Manifest Magic

Hello 2018! And I do sincerely mean that, because I love the feeling of a fresh start, and there's practically nothing I like more than setting new goals and intentions and working out the action steps on how to achieve them.

Thus, I always start the first post of the new year off with a little look into my over-arching theme, goals, and dreams for the new year.

My theme for 2018 is Manifest Magic. To me this really signifies tapping into the energy of the Universe and the connected nature of all life, as well as my own intuition and guiding light. It means harnessing the power of the lunar energy and my spirit guides to make conscious decisions, claiming my own personal power, and crafting goals and dreams that align with my highest calling. And to execute those goals like a boss.

I've been working with manifesting on the monthly New Moon for some time now, so it's definitely a practice I plan to continue with. For me personally, I both believe and have experienced the incredible power of putting what you out into the Universe, and watching the Universe conspire to make it so, assuming you follow it up with action. That's key: you also have to put the work in. But you can really maximize your results when you take the time to set the right intentions and lay the best possible foundation for your endeavors to flourish from.

I've also been working with the power of crystals. Full disclosure: I sleep with a rose quartz and a moonstone under my pillow every night and have definitely seen the changes it's brought into my life. And I have a collection of other crystals at home. Additionally, I've been reading my tarot cards for probably over a decade now and using their insights to make empowered decisions.

But I'm ready to step all of that up. So here's my 2018 looks like to me:

1. Step up my new moon manifesting by connecting with a like-minded tribe of women each month. I'm looking into doing this with the Numinous Moon Club. 
2. Further explore the power of crystals, as well as the association between tarot and astrology, especially in the context of the Major Arcana. One resource I will be using for is the book Crystal Muse. By the way, I'm feeling it's time to start working with a new tarot deck. If anyone has suggestions on decks they like, please let me know! 
3. Find an agent and a publisher for my recently completed novel, because I do firmly believe that being an author is my purpose in life and my highest calling.

I know, I know, for some that might all sound very woo-woo. But hey, it works for me. It's what's lighting me up right now and calling my name, so I'm going to get after it. To each her own. 

In addition to my directly Manifest Magic related goals, I also have a few other projects for the year that I want to bring to fruition. They are:

1. Learn to belly dance on goblets
2. Head to Austin to visit a close friend and check out the SXSW scene
3. Complete the Tone It Up 5-Day Detox
4. Compete in a belly dance competiion
5. Read a poem at a poetry slam (frightening!) 
6. Work on my splits with Action Jacquelyn
7. Complete the Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Challenge
8. Make a unicorn headdress
9. Do some fun, crazy photo shoots (can you say Vikings on horseback?!)
10. Get out in nature with some combination of glamping and/or backpacking

Well, those are the highlights. I'm definitely amped up for the new year. I'm ready to create some magic, light it on fire, and watch that shit sparkle.

Happy New Year everyone! Remember, what you seek is seeing you, so go get it. 

The Sovereign State

Well hello 2016! I blinked and we are already a month in!

As an old year comes to a close and a new one unfolds, I always like to take some time away from belly dance topics to reflect on the year that has passed and set some goals and intentions for the upcoming round of seasons, including picking my one-word theme for the year.

My theme for 2016 is sovereign. Might seem like an odd choice at initial glance. But as I was working with a health coach and healer in 2015, this word came into our conversation and instantly I knew it was my word for the new year.

To me, sovereign means the state of mind and being where one is independent and free to make the choices that resonate most truthfully and authentically with their being. It's a state that's free of worry about others opinions or the "should" dos. It's a state where you are the sovereign and CEO of your own life. You choose what comes into your life and you choose what goes. It's being unfettered to sing your own tune at the top of your lungs. It's a state of harmony with your own internal compass. It's accepting the crown and the responsibility to be the ruler of your own life. It's a position of power.  Thus to me, a sovereign 2016 is the year I focus on discarding old ideas and fears that no longer serve me, and instead come more fully into my own authenticity.

Getting into a few more specifics on what 2016 looks like to me. I want to join a new dance troupe. And actually, this has already happened for me. Just last week I started dancing with Lunaria Dance Theatre and I am thrilled and excited to be joining this group of amazing and talented ladies.

Another belly dance goal on the horizon is that I will be studying with Aziza at her Dream Camp in June! I can't wait to study with one of my long-time belly dance idols!

I also hope to finally finish writing my novel. This goal continues to be a repeat. But I have made progress. To date I've written 38,000 words. Just another 38,000 or so to go!

As a devoted explorer of the world, each year I always try to take a trip overseas. This year I'm headed to Austria and Switzerland in August.

My intended pursuits for the year also include a focus on fun. Because what's the point of life if you can't enjoy it, right? In July, I'll be having pictures taken as a Mermaid as part of the Project Mermaids beach conservation campaign. I also want to try the newest craze and hit up and morning dance and yoga party with The Wake. And Wanderlust's unique take on a triathlon is coming to Seattle. I've already signed up to run, yoga, and meditate my way to Om with this event in May.

And lastly, I'm also planning on pushing out of my comfort zone and doing an overnight backpacking trip. While I love to hike and be in nature, this dancer prefers some amenities at the end of the day, so we'll see how this goes!

When I look at this list, I'm pretty excited about the year ahead. Many magical events in the works.

What's in store for you in 2016? Dream it, plan it, reach for it, and achieve it. Wishing you many blessings in all your endeavors.

P.S. I've been blogging twice a month for many years now.  While I love this blog and the community that has grown around it, after careful consideration, I've decided I needed to scale back to allow myself more time to focus on other endeavors and passion projects. Thus I've decided that I will only be blogging once per month in 2016. Posts will go up around the first of the month. Thanks for being a reader and see you back next month!

Photo Credit: Pixie Vision, dancer unknown

Thirty and Thriving

I'm going to take a bit of a break from belly dance this week and focus on goal-setting. If that's not your thing and you want to stop reading now, no sweat, just join me again in February, as I have a BIG interview currently in the works.

For those of you still reading, let's dig in!

I'm a big believer in goal-setting and I think the end of the year is the perfect season to buy out some time to reflect on how the last year went. It's a multi-day process for me that first starts out with reviewing and releasing the year that's just transpired.

Thirty and thriving. That was my theme for 2012. Each year I always pick a word or short phrase as my defining mantra for the year. For 2012, it was about starting out this new decade of my life with vibrance. Looking back, 2011 had been a year filled with external, measurable accomplishments.  In contrast, 2012 was about the internal. Sitting back and enjoying the culminating fruits of a number of years of hard work.

Reading through my goals I set in January 2012 compared to the actuality of the year, here are some highlights of how it all played out:

Professional & Personal Development - Twenty-twelve ended up being the year of certifications. I attended a week-long, Tamalyn Dallal belly dance retreat. A picture of me and the amazing group of ladies who attended the retreat is included above. At the end of the retreat, in addition to a wealth of new knowledge, I walked away with a new belly dance certification. I also got certified to scuba dive, which was a check off the bucket list. And finally, in pursuit of one of my life-long passion of holisitic health and wellness, I obtained my nutritionist certification.

Health - Speaking of nutrition, focusing on health was a big part of my year. I experimented with various eating regimes, including temporarily giving up alcohol and going gluten-free in the quest to improve my overall well-being and energy levels. In fact, my new year's resolution was to start a habit of actually taking a lunch break at work, which I now do more often than not. I also really focused on pushing myself in my workouts, which included making sure I competed in some type of athletic-based competition. In September, I ran the Athleta Iron Girl 5K and ended up finishing 44th of our 1,675 participants. Not too shabby for a non-runner! And probably most importantly, after having somewhat of a potential cancer scare from early diagnostics, I have been declared to be, at least currently, cancer-free.

Relationships - Being engaged, I had hoped to get married this year, but given a number of different factors, this has been postponed until next year. On the plus side, after waiting literally a year for the two bedroom apartment we wanted, it became available in December and we just moved in last weekend. I have to be honest and say I had some reservations about sharing my space after living alone for 7.5 years, but so far I'm just blissed out about it. Twenty-twelve was also a year for making some great new friendships, as well as reconnecting with old friends. Which I am so grateful for, as these really helped to fill some of the void left behind by severed family relationships stemming from religious differences. Most definitely a sad and low point for 2012 that required its own grieving process. But then sometimes true family isn't the family we are born into.

Finances - I knew that for 2012 I would have quite a bit of disposable income. And I also knew that in the near future I will have quite a few expenses (hello wedding and house down payment!), so I wanted to make sure that I was utilizing this reprieve from bills to stockpile for the future. In that light, I was able to save approximately 25% of my pay from my day job. I was also able to really grow my belly dancing business. My final numbers aren't quite in yet, but I'm projecting that I had a 190% increase in my belly dance revenue.

Vacation - The past three years have been big for vacations. Big as in Italy, Greece, and Egypt big. International travel wasn't in the cards this year, but instead I set the goal of going on a retreat. I ended up doing this in October when I attended a Kimberly Wilson yoga retreat in West Virginia, followed by a few days in NYC. For pictorial highlights, check out the blog post.

Overall, in going though this download, I'm feeling pretty content with 2012. The one goal that I had originally set out to accomplish that didn't occur, was write a book. In part because it was later replaced by the pursuit of my three new certifcations already discussed. So I'm at peace with that. But you better believe it's being recycled to 2013!

But enough about me. The point of sharing all of this publicly is hopefully to encourage readers to do their own goal review and planning. So your turn! How was 2012? What worked and what didn't? What are you ready to celebrate and what are you ready to shake off?

And stay tuned for the next post as I map out my 2013 goals. Happy New Year!