Letting Go of 2023

 

It's the end of the year, so it's time for my annual letting go post! I've written them for 6 years now and 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

Letting Go of 2021: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/12/letting-go-of-2021.html

Letting Go of 2022: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2023/01/letting-go-of-2022.html

 

The end of 2022 wasn't very good for me (due to personal reasons), as I mentioned in the previous Letting Go post. And 2023 didn't start off that well. But it got better further into the year. I also write a mid-year reflections post and you can read 2023's here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2023/06/mid-2023-reflections.html

If you follow numerology, the Universal Year Number for 2023 was 7, so 2024's is 8. Its themes are empowerment, manifestation and abundance. It's supposed be an "accelerator" year, which will help people push forward on their goals. You can read more about it here: https://astrostyle.com/8-universal-year-2024-numerology-horoscope/

My Personal Year Number for 2023 was 2, which is about partnerships and co-operation. I felt a bit of a shift in that area but not a huge amount. My number for 2024 is 3, which is about creativity and communication. I normally use the book 21st Century Goddess for my year number, but I also use this resource occasionally (it helps you calculate your personal year): https://feliciabender.com/monthly-numerology-forecast/#calculate 

 

Reflections

So, I as mentioned above, the year didn't start out that well for me. But then it got better later.  I've said in the past that it can take me a while to feel "settled" into the year anyway. 

I didn't do a lot during the first quarter of 2023, apart from going to Action for Happiness' Happy Cafe meetups about once a month. I previously went before the pandemic and stared attending their Brighton meetups in September last year. I did also go to a belly dance workshop with Lianna Greene in February, which I enjoyed.

I didn't have a working computer from early April to August, which made things a bit more difficult,. But I was able to still use my phone for most things, including blogging. I was glad to get a new computer in  the summer.

Around the middle of the year onwards I got back into park walks, although not quite as regularly as I was doing them. I also did more belly dancing in September and October, a workshop with Katie Holland and a class with Nadia Undine. 

I've been writing quarterly updates (like in other years) on my seasonal living blog The Seasonal Life. You can see my summer-autumn update here and links to the previous posts (I haven't written the autumn-winter one yet): https://livingseasonal.blogspot.com/2023/10/summer-autumn-update-2023-happy-samhain.html

Blogging wise, I wrote a similar number of posts to the past couple of years, 16. It was Falling Petals 10th birthday in February and I wrote a post about that, which you can see here: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2023/02/falling-petals-10th-birthday-fave-posts.html

In addition to my monthly gratitude lists, I wrote two more posts- my mid-year reflections and Finding a Way Forward. I just haven't felt that inspired this year but I do plan to write more posts in 2024. I was more active over on my entertainment blog Star Sparkle Blog and The Seasonal Life.

In national/world news there was the coronation of King Charles in May, who took over as monarch after his mother Queen Elizabeth II died last year. I saw some of the TV coverage. It still feels weird to have a king instead of a queen, even over a year later! Charles' wife Camilla became Queen instead of Queen Consort after the coronation  but it feels a bit odd to think of her as Queen now. (Not that I have anything against her.) 

We had no "Prime Minister hopping" like last year, when we had 3 within the space of a year! So things were a bit more stable on that front.

War continued in Ukraine and other regions, and the Israel-Hamas coflict escalated into full scale war in the Middle East in October. To be honest, I don't know too much about what's going on in Gaza and the history (I've been learning about it), so I won't comment too much. I just want to say that any kind of war is just horrible and there have been multiple losses on  both sides. I don't think anyone really "wins" in these situations.

In my Mid-2023 Reflections post, I wrote a bit about how I find racial issues especially hard to deal with as a mixed race (black and white person). And also, about how there seems to be little mainstream support for mixed people, even from those who claim to be in favour of "social justice".

Recently South African singer Tyla has "sparked debate" online, due to her racial identity, which further highlighted the issue and how little understanding there is for those of us who don't fit into a monoracial box. She is coloured (South African mixed race) and some people (primarily Americans) have objected to her using the term. 

While I understand that in America particularly "colored" has a different meaning and is considered offensive, it's not the only reason for the objections. Part of is it the fact that she identifies as a person with mixed heritage and many people don't like that. But coloured is a whole identity of its own and can't (and shouldn't) be shoved into a one race or alternative box just to make others happy.

Personally, I'm happy when I see celebrities proud to identify as mixed race/people of mixed heritage. I hope that in the future more mixed people are able to be comfortable with and supported in their identity. :) 

Releasing

2023 was up and down for me. I found that my depression and anxiety varied. I was really feeling down around the beginning of the year and then I went through quite an anxious time in the summer with health anxiety. In the Letting Go of 2022 post, I wrote that while this time of year has a "New Year, New You!" attitude, I don't believe in pushing yourself to feel good when you don't. Sometimes it's good to just sit with your feelings and go easy on yourself. 

If you feel like doing something in particular to release/let go of your year, I've written about ways to do that in previous year-end posts. You can find them in the links at the top of the post, or by clicking here, here and here. And also check out the 2021 post: https://fallingpetalsuk.blogspot.com/2021/12/letting-go-of-2021.html

I find that writing these posts helps, just reflecting back on things. Writing (or brain dumping) can be cathartic. 

 

Here are some more resources to help you let go of the year: 

Visit this link to download Susannah Conway's free Unravel Your Year workbook for 2024, plus a section  for finding your Word of the Year (more on that below): https://www.susannahconway.com/unravel

New Year Reset Guide from Diana of The Chic Life: https://thechiclife.com/2023/12/new-year-reset.html

Lavendaire New Year Planning video with journal prompts for reflecting on and resetting for the new year: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix0CKoNUM_A

 

I'll probably work through some of these slowly over the next few days.  

 

Resolutions/Intentions/Goals

In past posts I've written about setting resolutions, intentions and goals (and the difference between them all). For more on that visit the Letting Go of 2017 and Letting Go of 2018 posts.

I've chosen a Word of the Year some years, most recently in 2022, which was "Amazing". However, I don't always feel that they work that well for me, so I didn't choose one for 2023. I'm not sure if I will pick a word for 2024 yet. I don't know if I'll set any intentions for the year either. I did set an intention in early January about knowing that my dreams are possible. I felt a bit of a shift in that area but not a huge one. So I'll see how I feel.

For more on choosing a Word of the Year, visit these posts: 

How to choose a word of the year: https://slowlivingldn.com/journal/pause-dwell/choosing-a-word-of-the-year/

Post from Dominee of Self-Love Rainbow about her 2023 word  + words from previous years, plus a link to a post about choosing your own: https://www.selfloverainbow.com/my-word-of-the-year-for-2023

Dominee's word for 2024: https://www.selfloverainbow.com/my-word-of-the-year-for-2024/

 

Susannah Conway also includes a guide for finding your word, along with the free download of her Unravel Your Year workbook. 

Also, here are some more links to help you move forward in the new year (at your own pace: 

New Year journal prompts (The Chic Life): https://thechiclife.com/2023/12/new-year-journal-prompts.html

Video from Devi Sietaram about reality shifting into 2024 (Law of Attraction/Law of Assumption related): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcBK7BnnnWs

How to Create a Better Year in 2024- New Year Journaling (video from Lavendaire): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DuI4V73uSg

2024 Goals: New Year Planning and Goal Setting (Lavendaire): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UekQ6qZ9GPw 

 

So that's it for now. I hope that everyone is doing well and had a good Christmas or other festival that you celebrated. Or if you're not doing so well, I hope that things improve. :) Hopefully you found this post helpful if you've been wanting to release the old year and/or set intentions for the new one. 

How was your 2023? Happy New Year! Wishing you a happy and peaceful start to 2024. :) 

Photo: Hove Park. Moonsparkle 2023.