{"id":46236731,"date":"2021-12-28T14:00:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-28T14:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/?p=46236731"},"modified":"2021-12-28T14:00:40","modified_gmt":"2021-12-28T14:00:40","slug":"the-illuminating-spark-looking-back-and-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/?p=46236731","title":{"rendered":"The Illuminating Spark: Looking Back and Forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reflections on the past year and the possibilities of the new year.<\/h2>
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(Image description: Shining star lanterns hang from the branches of bare, silhouetted trees at dusk.) Credit: Photo by Filip Bunkens<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>

It\u2019s less than a week until the start of 2022, and this peculiarly liminal time has me thinking back on what happened over the past year and about what the future holds in the new year.<\/p>

2021 has been an eventful year in regards to health, both my own, with loved ones, and the world in general. There\u2019s still a lot of uncertainty on the horizon, and I\u2019ve been handling it as best as I can.<\/p>

Amid all of this, I found myself leaning on Brighid, even if I didn\u2019t feel Her presence at times. There were times I felt agitated with Her at having developed cancer. I was scared and might face such feelings again. The cancer was removed, but I will have to remain vigilant in the chance of it returning.<\/p>

With all of these health issues, there\u2019s been plenty of opportunity for doubt to slip into hope\u2019s place. Faith can falter, but it\u2019s also a lifesaver in the dark, churning sea. This sort of experience is consistent with human nature in its highs and lows.<\/p>

I know some parts of the next year won\u2019t be easy, but there will also likely be good times during it. I hope to cherish them and possibly learn from the events that will happen.<\/p>

On a brighter note, this newsletter just passed its six month anniversary. When I initially started it, I wasn\u2019t sure if I would be able to consistently post or find things to share. I\u2019m glad I have been able to write something every week for myself and for my audience.<\/p>

I\u2019m still brainstorming on what I want to write about in the next year. Some of it will relate to seasonal changes and holidays. There will be more poetry, as it has become a staple for me. While I’ve been writing for myself, you can leave a comment about what you liked best in the posts I\u2019ve written so far.<\/p>

As I mentioned a while ago, I have a poem that is published in the upcoming anthology Brigid\u2019s Light: Tending the Ancestral Flame of the Beloved Celtic Goddess<\/a>. It will be released this coming March, so I will be sharing more information about it in the next few months.<\/p>

I don\u2019t do divination every day, usually only when the mood strikes me. The card I drew recently was the Dandelion card, related to the gift of illumination. Its message of opening the heart and allowing the light in from said illumination feels like a fitting message for welcoming 2022, with all of its uncertainties.<\/p>

According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, one definition of illumination is the state of being illuminated, in which clarity, information, and insight are brought forth with a great brightness. I hope that this newsletter has provided some illumination in your lives, and may it continue to do so in 2022!<\/p>

Happy New Year to you and yours! May the coming year bring health, happiness, and fulfillment!<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Reflections on the past year and the possibilities of the new year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-46236731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46236731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=46236731"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46236731\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=46236731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=46236731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.illuminatingspark.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=46236731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}