The practice of selecting a ‘word of the year’

[Starlight]

39 minutes ago, Emilija said:

In what thread would I put that in?

The Journals section is here: https://www.thetarotforum.com/forums/forum/74-journals/

 

I really like the idea of a contract. Having your goals clearly defined and documented means less procrastinating and equivocating later on.

[legendaryelement]

I have gotten my confirmation on the choice of my word for 2020: Confidence!

 

The thesaurus crawl wound up being 14 words total.

[moonglow]

On 12/24/2019 at 1:44 AM, Starlight said:

Found the article! It wasn't Jessica after all.

 

https://thegoalchaser.com/how-to-make-your-word-of-the-year/

 

There are some good tips on how to make the woty a practical part of one's life. 🙂

Thank you for sharing this!

 

I have had a difficult time trying to find a "word" for 2020. I've been experiencing quite the mental upheaval here at the end of 2019, with more turbulence expected in the coming year. I have been wanting to find something that would cover all the bases, but I think I may end up with 2-3 words to refer to. While 'prepare' is probably the key theme, as a "word" it didn't excite me so much... I believe I have finally settled on 'distill' as my core word. I hope to get the others ironed out in the next day or two. ☺️

 

@AJ-ish/Sharyn, I love your rock idea. I was thinking of doing that, and/or carving a rubber stamp, but so far the words I have been most drawn to don't seem to mesh well with that for me. They "sound" better mentally, to me, than looking at them. 😕

 

@Emilija Wonderful goal! I also like the contract idea, and its focus on "this day" vs. a longer time frame. Might truly get some use out of that. Thanks for sharing it!

 

Oh, I also wanted to pass on this great thesaurus resource: https://www.powerthesaurus.org/ I have found it very helpful!

[Starlight]

I've just finished putting together a playlist of songs that feature the word of the year. (I used a lyricfinder website to do the search.) Another way to keep the WotY well and truly in mind. It was an interesting exercise. I knew NONE of the songs and only two of the seven bands.

Edited December 29, 2019 by Starlight

[leona]

I pulled some cards from my own oracle deck and shuffle some songs to the number 16 (1+6=7 spirit ) found my word of choice maybe.

I never really stick to my new years resolutions and I look forward to doing this instead. Thank you for the idea. 

Edited December 30, 2019 by leona

[Bodhiseed]

I've decided that instead of choosing a word that represents something I want, I will choose a word that helps me transform my thinking or actions to get it. What I want is the ability to see a situation and not automatically label it "This is bad." I want to have a more expansive mind with enough space to allow for many possibilities. So for 2020 my word will be 'curious/curiosity.' Martine Batchelor's "What is this?" practice is helping. 🙂

Edited December 31, 2019 by Bodhiseed

[Aria]

For 2019, my words -- because yes, I chose two -- were "calm" and "focus". Interrelated but not identical, I was facing a good deal of frustration with some things in my life, including feeling like my career was going nowhere and my anxiety/depression were getting entirely out of control. Those words helped! A lot. I made a job change, my partner of ten years and I finally got married, I got my medication adjusted.....

 

But I think I can do better. I think that even with some of those big, sweeping changes? The day to day of my life, and really of me that still disappoints and frustrates me is still there, leaving me to suspect those feelings stemmed not only from external circumstances (which yes, definitely needed changing), but internal thoughts and behaviors as well. So this year, I'm going with a full phrase and I'm going old school, inspired by Renaissance alchemists and the idea of transformation through patient, persistence practice of one's skills. We'll see what happens. 

[Starlight]

11 hours ago, Bodhiseed said:

Martine Batchelor's "What is this?" practice is helping. 🙂

I've read the article, it's a lovely practice. It reminds me of something I read in one of Abat Baniel's books: look for the new. Thank you for sharing.

[Starlight]

9 hours ago, Aria said:

I'm going old school, inspired by Renaissance alchemists and the idea of transformation through patient, persistence practice of one's skills. We'll see what happens. 

This sounds very exciting! (And it sounda like you had a very good 2019 as well!)

 

Do you have any resources you find particularly helpful? I've got so many books that I'm whittling down my TBR pile to those books that tie in with my WotY or areas of focus for Depth Year.

[Aria]

2 hours ago, Starlight said:

This sounds very exciting! (And it sounda like you had a very good 2019 as well!)

 

Do you have any resources you find particularly helpful? I've got so many books that I'm whittling down my TBR pile to those books that tie in with my WotY or areas of focus for Depth Year.

Honestly, in this case I decided to draw from an image which I've always found very striking -- by which I mean I'm quite drawn to it now, but found it very shocking the first few times I saw it, having been raised attending parochial schools. It's Baphomet, unfortunately (and often incorrectly) associated with modern concepts of Satan. The words I'm looking at appear on Baphomet's arms: 'Solve et Coagula'. Translated fairly literally, it means "dissolve and coagulate", but is more often taken in a modern context to mean that something must be broken down before it can be built up again -- which is why it's also often associated with the symbolism of the ouroboros. For alchemists who were looking to transform lead into gold, this was a maxim meant quite literally, as it was supposedly the practice that would allow them to eventually create the Philosopher's stone (yes, as in that Philosopher's stone -- the one mentioned in Harry Potter). Now, this is mostly taken as a process of personal and spiritual growth -- refining and refining, over and over, removing the 'impurities' until you arrive at a final, better state. But given that this is a tarot forum, I'm probably preaching to the proverbial choir!

If you want to pick your Word of the Year, you don't need a whole book to do it! Ali Edwards started the practice -- at least as a social media phenomenon -- in 2006. She has a little video on it here, which is all of three or four minutes long. I came to the practice from bullet journaling resources, which is also a pretty easy process unless you decide to go full-blown artistic about it after the Instagram jealousy sets in. I, personally, devote one page to it in my journal. And I pick that phrase by really spending some time thinking about what my past year has looked like -- where my energy has gone, what my frustrations have been, what I feel my life is lacking. So an example that came pretty close this year:

 

"Oh! I wish I had a new car instead of worrying all the time about fixing this one...."

"Why can't I afford a new car instead of the one I've had since 2007?"

"I am so stressed by all of the clutter in my house."

"I've got the income to pay my bills! Why is keeping track of them always such a pain/chore?"

 

Start connecting these and looking for patterns. In my case, that became:

"I spend too carelessly on things I don't need" and then....

"I've developed some bad habits I really need to break" and then....

"I'm too easily, and too often, distracted by the material -- in the way of possessing, instead of enjoying" and then....

"What would I need to do to remove these things from my life and make myself happier?"

 

Break bad habits and develop newer, healthier ones that better reflect my real values! What's the most concise way I can convey that to myself, in a way I understand and find meaningful? 

 

Solve et Coagula

 

And now I realize this has become very long, so I hope that it makes sense and is actually helpful instead of me just rambling on and on. ☺️

 

[Starlight]

59 minutes ago, Aria said:

Honestly, in this case I decided to draw from an image which I've always found very striking -- by which I mean I'm quite drawn to it now, but found it very shocking the first few times I saw it,

Ah, I see! So the image helps you to remember your WotY and what you're aiming for. The great thing about an image is it doesn't have limits in the same way a word does. That's a really good idea.

 

1 hour ago, Aria said:

Ali Edwards started the practice -- at least as a social media phenomenon -- in 2006. She has a little video on it here,

Thank you for the link! I'll check her out. 🙂

1 hour ago, Aria said:

I came to the practice from bullet journaling resources, which is also a pretty easy process unless you decide to go full-blown artistic about it

I LOVE bullet journalling, but I do not use it the way the artistic bullet journallers do. For me, it's functional. I did create a vision board in my bujo last year, and I'll do it again this year incorporating my woty.

 

I love how you've linked your current mindset and aims to the Baphomet image/words. It's very powerful.

[Bodhiseed]

I decided to try the technique known as 'poured painting' over stones to use for my Word of the Year. I made extras to share with the ladies I sponsor in recovery so they can do one too. 🙂

[Raggydoll]

7 minutes ago, Bodhiseed said:

I decided to try the technique known as 'poured painting' over stones to use for my Word of the Year. I made extras to share with the ladies I sponsor in recovery so they can do one too. 🙂

What a nice gesture!!

[DDwarks]

I'm actually struggling to find my word!

I know what I need more of but can't find the word for it. If anyone feels like helping, I want 2020 to be about putting a tight lid on my empathy. The word I came up with was "selfish" since I basically want to focus on what's best for me, body, mind and spirit.

But I'm struggling with that word. I've come through experience to associate "selfish" with "cold blooded I'll let you starve to death rather than share a crumb from my bakery" kind of people!

I also thought of a sentence of sort, like "Me, Myself and I" which is more encompassing and kind of body mind and spirit. 

Any thoughts?

Edited January 5, 2020 by DDwarks
I obviously can't spell!

[Raggydoll]

4 hours ago, DDwarks said:

I'm actually struggling to find my word!

I know what I need more of but can't find the word for it. If anyone feels like helping, I want 2020 to be about putting a tight lid on my empathy. The word I came up with was "selfish" since I basically want to focus on what's best for me, body, mind and spirit.

But I'm struggling with that word. I've come through experience to associate "selfish" with "cold blooded I'll let you starve to death rather than share a crumb from my bakery" kind of people!

I also thought of a sentence of sort, like "Me, Myself and I" which is more encompassing and kind of body mind and spirit. 

Any thoughts?

Self care. Boundaries. Self preservation. Or simply Health. Because it ain’t healthy to allow things or people to drain you.

 

also, try running some of your favorite words in a thesaurus and look for synonyms (or antonyms to what you don’t want). 

[Starlight]

16 hours ago, Bodhiseed said:

Idecided to try the technique known as 'poured painting' over stones to use for my Word of the Year. I made extras to share with the ladies I sponsor in recovery so they can do one too. 🙂

They turned out really beautiful! I must google that technique to do it with my kiddos. 🙂

[Starlight]

5 hours ago, DDwarks said:

If anyone feels like helping, I want 2020 to be about putting a tight lid on my empathy.

I have an inkling what you mean. My first thought was 'boundaries' but you may be looking for something that focuses more on you. Maybe 'Myself' is the word? Or even simply 'Self'?

[Bodhiseed]

11 hours ago, DDwarks said:

I'm actually struggling to find my word!

I know what I need more of but can't find the word for it. If anyone feels like helping, I want 2020 to be about putting a tight lid on my empathy. The word I came up with was "selfish" since I basically want to focus on what's best for me, body, mind and spirit.

But I'm struggling with that word. I've come through experience to associate "selfish" with "cold blooded I'll let you starve to death rather than share a crumb from my bakery" kind of people!

I also thought of a sentence of sort, like "Me, Myself and I" which is more encompassing and kind of body mind and spirit. 

Any thoughts?

Self-identity, self-compassion or equanimity?

[Bodhiseed]

Thank you @Raggydoll and @Starlight! I mixed Liquitex Pouring Medium (found it at Michaels in the art section) with acrylic paints (DecoArt) at a ratio of one to one, approximately. I put about 1/4 of an inch of each in a bathroom size cup for each color I was using. These must be mixed (I used popsicle sticks) for about 30 seconds or more. Then (because I was doing a 'dirty pour') I poured three or four colors together in a larger cup and gave it a gentle stir before pouring over the rocks. I used an old cake rack to sit the rocks on with a pan beneath to catch all the drips, but I've heard of people using lids or bottle caps taped down in a pan to put the rocks on. Once poured, the rocks need to sit overnight to dry. You can paint the year on the bottom that doesn't get covered. Because acrylic dries on the outside faster than the inside, you should probably wait a week before spraying it with an acrylic sealer if you want to do so (but use an acrylic paint pen for your word first!). Hope this is helpful. 🙂

Oh, and don't use the glossy, polished stones!

Edited January 5, 2020 by Bodhiseed

[DDwarks]

6 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

Self care. Boundaries. Self preservation. Or simply Health. Because it ain’t healthy to allow things or people to drain you.

 

also, try running some of your favorite words in a thesaurus and look for synonyms (or antonyms to what you don’t want). 

I'm not going to expand too much on how unhealthy it is but yes, it's pretty bad 😞

I've tried boundaries and self preservation in meditation before but they gave me the feeling of having to use a protective shield which brings anxiety in extreme situations. Like being under attack and having to defend myself. 

Self care is another interesting one. I'm incapable of it! Like completely and utterly incapable of sticking to it. That's the empathy again. I sort everything/everyone out because that's what is affecting me but I don't have the energy left for myself. Or worst sometimes, I think it's all I need to do. I'm completely out of touch with my own needs.

[DDwarks]

6 hours ago, Starlight said:

I have an inkling what you mean. My first thought was 'boundaries' but you may be looking for something that focuses more on you. Maybe 'Myself' is the word? Or even simply 'Self'?

 

I like "Myself" a lot actually! As in I like the word lol!

It feels like a strong bubble of kindness or a clear boundary. Hmmm....

[DDwarks]

37 minutes ago, Bodhiseed said:

Self-identity, self-compassion or equanimity?

Self compassion is something I've practice about 6 years ago following a major health crisis. I read an excellent book called "the compassionate mind" and it has helped a lot at the time but I was housebound for 2 years and never watched the news. I was sheltered from myself so to speak. My lot in the real world need more badass tools lol.

I love self Identity. It feels like a clear boundary between what's mine and what's others. 

Equanimity is probably/ hopefully for next year!

[DDwarks]

Okay Ladies,

I've decided and it's got "self" in it ...or by itself! Mum's the word 😁

Thank you very much 💟

[Raggydoll]

5 minutes ago, DDwarks said:

Okay Ladies,

I've decided and it's got "self" in it ...or by itself! Mum's the word 😁

Thank you very much 💟

Yay!! ❤️

[Starlight]

48 minutes ago, DDwarks said:

Okay Ladies,

I've decided and it's got "self" in it ...or by itself! Mum's the word 😁

Thank you very much 💟

Woo hoo!