Today’s show is dedicated to the spiritual aspect of sending out the old year and bringing in the new.

When we approach the end of the year it is a time for reflecting. Given that surviving cancer is life changing, year end reflection can take on a whole new meaning. Not only do we reflect, but we may long to connect to something bigger than our selves.

January 1, 2008, my first New Years as an ovarian cancer survivor, I was hungry to connect to something bigger than me. That day I started a practice that has been a tradition for me ever since. New Years Day isn’t the only time I need or want to connect. In fact, it can be used any time I feel the need to reconnect.

To start with, I decided in order for me to spend time alone with the God of my understanding, I didn’t want anything or anyone else in my head or my personal space.

Facebook and social media weren’t as popular in 2008 as they are today. That said, disconnecting from the outside world is trickier and even more important today than it was back then.

To be considerate of the people around me, I let everyone who I was in regular communication with, know that I was going to be “unplugged” on January 1st. I told them not to expect emails, phone calls, texts, Facebook or LinkedIn updates from me. That kept them from worrying.

My way of connecting to myself starts with a commitment to spend the day in quiet contemplation. Spending the day with one’s own self is powerful, solemn and reverent. For those reasons, January 1 has become perhaps my favorite day of the year.

So what does quiet contemplation look like? It includes reading spiritual books that are significant to me, my past years journal and also periods of prayer and meditation.

Over the last 11-years I’ve learned that prayer and meditation are two very different things.

Prayer is:

Meditation is:

In order to have a rich and fulfilling spiritual life I must practice both prayer and meditation.

Please tune in to today’s show to learn some of the ways that the Universe speaks to me.

The post E-62 Bringing in the New Year with Spirit appeared first on All About Spirit.