Shedding the Old, Welcoming the New
This quiet stretch between Christmas and New Year’s Eve has always been one of my favorite weeks of the year.
Christmas has come and gone in all its joy and tenderness. The preparations are complete, the gatherings have softened into memory, and we’ve already granted ourselves permission to indulge—rest, sweetness, late mornings, second helpings.
Time seems to slow—almost as if it’s offering us one last invitation to pause.
A time in the in-between, a liminal space where nothing is being asked of us yet, offering us a quiet clearing before the momentum of new intentions, fresh hopes, and emerging dreams begins to gather.
This moment feels especially potent as we close in on the end of the Year of the Wood Snake—a year of shedding skins, releasing old identities, wriggling free from patterns that no longer fit. It hasn’t always been comfortable. Letting go rarely is. Yet here we are— perhaps lighter, wiser, a bit more exposed, and far more honest.
For more insight into this year of shedding, check out this article in Substack, The Year Everything Ends at Once. I found it extremely applicable. Will you?
Ahead of us awaits the Year of the Fire Horse—all movement, momentum, courage, and bold forward motion. A year that will ask us to rise, to commit, to run toward what feels alive and true.
But not yet.
This week is the threshold between the two.
The stillness after the shedding and before the charge.
A quiet space to feel what remains once the old skin is fully released—and to sense what kind of energy you wish to carry forward.
May you savor this silence.
May you resist the urge to rush ahead.
May you listen for what’s quietly forming beneath the surface.
Not what you should do next—but how you wish to apply yourself to the coming year.
What wants to be tended with care?
What deserves your energy, devotion, and love?
Let this timeless week whisper its wisdom as you pause and listen.
MEDITATION | Loving Kindness
This guided Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta) invites you to soften into compassion—for yourself, for loved ones, for neutral acquaintances, and even for those you find difficult. Through gentle phrases and mindful breathing, you’ll cultivate resilience, ease, and a deep sense of connection with all beings. Perfect for calming the mind, opening the heart, and remembering our shared humanity. Sit or lie down, get comfortable, and let this practice guide you into love, kindness, and peace..
