Year of Shedding and Shining
2025 Year of the Snake
Entering a new year cycle with Snake as the 2025 mascot can only mean one thing: or ok maybe many things, but to me, snake represents opportunity to step into a new version of Self.
Why a new version of Self? This is the journey to Know Thyself, to deepen your understanding of your gifts and your true essence and to then always express that essence anew. We are all about Transformation here; you have come to the right place and right community.🙏
The analogy that best serves this year’s reflection is based on the snake shedding it’s skin. Just as the snake sheds it’s skin when the new skin is ready, I feel this year is an invitation for us to let the shedding of what is no longer relevant to who we are becoming, to happen.
The snake may experience some sensitivity during and after the shedding but rarely, if ever, does a snake ever resist the shed.
Can you see how us humans have mastered the art of resistance so much so the very idea of shedding or letting go is traumatic for many of us?
And rightly so. Letting go is bloody hard. Especially if it’s a relationship that we need to let go off. Then there are our patterns and habits, addictions and beliefs, things…so many things. All waiting to be shed in 2025.
Did you know snakes release a type of lubricant to make the shedding process go smoother? Did you know they then kept to themselves and allowed time and space to reorientate to their new skin?
What lubricants do we have to ease this shedding process as humans?
For starters, awareness.
To become aware that you are ready for the big shed requires you to become a master of your reality.
You are not in denial of reality. You know how you feel about things. You know that certain things make you feel a certain way and these feelings are showing you what is still ok and what is not ok anymore.
You can do a lot of amazing work by bringing awareness to what your feelings are showing you. Most of the time, you will feel conflicting feelings within you. One part is ready to move on, one part is not.
Here’s a story to explain what I mean. In this story, I needed to shed a way of being, a pattern that had me stuck in a cycle of obligation and resentment.
I had tried in so many ways to be as present and helpful to a family member for the longest time. Apparently, a long time ago, I may have done or not done something that was expected of me as family and therefore I was forever sidelined by him, at least this is the story I tell myself. Regardless, I always swallowed my pride and showed up whenever I could, to help him or visit him. I went out of my way many a time, roped my son to also help when he didn’t want to, all for the sake of obligation and a skewed sense of service to family. There was a part of me that felt obliged, there was a part of me that felt resentful for that obligation, but there was also a part of me that felt love and joy to be able to share and help him.
My first step toward having awareness of this situation was to become fully aware of how I felt rather than get caught up in the politics of why I may have been sidelined. And I could see how obligation and resentment were at war with each other in myself. This war would always make it challenging for me to find the energy to help. So whenever I was going to visit this family member, I would already feel drained.
But I also felt a part of me that was unconditional love and joy to help. But I could not source this part of me because the other parts of me felt drained and empty. The invitation as I could feel it was – to feed that unconditional love and joy to those parts in me FIRST before attempting to BE that to anyone else.
We try to ignore our starving parts to be in service to others but that never works folks! Remember to wear your oxygen mask first right?
Just as the snake released lubricant to it’s shedding, I could see that I needed more love and joy for me instead of just giving out of obligation. I needed to feel acknowledged and validated. Sometimes, we can resource these needs from others who are able to offer us what we need. Sometimes, a deep potent meditation in communion with Source/Great Mother, can fill your cup. Just don’t try and do it yourself – we are relational beings and we need each other to meet our needs.
And just as the snake spends time in isolation and retreat, we too need to go inward and seek solitude from all external responsibilities as we acclimatize, grieve and ready ourselves to be born anew.
There is no way we can skip the retreat part. Otherwise, we just go bonkers.
If you need support to bring greater awareness to what your feelings are showing you, or if you are struggling with feelings, sign up for a session with me. Through meditation and deep creative inquiry, be intuitively guided to your next step.
Namaste.
Join me on a mentoring journey in 2025 and start living an empowered acceptance of who you are destined to become! Email me at joy@dheepanedungat.com to begin your journey.