A new month and a new year begins. For us here in the Sierra Nevada it was a pretty dramatic shift, as a big storm came the morning of New Year’s Eve and didn’t stop until very early morning of New Year’s Day. It brought us three feet of fresh snow at our elevation and made for a quiet, cozy, and relaxing last day of 2022.

Up until that day we were receiving a lot of rain, on and off, for several days and a full downpour day just before things turned to snow. We’ve been grateful for a mild Summer of very little smoke, no closely threatening fires, and now a really good Autumn into Winter of rising moisture and snow pack levels.

In fact, we created a different kind of last week of the year for ourselves since the rain wasn’t optimal for certain adventures and our ski passes were blacked out anyway for the busiest week of the year. And on Thursday we actually traveled to Sacramento for a change of scenery and energy. We spent the late morning on a 5 mile walk along the river, followed by catching one of the last days of the Van Gogh immersive exhibit (it was ending on the 31st), and enjoying a yummy vegan lunch before driving back home.

This had us surrounded in mossy, mushroom, river rock, and tree landscapes, a lot of different kinds of birds, giant salmon, and misty air. We also found a lot of chestnuts on the ground, including many beginning to sprout. Dave picked up five of them with hopes we can grow them at home and later plant our little trees.

On New Year’s Eve we got them into a pot with good soil, tied it up with a bag, and away they sprout! Perfect symbolism for the end/start of years.

The stand-out to me from our river walk was the large groups of turkey vultures lining the trees at the edge of the river. Many of them airing their wet wings and just calmly watching us. There was even a group surrounding a Great Blue Heron and one in particular that I connected with. This is him.

Their message of patient rebirth is what stood out to me (personally and collectively) and that things would be morphing in mysterious ways.

The Van Gogh exhibit was interesting. The energy I received in processing his life experiences and art went along with the day for sure, and even the year. I didn’t recall most of the stories about him, as it has been 30 years since my Art History classes at FIDM. So it all felt fresh and looking upon his work was equally so, as well as brought up some poignant, but resolute feelings. So much of his story felt tied in with the collective’s process and how things are now releasing and moving into a different narrative potential.

Dave asked me to sit in the bedroom exhibit so he could take a photo, which is fashioned after Van Gogh’s bedroom at 2, Place Lamartine in Arles, Bouches-du-Rhône, France, known as the Yellow House, and so I did, as you can see below. I just so happened to feel like being incognito that day and other than the sequined bunny on my chest, I seemed to fade into the surroundings. I also felt like I was integrating and processing much of Van Gogh’s experiences.

Van Gogh painted three versions of the bedroom. It is one of his most esteemed paintings and a painting he wrote to his brother with great personal enthusiasm about, saying “I think this bedroom is my best work.” It is a reminder of the calm before the storm, as what followed is considered one of the most explosive periods in art history.

My favorite part of the exhibit was the immersive room where Dave and I laid in reclining chairs to take in the images and narratives that were all around us. This is a look at the room upon entering, before we tucked ourselves in to experience it.

I, of course, loved the sunflower rooms and Starry Night. Tree Roots, his last painting, was also quite moving.

We then woke up to a stunning morning on the 1st of 2023. At first everything was cast in hues of blue with peach clouds that increasingly lit up from the morning light, and then a brightly lit day showcased the land of white sparkling under a baby blue sky.

Our neighbor sent us this photo, wishing us a Happy New Year. It’s the view of our house through their cool little octagon window that has always caught my eye.

It was fun to see our home framed in a different perspective – octagons symbolize rebirth, renewal, regeneration, eternal life, and infinity.

To add a fresh jump start and outlook to this first day of the year, we were also the first to break tracks in our forest out back. Even with snow shoes, this made for quite the workout and took us triple the time it does to just do one mile since we were up to our knees, and sometimes thighs, the whole way.

As you can see, it was an incredibly beautiful day and the Sun was radiant with hope and brilliance, as we journeyed through the incredible landscape with many a gnome and creature shaped tree around us while we crossed bridges and creeks and meandered through the forest.

Many times the snow would fall from tree branches right behind us after we passed.

But one time it got us both from a big explosion of snow from up above and kissed my face and hair with powder, as Dave managed to get his hood on in time.

And speaking of the timing of clothing, I just had to share these two things that came to me in what feels like beautiful alignment too.

The first is a gorgeous, giant iron-on patch that I received for Christmas from a sweet little faery who knows my love for sunflowers. I knew immediately that it would go on the back of my fun, portal activation, denim jacket that I recently had adorned the large three front pockets with all of my favorite pins – kind of a blast from the 80’s past, as I used to wear pins on my jacket then of favorite musical artists. The message on the patch goes perfectly with my own path resonance and Sagittarius Moon, and matched Lee’s words I shared in my last post, ““Be a protector of joy and love on the planet, by being a creator of it.”

No matter if the Sun doesn’t shine, or if you can’t find anything to brighten up your day and life amidst the energies circulating out there, I will keep the Sun’s presence shining through my heart, come what may. It’s one of the things I was born to do.

The second item is a pair of shoes to dance through this new year of the Rabbit in and beyond. I stumbled upon these in a magickal way and brought them home at a third of the cost. I think the image and phrase speak for themselves:

“Run free little bunny, Run…Jump high little bunny, Jump…Spring will soon be here, So be happy little bunny, be happy!”

As we approach the watery, intuitive Full Moon in Cancer on the 6th there’s an energy around how you feel moved to protect all that you love and feel passionate about.

Thoughts may take you to reflect upon what’s important to you, why, and what you’re willing to do for it. This could be a great time for journaling or flowing ideas in some way. Drop into more of yourself and lean into knowing who you are and what your energy signature is here for. It needn’t fit some profound ideal. It need only be purely you.

And with the lineup of Retrogrades still going, this is an exceptionally good time for reflection and revision of goals and motivations.

Allow yourself to surrender and be with the feelings and thoughts that flow through without controlling things. Clarity will come in divine timing if you just let things be and allow yourself to connect with forgotten parts of yourself. Be gentle with yourself and others.

I’ll end this little step-into-the-year with Lee’s January Energy Update for those of you who enjoy his reflections.

Lee’s themes include:

*build your inner reserves as you rewire/recalibrate yourself

*ride the emotional release energy of the holiday season to consciously shed and create

*noticing where you are in terms of protection versus connection and which you need/want to focus on

*trauma layers are releasing more easily now, be part of your future in terms of allowing yourself to cocreate with the universe in the upcoming months or year ahead

*allow yourself to receive as well as give

*deepening heart intuition and how that looks

*envision a wise and embodied humanity – wisdom will be key in the years upcoming