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I Pledge
Although the process of launching oneself into the New Year is deeply personal, I find it valuable to read what other people are doing and use it to measure and construct my own launching point. In the spirit of drawing a map and accountability, I am sharing the end result of my retreat.
Let me back up a minute: every year around January 1, I do some kind of self-directed retreat. I take a couple of days away from home and most electronics to review what I need to review and do some deep reading and writing.
I do this with full awareness that the date is pretty arbitrary. I could just as easily choose to reflect around the time of my birthday, or the solstice, or any number of turning points.
This year, I chose to work with the process outlined in Journey to the Dark Goddess by Jane Meredith. The process is a long preparation for a ritual journey to the Underworld, following the myths of Inanna, Persephone, and Psyche. I recommend finding the book for more information.
In short, a large part of the ritual involves symbolically giving up certain aspects of your self, then taking them back transformed. What I am sharing with you here are my pledges to myself, which I made after taking back everything I gave up on the journey. This is my plan (such as it is) for the next little while. I hope they can also spark some recognition in you.