I’ve spent many hours fidgeting, contemplating, and digging deep trying to find the right words to share.

It was by chance, that I stumbled across the following words I wrote many years ago and they felt so apt, I felt compelled to share them. Although this was a spiritual adventure that I went on ten years ago, reading the words took me right back there, making me realise how easy it is to become lost in the chatter and struggle of life, and yet, the real magic is still within me…and you.

A Spiritual Quest into The Heart & Soul of Winter

The distilled and pure essence of winter was intense, vibrant, and vivid; the stillness was highly energised, and the silence pulsated so loudly. The trees whispered quietly in the silence slowly bending under the weight of the falling snow creating sculptures of great beauty and majesty. The sunlight captured every snowflake frozen in perfection, and brought the silent landscape to life. The breath-taking essence of winter was so concentrated and intense, that it captured me in a moment of stillness that has touched me so deeply and profoundly that I left the Arctic changed forever.

After spending a time in silent meditations collecting water, fetching wood and cooking, the quiet time was more obvious and well-defined. I shifted my focus and opened up to the stillness to guide me. Time spent gazing at the fire, watching the sun dance across the sky, seeing the green glow of the aurora over the forest, and seeing the prisms of every single, perfect snowflake, gave every second, every moment, a new vibration and feeling of life. It was as though everything had begun vibrating at a higher frequency and I was an integral part of this frequency: wholly, completely, and willingly.

In such moments of silent, but vibrant, awakening, I sensed the divinity in everything: in every frozen leaf, in every flake of snow and in the living breathing universe both around, and within, me. I felt every heartbeat and every breath; the world became so full of life as every tree, every leaf and every drop of air came alive. It’s as though everything was much more itself and fully interconnected; the universal tapestry was weaving in harmony and unity.

Despite the cold reaching deeply into the bones, the beauty was incredible. The change was beyond words; for what words can describe the indescribable feeling of joy, love, awakening, acceptance, surrender, empowerment and knowing all colliding and occurring in a single moment?

The future fell away, the past dissolved and I became frozen in the present moment. This, however, did not feel like some kind of involuntary paralysis or ice-prison, but a euphoria of finally being, and feeling, integrated and Whole; a sense of knowing that everything was/is as it should be. Realising that we never stand in the same moment twice, that life flows and moves, and, in order to feel truly alive, we need to flow with it, was truly liberating, for it suggested an evolution of thought beyond the linear perceptions of daily life.

Being truly alive in the present moment means facing fears, and finding strength from those moments where the past and future melt away leaving us standing in the present moment. Life is about living as brilliantly as possible, and this comes from stepping beyond the boundaries and embracing a true realignment of Self through engaging in the now and allowing the quiet spaces to define a new sense of peace and stillness that radiates like a lighthouse reaching out deeply into the night sky.

Every second of stillness felt infinite in shape and form, and in such a pause, I became captured in a moment of pure magic and magnificence; suddenly the walls fell away and everything seemed possible and within my grasp. I was reaching deeper into my essence but opening up to the infinite possibilities all around, and within, me. In that moment, I both expanded and contracted; I expanded into the vastness of the Universal consciousness and contracted more into the true essence of my Self. Of course, it was only by retreating more deeply into my Self that I let go of all of the self-created boundaries and beliefs, and felt a sense of freedom that I have never experienced before.

Going within wasn’t about disconnection but about a conscious re-connection to both myself, and the Divine; the walls of distinction between the two merged and became One and I felt the wonder of Divinity both within me and all around me. As I opened up my heart, mind, and soul to the process, I felt a two-way flow of love and purity that touched me so deeply that it is hard to find any words to describe it that could give it justice. I found myself free to fully, and wholeheartedly, enjoy this feeling and to become One with it on every level of my being. Every cell in my body was tingling and I felt wave upon wave of gratitude flowing from me for All that I have and All that I am. Life may not be perfect, but in that moment, all was well in my world, and I could rest gently in the imperfection of perfection and in the vibration of joy.

As each second of stillness merged into the next, I felt a growing awareness of how to carry this forward into my everyday life. Intuitively, I knew that I would gently hold this experience in my heart and soul forever. There was nothing for me to ‘do’ to ensure that I remained so awake, for this state of being is already within me, now. Of course, there are times when the chatter of life starts to block out the stillness, like the noise of 2023, but it only takes a moment to re-connect, to remind my Self of the magnificence of life.

In the past, I always tried to understand and rationalise life, spirituality and consciousness, but this quest into the heart and soul of winter touched me so deeply I now appreciate that it can never be truly understood, not in the way we enquiring humans would like. It is only by opening up to the landscape beyond the walls of the mind that the need to ‘try’ falls away as the state of truly being finally rises up like the dawn sun over the whispering forest and frozen landscape. Such majesty is magnificent, amazing, and incredible; I finally know I am home…

***

2024 looks set to be a year of living magically; a time to realign the soul to breathe more deeply once again. It’s year of continued awakening, and a time to find a deeper connection to the light within. It’s a time to embrace stillness, as well as realising that we are ‘enough’. As we each embrace the infinity within, we realise the true expansive nature of being human, and intuitively know that life isn’t about completing a ‘to do’ list or trying to be someone we’re not, it’s about living in love, acceptance, and joy.

It’s time to stop feeling incomplete, and it’s definitely time to know that it’s often the challenges we face that are the true source of our strength, wisdom, and courage as they make us strong, wise and ever-more beautiful. Life is about living in love, and life should be lived with courage, passion, and open heartedness.

The process of awakening lights up our senses, and, as mentioned before, we can feel and sense everything more intensely than ever before. It’s as though our consciousness has shifted, enabling each of us to become more aware of the magic of life as everything somehow seems more alive and more connected.

My journey into the Artic all those years ago transformed me, but on many levels, the challenges of life I’ve faced since have clouded my view. However, reconnecting to the pure and distilled essence of winter has helped me to realise just how alive and awake the magic still is and it’s a force that present for us all…

I wish you a bright, joy-filled, and incredible year ahead. For now, and as always, I wish you all kinds of wonderful.

With love,

Sarah-Jane

Aries♈

As you continue to seek out balance in the somewhat stormy seas of life, there is a sense that you are finally beginning to prioritise yourself and your own needs more. 2023 was full of twists, turns and the unexpected, yet you found your strength and courage to navigate the storms and now find yourself with more clarity and insight than ever before. Your inner light has always shone brightly, and whilst it’s easy to see how the busy-ness of life clouds your light from view, when you pause and take a deep breath, you can see your heart and soul being illuminated. Your inner light reflects your creativity, innovation, and wisdom, and when you take the time to look within, you realise that this is where your intuition resides. It’s time to feel more freedom in life, to breathe deeply and to re-connect to your true essence; you have so many gifts and dreams, and you seem ready now to acknowledge these more wholeheartedly in order to focus on your priorities.

You are a vibrant soul, and your warmth and compassion are seeking new avenues of expression as you stand in your truth and acknowledge the need to live more consciously in life. 2024 looks set to be a year of re-alignment for you as you stop trying to people-please all of the time and instead start to honour your own needs more. This isn’t to say you will suddenly start ignoring those around you, but this is more of a calling to your soul to breathe more freely. The more you over-give of yourself, the less connected you feel and your inner light fades from view. It’s time to use this light to guide you now as it will show you how to live the best life possible; it’s time to realise that your own needs and dreams matter. You matter! Let your light shine brightly as the year ahead feels both exciting and life affirming…

Taurus ♉

Gazing back at the year now behind you, there is a sense of awakening, achievement, confusion, and bewilderment. There were moments of joy, moments of sadness and many more moments that were in-between or non-descript. There were times when you sensed clarity and illumination, but these were washed away with uncertainty or challenge. Of course, you persevered, you pushed ahead, and you kept on keeping on, but you have realised that this isn’t always the best choice. Sometimes, letting go or changing direction is called for as forwards isn’t the only option; the challenge comes in knowing which direction to take and when. Yet, you are deeply intuitive and it’s time now to trust this side of your nature more as you find new ways to reclaim your sense of self and re-connect to the magic of life. It’s easy to lose sight of the majesty, magic, and creative essence of life when you’re busy, but the more you re-connect, the more you can see the bigger picture, helping you to make tweaks, adjustments, and some big decisions about your path ahead.

You seem ready now to let go of many of the distractions around, and within you, as you shift your focus towards living more consciously in the present moment, as the more you focus on the here and now, the more you will find ways to cultivate happiness and contentment. When you step beyond your mind, you can sense a deeper connection to the infinity of life. It’s within this infinity where everything becomes possible, and you move beyond limitation and fear, to a space of knowing, wisdom, and trust. Of course, this doesn’t bring you certainty in life, but nothing can do that. What it can bring you though is the self-belief to be yourself and to love yourself for it. It’s time to embrace the concept of unconditional happiness that comes from finding completeness in yourself and loving yourself exactly as you are…

Gemini ♊

You have always been one to look beyond the boundaries of your everyday life; your far-reaching vision and unique intuition enable you to see the world from multiple different perspectives at any one moment in time. You see both the finer details, and the bigger picture simultaneously, and you can see the kaleidoscope of different threads that weave in and out of your life. Such a perspective is a gift, but it can also feel overwhelming as it’s hard to know where you end and where others begin (even though intuitively you sense there is no clear distinction between individuals as everything is interconnected). Yet, although you know everything is entwined, there is still a longing/desire to understand yourself and your own essence in more detail. It’s as though you have stepped into the interconnected universal nature of life, but still want to carve out your individuality at the same time. This may sound perplexing, but it makes perfect sense to anyone that knows you as you are so multi-levelled and multi-faceted.

In many ways, this is a representation of your inner world where you are both a mosaic of multi-coloured fragments, but also a grand masterpiece at the same time. You are a complex soul, yet this complexity is to be celebrated as it enables you to flourish and thrive, even when times are tough or when you feel the world doesn’t really ‘get’ you. There are times when you find joy in the conundrums and vernaculars of life, but there are many other times when you just want easy, straightforward, and run of the mill. However, there is nothing run of the mill about you as you are a beautiful soul with a plethora of gifts and it’s time now to embrace these more wholeheartedly as 2024 looks set to be a year of expressing your wonderful, quirky, colourful self…

Cancer ♋

As you continue to seek out meaning, joy and purpose in all areas of your life, there is a sense that you are beginning to re-shape and re-define your world from the inside, out. 2023 was a year of contrast for you, a year of insight but also a great deal of blurring around the edges as it was hard to grab hold of the ebb and flow of the currents as everything was moving so quickly. It’s as though you were moving at a different speed/pace to the world around you so everything looked blurry and out of focus, yet, on other levels you’ve never felt so much clarity and insight. It’s hard to articulate the exact reasons for this, but, in many ways, there is no need to fully understand because you have been through this process, and you are now out on the other side! It’s time to be present and look ahead, rather than focus on the past.

What’s important is how you now choose to live your life as it’s the choices you make that have the power to shape your life over the months and years ahead. As you start to focus more wholeheartedly on your true priorities, it’s also important to continue to let go of the ought’s, must’s and should’s that have shaped your life for so long. Instead it’s time to open up to your hopes and dreams, whittle down your ‘to do’ list to your true priorities and find ways to bring more meaning and purpose into all aspects of your life. You are a vibrant, wise and creative soul, so if anyone can find innovative ways to thrive, it’s you. There will inevitably be up’s and down’s on the path ahead, but trust the power of your intuition to guide you as you are ready now to write a brand-new chapter of your life…

Leo ♌

2024 looks set to be a year of self-discovery and self-revelation as you make some important decisions connected to how you make choices in life. You love to keep others happy, and inevitably this means you sacrifice your own needs in the process. Whilst this has kept the peace and been a great support to those around you, there is a sense that you have felt increasingly out of kilter as you have felt less and less in the driving seat of your life. It would be easy to say that you need to focus more on yourself, but it’s more complex than this as your life is interconnected on so many different levels to those close to you, so trying to unravel it all is not necessarily best for you or them. In essence what’s needed is some time for you to pause and reflect in order to understand why you do what you do.

Although some of your choices are definitely entwined with those around you, there are still quite a few that are not and it’s these latter choices that need your attention now as you seem to have disconnected from trusting your intuition to guide you, feeling that your life is not your own. Yet, there is an overwhelming indication that the opposite is true, so the more you can consciously take the helm, the more you will realise that you still have a say in the choices you make and why you make them. Choices are an inevitable part of life, but once you consciously realise why you do what you do, you can start to make changes in order to keep everything in balance. Your year ahead feels exciting and full of opportunity to re-align your life with your dreams; it’s a year of expanding horizons and evolving potential as you realise that you already have what it takes to live the life you were born to live…

Virgo ♍

Finding freedom within your heart and soul continues to take centre stage throughout 2024 as you seek out new ways to bring more meaning and enrichment to your life. After a year of bottom-clenching, lurching rollercoaster rides where you felt as though you were condensing multiple emotions into a single moment as you were being thrown from one experience into another, it would be easy to see why you are seeking freedom. Yet, the freedom you are seeking within isn’t an escape from the rollercoasters, it’s more connected to accepting the inevitable twisting and turning of life but finding peace anyway. In essence, the freedom evolving within you is an ability to ride the storms of life with more balance, grace, and acceptance than ever before; it’s finding wisdom and joy in the maelstrom. This may sound confusing, but it’s a huge step in your personal evolution as instead of trying to resist the inevitable, you are instead going with the flow more in order to gain insight and wisdom.

This is a hugely significant turning point for you as you have always tried to do more, be more, see more and achieve more, but with the realisation that freedom and peace can be found in the here and now, you can start to let go of your huge ‘to do’ list as freedom, happiness and joy are with you in the present moment. Alongside this shift comes the realisation that happiness and joy are not something you can go and find, but they are something you need to cultivate, nourish, and nurture. Of course, intuitively you already know this, but knowing something and embracing it are quite different as it’s so easy to get caught up in the busy-ness of life. Your year ahead feels both exciting and liberating as you seek out pastures new and find the confidence and self-belief to live your very best life…

Libra ♎

2024 looks set to be a year for listening to your soul more wholeheartedly and opening up to the wisdom within. Your inner voice has always been a champion for free thinking and creativity, but you have often felt curtailed by the pressures of everyday life. In many ways, you long for a more empowered, joyful, and less complicated existence, but at the same time, you thrive when dealing with challenges! Yes, being you is complex and complicated, but you wouldn’t have it any other way, would you? There is a sense that without even noticing, you have become entrenched in a life of ‘to do’s’ that has left you with little space for breathing, creativity, and evolution. Of course, your expansive consciousness hasn’t left the building, but your ability to listen to your inner voice has diminished as they’ve become lost in a sea of noise that fills your life making it hard to find clarity when it comes to your true priorities.

You seem to have so much to do and see that there isn’t much room left to be. However, the more you pause and listen to your soul, the more you will realise that it’s time now to let go a little in order to find a deeper sense of peace within your heart and soul. Your creativity is longing to flow freely once again, and the more willing you are to step consciously into each and every moment, the more you will be able to find ways to live more vibrantly and compassionately. There is a real capacity for joy over the months ahead as you seek out ways to simplify your life by letting go of clutter and the inessential, and by re-writing your ‘to do’ list in a way that highlights your true priorities. 2024 looks set to be the year that sets you free…

Scorpio ♏

As you step into a new year, there is a sense of lightness and brightness radiating from all levels of your being as although you can’t quite put your finger on it, you feel ‘right’. It’s as though the planets have aligned, and the stars have shifted to facilitate a new way of living and being that allows you to be you. It’s time to dance like you have never danced before, to live like it truly matters, and to love being you. The challenge now comes from working out what being you actually means! This might all sound a little ‘fluffy’, but the more you can tap into these inner shifts, the more you will open up to the energy and vibration of open and wholehearted living. Given the challenges and upheaval you’ve faced, you would be forgiven for wondering how to incorporate this love and light into your life, but it’s time to look beyond your everyday life and into your magnificent and mysterious depths for the answers.

You have shown great courage and wisdom during difficult times, and you have faced your true self in the process. As a result, you have acknowledged your quirks and idiosyncrasies, and realised that it’s these aspects of your nature that allow you to live more authentically and wholeheartedly. You have spent so much of your life trying to be the person you’ve felt you needed to be, but now you have an opportunity to be yourself, it might take some time to adjust as you find your feet once again. You no longer seem content to bend and flex to the needs, wishes, demands and whims of others as you realise that this disempowers both you and them. Instead you are opening up to let your intuition guide you as you let the lightness and brightness in your soul inspire you to live more consciously and vibrantly than ever before…

Sagittarius ♐

Becoming the master of your own destiny was a central theme over the last year and it looks set to remain in focus throughout 2024 as you find new ways to live your life. It’s hard to articulate, but you have spent a great deal of your life running on fast forward with things to do, people to see and places to go. There has been an almost continual pressure to do more, be more and achieve more. As a result, there has been little time to walk, take a rest, reflect or ponder the path you’ve been travelling. Your head often spins as you feel as though you’re running on the spot, trying to work through that monumentally long ‘to do’ list in life. There are items on that list that have remained there for years, so perhaps it’s either time to do them or let them go? There is a part of you that feels as though you have to keep running, charging through the endless list of things to do as the alternative seems a bit alien. Well, it’s bound to feel alien if you never do it! Yet, your heart and soul long for some breathing space and an opportunity to pause and rest under the duvet of life for a while.

It’s time to ask yourself why you need to run? In addition, are you running towards something or away from something? You are a vibrant, talented, and gifted soul, but you seem to doubt this on so many levels. The world needs you to shine brightly as you have so much to offer, so perhaps it’s time now to step into the light of your soul and become one with your gifts? Only you can decide how to live your life, but the more you contemplate the concept of becoming the master of your own destiny, the more you will realise that ‘less is more’. In short, this is your year to ease off the throttle and let go…

Capricorn ♑

2024 looks set to be a year for embracing a new way of living and being that encompasses your philosophies of life. You have spent a great deal of time ticking along, keeping on keeping on, trying to find happiness, but you have realised that happiness isn’t something to find, it’s something to be. Such a realisation may seem a tad insignificant, but it has the potential to be life-changing as whilst it doesn’t fix anything in your life, it sets you free from feeling a sense of lack/want as you move towards a more balanced perspective. You have faced many challenges in life, so caution is understandable when it comes to letting go. However, intuitively you can sense that your heart and soul are ready for change, so hedging your bets on remaining cautious leaves you in an ‘in-between’ stage of not feeling fully able to grab life with both hands. Yet, you seem more than ready to take a chance and leap into the unknown as you long for some adventure and want to expand the boundaries of your life.

So, remaining in this ‘in-between’ stage no longer seems viable as it’s feeding a sense of discontent deep within the core of your being. It would therefore seem obvious that you need to make some changes, but this creates challenges in itself as it means believing in yourself more and knowing that you absolutely have what it takes to deal with the twists and turns on the road ahead. Of course, the irony here is that you’ve always done this as you’ve always been walking the path! So, bring this acknowledgement into awareness and know that you’re ready to live more mindfully in each and every moment. Take a deep breath, feel the weight lift from your shoulders and appreciate the magic of the infinite potential within as you feel more interconnected and inspired than ever before…

Aquarius ♒

You have always been something of a perfectionist and you’re driven to do more, be more and achieve more. Yet, you often set the pedestal up so high, you can barely see it, let alone reach it. Perhaps now is the time to ask yourself why you do this? Why do you spend your time trying to jump as high as you can to reach the pedestal that you placed yourself? Is your quest for perfection really the best way to live your life? Now, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t strive for more, but perhaps expecting too much of yourself just leaves you feeling weighed down? Of course, although you know the pedestal is of your own creation, it’s hard not to want to be the best at what you do and how you live. However, the challenge comes when the pedestal just keeps getting higher and higher, leaving you chasing the horizon that you cannot reach and giving you a sense of never quite being ‘enough’. Over time, this can then build a sense of a gap between where you are and where you feel you need to be.

You are a wise, intuitive, and innovative soul, and the time has come for you to turn towards your heart and soul in order to realise that you are already enough. It’s time to stop looking at the path ahead as the possible oasis of happiness, and instead to start appreciating where you are now to cultivate happiness in each and every moment. Take some time to look into the window of your life and let go of the almighty pressure you place on yourself; it’s time to live more lightly and more joyfully. The pedestal might be a good focus, but what’s the point if all it does is to keep you away from being you? Love yourself, be yourself and set yourself free to live as wholeheartedly as you possibly can…

Pisces ♓

Looking back over the year now behind you, there is a sense of relief as you finally feel able to pause and take a big, deep breath. You’ve been on quite a journey over the last year, often feeling hemmed in and constricted, wondering when you will see the light at the end of the tunnel, sometimes wondering if it even existed. As a result, your energy has flattened, and you’ve felt very out of kilter and disconnected with yourself and your purpose. Yet, it seems important to acknowledge that there were also moments of pure magic when you’ve felt connected to the vast ocean of consciousness and felt an air of freedom and interconnection. It would therefore be easy to see why it’s been such a discombobulating year as you’ve been pushed and pulled in so many different directions, and to oscillate so wildly between states of being has left you unsure how to move forwards with your life.

Despite the confusion though, you have been willing to plunge into the depths of your soul in order to find your true strength and wisdom. There is a need for you to take some time now to breathe deeply and re-connect to your heart and soul. Breathing and fully expanding your lungs will help to ease out the stagnancy and restriction you’ve felt and allow you to regain a sense of perspective. It’s time now for you to think about living more consciously and feeling more at one with the universe. You have grown and evolved so much over recent years, and you are no longer content to go along with the flow of everybody else’s life just because that’s what you’ve always done. It’s time to take the helm and find your own way; listen to your intuition to guide you and have the confidence to connect more wholeheartedly to the expansive and creative energy within you in order to re-shape and re-define the essence of your life…

© 2022 crystalwind.ca. All rights reserved. We track all IP addresses with sniffer technology. Using a Proxy/VPN will not hide your IP address.