Spiritual Journey - 2023 One Word Guide

As the new year opens, one word reveals itself as my guide on my 2023 spiritual journey. In anticipation of this wonder-filled event, I open my heart and mind to accept not a resolution but a guiding spirit. A word as quiet as a winter forest in early morning evolves. It swirls in wonder, colors the sky in imagination, and settles in a pillowed corner of content. In a dreamlike state, it opens in a restful pose. One word, newly added to my one word list echoes the thought of the "most inspiring and visionary spiritual teachers in the world today", Eckhart Tolle. 

Just be and enjoy being!  

- Eckhart Tolle

What I Know About My 2023 One Word

Be is a guiding spirit.

In the yoga studio, it appears as presence on my mat.

 In life, Be, will slow down my continual hurried pace

through the power of now.

Am I ready for this challenge?

It has been a long time coming.

I lean on the Lord, reminded of His words:

"Be still, and know that I am God!

Be strong and of good courage;

Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed:

for the Lord, thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."*

©CVarsalona, 2023

*Bible Verses

To Be Present

open your heart

fully listen

believe in faith

find joy's presence

reach out for hope

embrace the now

seek life's balance

pause and begin

appreciate

just being!

be true to you

throughout this year

©CVarsalona, 2023

4x4 poem

May this year provide a journey of wonder and surprise

as I allow my one word, be, to guide my spiritual journey. 

In a quiet room, I write with the muse on my shoulder and the spirit of love and peace above.

I look forward to joining the Spiritual Journey First Thursday community hosted by teacher/author/poet Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche.

Here poetic goodness and spiritual enrichment flow.

Thoughts for 2023

After what seems to be a long wait, the new year is here.  During the past month, I mulled over my past "one words" to guide my new year. As I listened to news reports and read articles on New Year's resolutions, I wondered why the one word phenomenon was not mentioned. After all, since 2014, I have changed my thoughts on resolutions that come and go. Instead of temporary, well-meaning thoughts, I add one word to guide my journey. This word follows me throughout the year and opens possibilities for me. I look back on my list and realize that each year's one word seems to build on the next. In 2021 AARP stated, "Picking a word of the year can bring clarity and focus to who we want to become and what we want to accomplish in life." Below is the digital art with all my one words created in Buncee: openness (2014), listen (2015), believe (2016), joy (2017), hope (2018), embrace 

(2019), balance (2020), begin (2021), and appreciate (2022).

By chance, I found a Dolly Parton song, "When Life Is Good Again", that she wrote with Kent Wells. The song with its lyrics made me think about life. The past few years have been a difficult journey for most people and now with the resurgence of another strain of COVID, plus the violence that has occurred, people need to rebuild their faith in humanity. Please listen to the song and 

Below is my prewrite, a poem to usher in my one word for 2023. It just so happens that nature played a role in uncovering my word on a day, unlike other New Year's Day. Instead of winter-like weather, we enjoyed a spring-like day. Spirits were high. Life felt good again.

Enter 2023

wrapped in sunshine

feel spring breeze through trees

design a baseline

as darkness fades into light

life feels good again

sit in stillness, prewrite

fill my space with zen

be more humane and kind

find ways to right wrong

leave heartaches behind

rejoice in birdsong,

then, snuggle into winter

energizing my soul

breathe in sprinter

heart-whole

©CVarsalona, 2022

Join me this week when I reveal my one word for 2023. 

If you have chosen one, please share it.

Let 2023 be the year for change, renewal, and peace!

Thank you for reading my Slice of Life. I am once again sliding into the midnight hour at Two Writing Teachers blog site, a place where teacher writers meet and share their stories. 

Happy New Years to All!