THE PLAN FOR 2021: SPIRITUAL GUIDELINES FOR A NEW BEGINNING

Maggie H is a Global Explorer and Wellness Advocate from Hong Kong. Among many spiritual endeavors, Maggie practices and leads Qigong meditation to help people around the world find their inner balance. Find out more about this and other Eastern Philosophy & Meditation practices every Monday on the ICBRKR blog.

Photo credit: @_jpierce

As we were nearing the end of 2020 — the year of the White Rat — the famous quote by boxer Mike Tyson, “Everyone has a plan 'till they get punched in the mouth,” popped in my head and made me chuckle.

A year ago, as speaking about the future is part of what I do, I listened to and advised people on their plans for the new year. Some planned to change jobs, some planned to take trips, some planned to start a new business or a family, and so on.

My general advice for 2020, which was winter in seasonality, was to explore the online community and world, seek substantiality and solidify what you already have rather than expanding physically, and find answers from within rather than looking out and following others. Overall, people would be keen to find some kind of spiritual practice such as yoga, meditation, and retreats. On top of that, typically in years like 2020, something shocking or startling, such as a war or natural disaster, could happen on a national scale. Even then, I honestly didn't expect the global pandemic we are still experiencing, at least not in this major scale.

Personally, I was punched in the mouth properly, too. Pretty much everything I had planned — group retreats, public speaking engagements, overseas visits — were postponed indefinitely, kind of.

Ouch! It was time to modify the plans, pronto. My focus was switched to other things such as online sessions and workshop. Though they were not the main option at the start of the year, they ended up becoming the preferred way and opened more doors for me to connect with people globally. I started translating another one of my teacher's books and my in-person one-on-one sessions became more intensive. As a result, the year of the Rat was a very fulfilling and extraordinary year for me in its own way.

What are your plans for 2021 — the year of the White Ox? Since the first bell has only just rung, we can't be too scared to get punched, but at the same time, we shouldn't walk into it headfirst either. Here are some brief guidelines so we can all manage this round better:

In 2021, it is still winter and the keywords will be closure and preparation for a new beginning. A lot of things you have been working on since 2013 for long-term projects, 2017 for mid-term projects, and/or 2019 for short-term projects will conclude. Covid-19 can end too since it began in 2019. If you've been thinking of breaking up with your partner or selling your business, this may be the year to do it as the energy is very cooperative for finalizing things.

There will be a lot of blasts from the past in music, fashion, and arts. You might want to raid your grandma's closet or go through mom’s and dad's old records and CDs to find something 'Newtro.'

On the economy side, as you can imagine, the impact from 2020 will be more noticeable in our day-to-day life. You might want to take that into consideration if you have any big purchases to make or if you're planning on starting a large scale project that requires writing big cheques.

We will still be dealing with the pandemic, at least for the most part of the year, and trying to get closure, so people will naturally seek more individualized healing and spiritual practices. This is why ICBRKR and I are going to arrange an online live meditation/healing session in mid-January, so please stay tuned.

Once our closure is well-managed, we will be ready for the start of a new 12-year cycle, which starts in 2022. Around the tail-end of next year, we will be able to hear the tuning of a full orchestra for the next symphony.

After the storm comes the calm. We hope the new cycle will be rewarding for everyone who pushed through this rough storm. For some, what happened in 2020 was the first shock of their lives, but it must have taught them a heck of a lot which they otherwise wouldn't have learned, and made them mature faster.

My hats off to all who have survived such an unusual year. I am sure we will all remember 2020 for many different reasons, for as long as we live.

I wish you a happy and peaceful year ahead. Let's always be grateful for what we have now.