My Year of Being Rooted

2023 is my Year of Being Rooted. But what does that mean?

Roots are our connection to the deeper places in our souls, to the past, and to the land we live on. Being rooted gives one a secure sense of who you are and where you belong; you are firmly planted, sunk in, feet on the ground and the earth is steady. 

To be rooted means I belong here: Strong and grounded in Love, Truth, and Creation, solidly living in the Now, connected to the Divine Whole, and radiant in peace, in health and resilience. It means I belong in my home, my family, and in my community, I'm integrated and whole. 

Agenda:

1. Christmas retreat

2. Root reading

3. Root practice ideas for January

4. Root walk 

1. Christmas retreat:

I continue to start each day with a time of reflection on themes and values to support the new year. 

Today I am honoring my theme for the year: Being Rooted. I want to plan some first steps for rootedness - understanding why and how I feel disconnected, and choosing some first rooting practices.

2. Root Reading:

I'm reading again from "Root and Ritual: Timeless Ways to Connect to Land, Lineage, Community, and the Self," by Becca Piastrelli (2021). The theme of this book is that we long for connection to the land, to our ancestors, our community, and our selves, and we can undo the "spell of loneliness" by reconnecting to the old way of doing things. 

In Part Four, Self, Becca says, "As much work as we do to nourish our roots with the natural world, with those who came before us, and with the community that surrounds us, if we do not take a thorough and lasting look at our relationship with our own self, we will rarely feel connected anywhere else in our life."

When we are rooted in ourselves, we accept and love who we are, and that gives us a new strength: We can be present for others in a better way when we are present for ourselves.

She suggests that we surrender into a seasonal way of living, move more slowly, listen to your body and your intuition: "In that work of remembering my own belonging, I remember how to liberate myself".

3. Root practice ideas for January:

I want to find tangible ways to make connections to my land; to my family, friends, and community; to my ancestors and lineage; to be rooted in my body and mind, and to a Divine presence.

1. 
   Keep a Root Journal, to record my intentions and motivations each day, and also my roots of empathy.
2. Set intentions for winter self-nurturance. 
3. Make myself a New Year seed charm.
4. Practice the Tree Pose.
5. Enjoy a daily Root Walking Meditation, to become more grounded in my body and my neighborhood.
6. Plan an abundant garden, and order seeds. Research January permaculture practices.
7. Clean and bless my home and land.
8. Continue to research my lineage, going back to the earlier times, before we became wanderers.
9. Plan a baby welcoming celebration.
10. Celebrate the full Wolf Moon with my best friends.

5. Root Walks:

Walking in the winter has a different flavor of adventure. I need to get all the gear on, and brace myself for the elements. This has become a somewhat tedious and time-consuming process, especially when I have a 2-year-old to dress as well, so one of my goals this week is to find some solutions, such as easier to put on boots, a poncho for the boy, and an out-the-door grab and go kit.

Once we make it out the door, I relax and allow myself to appreciate and feel the wonders of the season, and an awareness of the harmony of life emerges. 

This month I plan to enjoy a Root Walk practice, for the purpose of becoming better connected to my neighborhood and to my body.

 I'm going to walk in the four compass directions in my neighborhood, really look at my surroundings, and give attention to these:

1. Grounding: Begin my walk, and concentrate on my feet as they touch the ground, the feel of my muscles, my breathing, my surroundings, the breeze, the sky. Center my weight low and maintain balance as I walk. 

Continue this for 1-2 blocks. 

2. Belonging: Turn a corner, and focus on my tender heart. Feel it soften and open. 

Send loving thoughts to my neighbors, my family, my community, the world. Continue this for 1-2 blocks.

3. Motivation: Turn another corner, and give attention to 

my day ahead, my intentions and intuitions, and find my footing in the WHY of life. Continue this for 1-2 blocks.

4. Sink into the Divine Whole: Turn the last corner, and (holding on to the awareness I've raised) speak a prayer out loud as I’m moving; feel the power and energy move through me. Say, “Spirit of Love-Light-Creation, I remember thee. Amen.”