Creating Your Year

Empowerment Lab: Creating Your New Year – January 13, 2024

MEntity:

Hello to each of you. We are here, now. We can begin.

We have been asked to speak on the topic of "creating your year" in terms of sustaining a momentum of conscious intention that can yield results within a time frame.

We think one of the more powerful and empowering approaches to creating your year is to approach this effort with a similar approach to how Essence creates a lifetime. 

Creating your year in the same way that Essence creates a lifetime is a delicate balance between direct action and intention vs broad support and adaptability.

We caution against using the new year as a way to set new "resolutions." This is a practice that has come to be collectively accepted as the equivalent to empty promises.

To begin creating your year in similar fashion as Essence creating a lifetime, we would suggest that you determine your "life task" for the year. To do so, one must avoid such statements as "I want to exercise more." Or "I want to lose weight." Or "I want to publish a book," or "I want to make more money," or "I want to find a mate," etc.

Instead, look at such statements and see beyond the specific manifestation or intent and into the essence of the statement.

For example, using Troy's intention for the year, "I want to publish a book", the Task here is more authentically and directly about Troy refining his focus, or following through, or completing a goal. The book is part of this, but at the heart, the essence of the year, it could be said that Troy's Task is actually to "prioritize passion."

To prioritize passion allows room for all of the variables of passion that fuel the inspiration, expression, and action of the year.

This allows a day where passion may be something different from publishing a book, but this is not a distraction. This is a variable that is accounted for so that the focus in not lost on the more specific intention. When variables are not accounted for in the Tasks of a lifetime or year, then everything becomes a distraction, disruption, or counter to the specific intent.

For clarification and differentiation, we will refer to your broad task for the year as a TIME TASK.

LAB ASSIGNMENT ONE: before determining your Time Task, we invite you to share an example of the more specific intentions that have come to mind for you to accomplish, create, find, etc. in 2024. How would you describe your primary intent for 2024? Respond below.

For example, Troy's is to "publish a book."

CrystalD: My intent is to DO, take action, and use my moving center to actually get things DONE

Maureen: Clear the clutter

JanetE: Right now I’m calling it “pay attention to my plumbing” -- this is in response to a dream I discussed with you. 

Uma: to clean out my garage

JanetE: very practical Uma!

PetraB: o be more relaxed in my bodies, and to exude more kindness/gentleness.

Kurtis: I have a few specific intentions. If you want me to share one. I guess I'll share the intent to write a cherished story I put on the backburner for years.

CrystalD: I maybe wasn’t clear, sorry, but i want to get shit done instead of just thinking about it or planning it or wishing for it

Maureen: Clutter (to me) speaks to every level of my bodies -- not just my personal space. I love how when you clear out a space it clears our emotional and intellectual spaces, as well. 

MEntity: Would Diane wish to respond?

DianeHB: Mine is to write my book, but with the additional intention of having ease around writing and other creative projects.

MEntity: LAB ONE RESPONSE: what we will do from here is suggest and offer our perspective of your intentions in terms of a Time Task. You can then refine our suggestion from there if it does not suit you or resonate. Our responses are only suggestions.

Maureen: Michael, would you offer one for Troy, as well?

MEntity: CRYSTAL: based on your specific intent, we can see that there is avoidance involved around your doing because the approach is often through a reward/punishment dynamic. With no clear idea of reward, there is only punishment. Punishment comes in the form of disappointment, defeat, procrastination, avoidance, scolding, shame, etc. These have come to be so familiar that they are expected, especially when reward is unclear and profoundly unfamiliar. What we suggest then is to move beyond the punishment/reward dynamic and think differently about actions. For you, we can suggest a Time Task of "MAKE ROOM FOR SURPRISES." This shifts the dynamic out of a binary approach and moves you into more of a state of curiosity that opens up the future. It is no longer about punishment/reward, but about "what's next". This can help sustain action when punishment is not weighing you down.

CrystalD: Thank you, Michaels, helpful and very clarifying.

MEntity: MAUREEN: We understand the symbolism of the clutter and its correlation to the bodies, and this is meaningful. What we can suggest as your Time Task is "RE-CREATE HOME." We offer this up because clearing the clutter is your way of returning home, returning to you, to your center. However, rather than this simply being a task to accomplish in terms of returning to a state, allow room for creativity and change so that your return to home, your return to you brings something new.

Maureen: I like that!

MEntity: JANET: we can suggest to you in terms of your "paying attention to your plumbing" that your Time Task may be "CHANGE SOMETHING." This is a broad task that speaks to a year of exploration, experimentation, testing, and playing with ideas and directions that may bring something very different to your life. We suggest this because it would shift the focus away from policing, or monitoring or even worry about "your plumbing" and move more into a state of adventurous enthusiasm.

JanetE: Yes, I’m not worrying so much as trying to be more mindful of my food intake and my actions (or lack thereof). I like your method of describing it better. 

MEntity: UMA: To "clean out my garage" is daunting and highly symbolic, regardless of its quite practical reality. We can suggest that your Time Task be "TO LOVE THE PAST." This is a task that would allow the approach to cleaning your garage be a matter of healing, a matter of acknowledgement to the cumulative effects of the past while lovingly allowing it to be released.

Uma: That's great. Thanks, Michael. I originally wrote To feel more, experience life more richly in every moment, expand my awareness--but then I thought you wanted something more specific. Your suggestion is perfect.

MEntity: PETRA: Your intention is to be more relaxed in your bodies and exude more kindness and gentleness. We can suggest that your Time Task is to "REMEMBER WHO I AM." Rather than trying harder or overcoming reactions that you may feel are tense, unkind, or harsh, we think the invitation to remember who you are brings you quickly back into focus so that the noise of reactions do not drown you out. When you find yourself reacting or behaving in ways that you feel could be kinder, gentler, and more relaxed, it may be helpful to simply remember who you are, which is all of these.

PetraB: Thank You, makes sense!

MEntity: KURTIS: one of your intentions is to write your cherished story that has been put off for years. We think this is an intention because if you could complete this, it would mean things are better, or at least "ok" in your life to such an extent to allow time, space, and energy to create. When life is challenged by distractions, survival, and major life choices, such a focus on creativity can be "used up" on all of these challenges. With this in mind, we could suggest that your Time Task be described as "TO FEEL SAFE." This shifts the project away from simply being a task that you want to squeeze in between distractions and it becomes an important puzzle that you are piecing together to nurture safety. Every word you write is a proclamation of your safety. Every word you write is a moment of trust. Every opportunity to write is no longer seen as something taking you away from obligations, but refueling your strength for those obligations.

Kurtis: That's surprisingly deep. It is true. I do want to feel safe. I would not have previously thought of my story being related to that. life has been exhausting. I suppose you are right that my creativity was used up on all of that survival stuff.

MEntity: DIANE: You described your intention as basically writing your book with ease. All of your intent is focused on sustaining a reframing of your efforts so that your creativity is fulfilling and meaningful without stress. This has been a long path of rehabilitation and recovery from imprinting and it is serving you well. However, for this Time Task, we can suggest that you bring another element into play. We suggest that your Time Task be described as "TO FIND OUT." This shifts the emphasis away from discipline and monitoring and more toward curiosity and play. Find out what happens when you write your book. Find out what happens when you take your time. Find out what happens when you panic but recover. Find out what is on the other side. Bring adventure and play into the equation so that deadlines are organic and natural rather than pressure points.

DianeHB: I really like that!

MEntity: All of what we have shared with you are only suggestions. Each you may find better ways to restate your Time Task, but these are helpful starting points. Having your Time Task as a centering point can help you to steer yourself back on track when you feel you have been defeated or distracted or challenged.

Maureen: Michael, would you include a suggestion for Troy?

MEntity: 

This is how your own Life Tasks work. Essence never loses out on the fulfillment of a Life Task because when the task is broad, variations and creativity add to that fulfillment. 

Maureen, we already did. We suggested "prioritize passion."

Maureen: I see!! Thank you. Too much clutter in my mind getting in the way

MEntity: 

This concept of the Time Task can allow you to be in on your creation of your year rather than only an enthusiastic race car driver launching from the starting line only to veer off course and crash along the way. If the finish line is the only goal, failure and lack of fulfillment can dominate. This is not a bad thing, but it can be unpleasant. However, if "racing" is the goal, or the task, then the finish line is only a part of the point. Racing is where the thrill and joy are fulfilled.

In addition to the Time Task, we suggest two other factors for you to add to your year as part of your empowered creativity:

In keeping with your year being created in a similar fashion as a lifetime, it would be helpful for you to "check in" with yourselves at least once a month with a kind report. This is NOT for you to compare where you are with where you wish to be. Instead, allow these reports to reflect all that you have done to fulfill your Time Task. It may be in many ways that you find your Task is being fulfilled. The reason we suggest this is because you benefit from the truth of your experiences more so than you do from the repetition of your unreached goals.

Allow these reports to be kind and to be creative. Look at all of the ways you prioritized passion, or felt safe, or found out, or remembered yourself, etc. It may be only one thing, but it counts and adds to your empowerment.

This is the equivalent of an akashic records update. Your akashic records updates are not overflowing with disappointments and failures. They are always full of all that mattered and most disappointments and failures matter far less than one would expect.

The other factor for you to incorporate in creating your year is love yourself as Essence, not as an employee. You did not hire you. You ARE you. Essence is never disappointed in a lifetime because eons of experience has proven that every Personality lives and dies to the greatest of their abilities and sometimes these exceed expectations and sometimes, they do not, but they never disappoint. It can be helpful for you to take this approach to creating your year. You are not out to avoid disappointment. You are not out to fulfill the task of a boss. You are here to live, to experience, and all that goes into your year is a part of that. However, the year ends, a new one will carry those experiences forward.

In loving yourself as Essence loves a lifetime, you live as Essence. And in living as Essence, you cannot go "wrong."

We must conclude here for today. We look forward to what your year brings. We already know that each of you succeed in more ways than you may know at the moment, though we suspect each of you know this on some level or you would not be here to remember the truth of your part in creating a year, creating a life. 

Good day to each of you. Goodbye, for now.