Dear Reader,
As this calendar year draws to a close, many of us will begin to notice a familiar wave of messages filling our inboxes and social media feeds.
Ads telling us that a new year means it’s time for a new you.
Webinars promising to fix your limiting beliefs or clear your money blocks.
Messaging centered around becoming who you are finally meant to be.
And beneath all of it is an unspoken implication:
that we have somehow failed, that something is wrong with us, and that we need to be fixed.
The self-help loops begin.
I know this cycle well—because I’ve been there.
And because, at times, I have even used these very tactics myself.
We are taught to believe that if we just work harder, believe harder, manifest better, or do more inner work, we will finally arrive at the place we long to be. But what I have come to understand is this:
We keep searching inward for solutions when much of what we are struggling with is born from systemic conditions designed to make us feel broken.
Your personal struggles are not personal failures.
The systems we live within—and were born into—were specifically designed to create this sense of inadequacy and disconnection.
So what I want to offer you instead is a way to reclaim your power.
A way to redirect your energy not inward in self-criticism, but outward toward what it is you want to create.
Please don’t misunderstand me—there is always some inner work to be done. But in my experience, this work is less about fixing and more about unlearning. More about remembering and reclaiming.
Because there is nothing inherently wrong with you.
You have simply internalized what these systems have taught you to internalize.
And now, it is time to create something new.
I also want to acknowledge that 2024 may have been a difficult year for many of you. There may have been loss, financial hardship, illness, or grief. goodness know the state of the world has a great deal of suffering in it. If that is true for you, I invite you to bring all of it here.
Rather than pushing it away, allow it to be present.
This is not about bypassing reality.
It is about accepting it, feeling it, healing it—
calling back what is yours and releasing what is not.
With that intention, I offer you this simple ritual.
A Year-End Reclamation Ritual
(It may be good to read through this first and then do the ritual)
- Begin by looking through your photos from 2024. Gently review the year that has passed. Let whatever arises simply be. Let it land in your heart.
- When you feel complete, close your eyes and take a few slow, deep breaths. Tune into the rhythm of your breath and allow yourself to fully meet yourself in this moment.
- In your mind’s eye, imagine a path that leads you into a beautiful wooded area.To your left, a small flowing river. To your right, rich green foliage.
We are going to take a stroll down memory lane—a year in review—beginning with January 2024.
As you walk, ask yourself:
- What do you see?
- What did you feel?
- What parts of yourself did you leave behind?
- Where did you make yourself smaller?
- Where did you abandon your authority?
- Where did you give yourself away?
- Where did you apologize for taking up space?
- What emotions did you shut down?
You do not need a new version of yourself.
You need to reclaim one part of yourself that was left behind.
When you find it, say out loud:
“I call you back.”
- When you feel complete with January, move on to the next month. Continue down the path, month by month, until you arrive in December.
- When you have finished calling these parts of yourself back, return your awareness to your breath. Slowly begin to come back into the present moment.
- Feel your body.
Wiggle your fingers and toes.
Touch your body and say:“I am here. I am back.”Say goodbye to 2024 and thank it for all that it has given you.
- Notice the room around you. Feel your space.
Make a sound—any sound—and gently open your eyes.
Optional Integration Part 1:
If you feel called to go deeper, take out your journal and reflect:
- What parts of yourself did you call back?
- What are you letting go of to make space for these parts?
- What new truths or understandings did you receive?
When you are done, offer it all up to be transmuted. You can do this by safely placing the paper in fire, burying it in the earth, or dissolving it in water.
Remember: you are not broken.
You are evolving.
You now carry wisdom and knowledge that you did not have at the beginning of this year.
Take a moment to honor yourself—and those who have loved and supported you along the way.
May you allow yourself to fully receive.
Optional Integration Part 2:
If it feels supportive, put on the following song and allow your body to shake, move, or breathe out whatever is ready to be released and claim through dance what you are calling back.
Song: Once Again by Hang Massive
My Invitation for 2026
As I begin to listen for what wants to be created next year, I want to hear from you.
If I could offer you something in 2026 that would genuinely support you, what would it be?
You can reply to this email or send me a message and reflect on any of the following:
- What kind of support are you craving right now?
- What feels hardest to hold alone?
- What would feel nourishing rather than overwhelming?
- Do you want community, guidance, ritual, structure, rest, embodiment, clarity, or something else entirely?
- What would make you feel more resourced, grounded, and sovereign?
Your answers will help shape what I offer next—and I would be honored to receive them.
With much love and blessing and always with you on the journey,
Teresa
|