A branch of Eastern pine hangs over the desk on which I type this. Curving gracefully up and then down, it lends the space a rustic, natural feel, mirrored on the other end of the desk by a vase of thuja fronds. Candles glow on pedestals and in glass votives, flickering their warm light over the cozily-angled ceiling and white panel walls. A sparse Christmas tree, bedecked by an old-fashioned string of bulbous Christmas lights, emits a soft ambient light, instantly recalling holidays from childhood, reaching that far back into memory in happy, jarring fashion.
It’s a mistake to consider a single blog post as the indicator for the entire year to come, despite what I’ve professed in previous New Year’s Day entries. Still, it’s nice to set a theme or propose a tone, and with the way the world seems to be going, I’m going to put forth this manifesto for calm and peace as the aspirational goal for the new year ahead. One of the main components of manifestation is simply putting the idea into the universe – a public declaration of intent, a call of all mystical entities and spirits to help us along the journey. If we create the wish for calm and serenity, we create the place of possibility for it to exist. From there it’s just a matter of making it happen. Seems so simple… yet for every and any intention to come to fruition, one must follow up with work and diligence and consistent upkeep. It is not enough to wish and hope, and too many entitled people think it is.
Looking back at previous New Year beginnings is proof that no matter how much I may wish for things to go a certain way, the universe will always find its own path, and it’s best to go along with the natural push and pull of things with a bit of nudging instead of hard-fast and unyielding determination. It’s good to be flexible in today’s world. Hell, after the past two years it’s become mandatory, because in too many ways we have no choice or say in the matter – the only thing we control is how we react or respond or live within a situation. There’s a certain freedom and peace when you genuinely realize that.
And so we begin another year – which in a few weeks will mark the 19thanniversary of this website. We will keep things low-key, and if we manage to make it to 20, we’ll go fucking crazy. Happy New Year!
