Welcoming January 2011!

In this month’s forecast, Lena Stevens, author and co-founder
of an international school and consulting firm dedicated to
the study and application of shamanism and wisdom, reveals
influences and opportunities to take advantage of.

Click here to access the full monthly commentary that you
can print and reference!

Below is an excerpt from the commentary.

The main theme for January is RESETTING PRIORITIES.
We are now under a new set of influences and themes. As the trends of 2010 have started their exodus as primary motivators and the new trends have begun to settle in, we are inspired to take the creative artisan energy of the last year and begin to use it in realigning our relationship with service. We want our lives to not just be creative but purposeful, growing us towards a deeper satisfaction around what we are actually doing here on the planet. In December, the influences were internal, transitional, re evaluating, and very focused on maintaining on a personal level.  The moving center of 2010 stepped aside allowing the emotional center to flow in as the primary influence for 2011. Many of you may have felt unfocused, unproductive, aimless, tired, subdued and possibly even un-inspired as the moving centered artisan influence of 2010 released its primary position. Now we have an adjustment period as we realign ourselves with what we have chosen for this year. For a time it may still feel like we are under the influence of the artisan as there is definitely the creative desire for expression. However the artisan is not running the show but rather becomes part of the foundation that is in service to the server role of the year.


One of the first things on the agenda for 2011 is to reset your priorities. Spirit has given you many clues and messages over the past months regarding what should be important in your life, where you should be putting your energy and intention, what needs to be let go of as it is of an old paradigm, and what you should be doing and with whom. Some of you have been better than others about listening to these hints and actually taking the steps to reinvent yourselves in a way more aligned with spirit. Therefore some of you will feel a surge of energy this month that should enhance this alignment and open opportunities for self-expression, support and the experience of service. The experience of service is not only related to how you can serve others and the planet, but also addresses how you can be served and how you are presently served by spirit, your allies, the elementals and all of nature.  There is definitely a potential in this alignment for a higher centered experience of life, connection, and all things being really “right”.

If you have not been great at listening and feel your life is somewhat less than you would like it to be, it is never too late to discard those attachments and to choose resolutions that will put you back on track. We are still under the influence of the very powerful winter solstice, eclipse and Full Moon, and will be until the New Moon on January 4 that comes with a partial solar eclipse. The time frame between two eclipses, especially when they are accompanied by other very powerful alignments, is always very potent and should be used proactively to set your intentions and to get things moving in the right direction. If you have been feeling unmotivated, lethargic and unfocused, that could change just before this New Moon when we should experience a surge of energy. Make sure this surge does not scatter you into chaos and negativity, but rather gives you some needed fuel to move forward in the right direction. If you have your priorities set straight you should experience more energy, enthusiasm, inspiration and movement. Pay attention to the intuitive wisdom of the emotional center and the synchronicity it produces. Don’t let the questioning mind get in the way of what you know to be emotionally true. Pay attention to the signs of spirit and don’t argue with or resist what is obvious.

The resetting of priorities this month will definitely be addressed, whether proactively by your decisions and choices, or not so proactively where you end up at the effect of someone else’s decisions and choices. For example, if you know you are in the wrong work situation but have not had the courage to do something about it, a decision may be made for you where you end up out of that work situation through a medical condition, being let go or some other unpleasant circumstance. Take the resetting of priorities this month seriously as there is a rather large engine of energy that wants to propel all of us in the right direction.  Evaluate where you are with your priorities and be truthful about what needs resetting. It may be that you will have to give something up or disappoint someone or take a risk. But if it is the right decision, you will know it.

Since we are under the influence of the emotional center, these decisions of what is “right” for you cannot be fully intellectual. The knowingness must come from another more intuitive place. This is especially challenging for those of you who are not as comfortable with the emotional center and who are used to relying on your rational mind for your answers and problem solving abilities. This is a time when little can be actually solved by “thinking it through”. It is better to use the capacity of the mind in support of the decisions of the intuitive self. Watch out for the obstacles of Self-deprecation and Martyrdom as they try to discourage and disregard what you feel as insignificant, wrong or unworthy. Watch the mind as it strives for control through these obstacles. Trust and hope may be uncharted waters for you but they may be all that is left in some situations.

Remember that what is right for you will also be influenced by the server role of the year.  Re evaluate your motivations for anything you do and any situation you are in. Have the courage to change your mind, say no or yes, and to open yourselves to receive the support and service available to you. The era of going at it alone to prove your strength, power and independence from others is over. This is a time of building trust, receiving support, and collaborating with others. Resetting your priorities should always include putting yourselves first in line to be served by spirit and to receive what is available to you.  Sometimes it is difficult to see through to what is your priority over what is someone else’s priority. In partnership you may have to compromise and support and honor another’s priority at the same time as supporting and honoring your own. This requires a balance so that there is an equal exchange. Often to make a collaboration work, all parties need to be supported equally in a give and take exchange especially when it comes to what is most important. What is most important to you may not what is most important to another and vice versa. Coming up with a balance where everyone gets their needs met and their importance honored will create a balance and bring the spirit of service into any partnership. The main thing is never to give all your power away and compromise yourself completely as this will only lead to resentment and Martyrdom. At the same time, if you are a person who does not make a point of considering what is important to others, this could be an opportunity for you to improve your partnerships by doing so.
Let’s look at some of the specific areas you may need to reset priorities and what it may mean for you if you do it successfully and what it may mean if you don’t.

To read about the influences this month on your finances,
relationships and health, click here to read the full commentary.