I hope that everyone is doing ok and you had a good Christmas or any other festival you celebrated. :)

I'll end this with a link to a post with some suggestions for making the most of the liminal time of New Year's Eve: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/witchindeed/2021/12/new-years-eve-make-use-of-the-liminal-time/

 

How was your 2021? Happy New Year! Wishing you a happy, peaceful start to 2022. :)  

Photo: Buckingham Park, Shoreham-by-sea. Moonsparkle 2021.