As we approach the end of the year it is all too easy to get swept up in ‘New Year’ energy. Whether this is setting resolutions, starting to plan for the year ahead or setting goals this is a very obvious time where so much of society is looking to the future. And while there is nothing inherently wrong with this, and I actually think it is a beautiful time of year to call in this new energy and set intentions, I see there to be a missing piece of the puzzle…reflection. And so this meditation practice is here to support you in pausing, slowing down and reflecting before jumping straight into the new year. Because the truth is we live in a heavily future-focused society. A superficial example of this would be the hot cross buns for sale on Boxing Day but it also goes so much deeper than this. Collectively we are conditioned to always look ahead to the next milestone. It’s not unusual to feel impatient, to want time to go more quickly, to want to fast-forward to the next chapter, particularly if our current chapter is difficult. And while this often is well-meaning and comes from a place of anticipation for what’s to come, if we are not careful it can start to feel like you’re just hopping from one task, milestone, or even year, to the next. Almost like your mind is always ten steps ahead of what is right in front of you believing that peace or happiness, or whatever you are searching for, lies just on the other side of the next hurdle. But as I’m sure you’ve come to realise, this is ultimately an illusion. The finish line keeps moving. It’s a never-ending cycle. When one milestone, or year, has been and gone, the next one will present itself. And to some extent, this is perhaps human nature. It is evolutionary. We are designed to look forward and reach for more. But I worry that perhaps it has been taken too far and we are so focused on what is coming next that when the thing comes that we had been wanting, we don’t fully appreciate it. We just ask, once again, “what’s next?” This constant sprint through life not only depletes your energy but also robs you of the joy of being in the present moment. The mindset of always waiting for the next thing and of always looking toward the future makes it hard to recognise and appreciate how far you’ve come and all that you have already achieved. When you’re perpetually focused on what’s next, you miss what’s right in front of you. And over time, this way of living can leave you feeling burned out, disconnected and yearning for something that seems forever out of reach. So today we are going to take some time to slow down and reflect on 2025. The energetics of 2025 In all honesty, I started and journeyed through most of this year having no idea that is was the Year of the Wood Snake in the Chinese Zodiac and a 9 year in numerology. And part of me wonders if I had, whether this would have made the hard times (of which there were many!), feel any less hard. Because when I finally realised and read about the energetics of 2025, I felt a huge sigh of relief knowing that it wasn’t just me. It wasn’t bad luck. It wasn’t anything I did wrong that created such a difficult year. It is simply part of the cyclical process. And while it shouldn’t be surprising, I love the synchronicities that these two systems, the Chinese Zodiac and Numerology, offer. In the Chinese Zodiac the Snake is a symbol of transformation, rebirth, intuition, intelligence and wisdom. This is a year that asked us to shed layers, labels, identities, and anything that we have outgrown and which is no longer serving us so that we can transform and step into our truest version of self. And this is not a quick process, this is a slow unfurling that happens when the pain of staying where we are is greater that the fear of what may lie ahead. Of course the Chinese Zodiac doesn’t run alongside the calendar year and will continue until February which means that we will continue to feel this final push to shed over the next 6 or so weeks before we move into the Year of the Horse. According to Numerology, 2025 is a 9 year, the final number in the cycle. Nine carries the energy of completion, integration and letting go. It asks us to reflect on the chapters that are closing, the lessons that have been learned and what is ready to be released so that a new cycle can begin in 2026 with a 1 year. Together these energies created a year that hasn’t been about pushing forward but about letting go, shedding, completion, closing chapters and endings. A year for clearing space, emotionally, energetically and practically, so that what comes next is rooted in truth rather than conditioning, momentum or obligation. A personal reflection I know I’ve shared a little about the challenges of this year on my Substack and podcast but in brief, the themes of this year - completion and shedding - couldn’t be more fitting if they tried. This year has shaken the foundations of everything I thought I knew and has had me questioning my identity, asking “Who am I?” and shedding labels I’ve held for as long as I can remember. This has been hugely influenced, and I think heightened, by my ever-deepening journey with Human Design as my personal experience of shedding could also be described in Human Design language as deconditioning. And just as a snake has to shed its skin to survive, the same is true for us. Yes we could continue moving through life as our conditioned self, wearing layers upon layers of labels, identities and stories that we adopt and force ourselves to wear but eventually it will become so constrictive that it becomes a chokehold. It’s only through this process of shedding, letting go and deconditioning that we are able to reveal our truth and move through the world as our authentic self. But this isn’t to say it is easy. I’ve found this process, and this year in particular, to be incredibly destabilising as I realised that of all the labels I’ve held, very very few are actually authentic to me. The truth being they were essentially protective measures I developed to survive in a world that didn’t support my natural way of being. As I said earlier, I can’t help but wonder if I had known about the energetics of this year earlier whether I would have approached this year differently. I spent so much of this year trying to do the opposite of what this year asked for….trying to push, force and move forward. And then of course wondering why I wasn’t moving, why everything felt so hard, why everything I thought I knew was falling away, why the ground beneath me felt so unsteady, why I was questioning everything I thought I knew. But this perhaps leads me to something else I wanted to share, the difference between dwelling and reflecting. Because if I’m not careful, and I know this is what past versions of me would have done, I’d get stuck dwelling on the hardness of this year. Stuck in the challenges. Stuck in the struggle. Stuck in the search for the answer to the question of “Why?” Dwelling vs Reflecting I used to be a Queen of dwelling. Like a song on repeat, my mind would run through an experience I’d had, something I did or didn’t do, or should or shouldn’t have said, over and over and over again. If you too are familiar with dwelling you’ll know how torturous it can feel stuck in this endless loop. Dwelling keeps you tethered to the past emotionally, mentally and sometimes somatically. Instead of observing the experience, you’re inside it and living it again and again and again. And of course, dwelling is often riddled with undercurrents of judgment, regret or self-blame. This is where reflection is different. Reflection is spacious, intentional and compassionate. It’s the act of looking back from the present moment, with awareness and curiosity. Reflection allows you to gather insight without losing your footing in the now. I find that reflection often brings a sense of clarity, relief or closure even if the experience itself was challenging. Reflection is a way to honour the past without living there whereas dwelling keeps you bound to it. And especially in this year of completion, I see the decision to let go of dwelling and instead opt for reflection to be the ultimate act of wisdom and self-compassion. Reflection is essentially a process of taking stock. A process of seeing the wood for the trees. A process of getting clear on exactly where you are and how you got there because it’s only then that you can you move forward with clarity and intention. A metaphor I love to use here is that when you enter your destination in maps or your GPS, in order to calculate your route, you also need your current location. The GPS is unable to work out how to get you where you want to go without knowing where you are right now. And I see this to be a little like that. I don’t see how you can set your destination, your intentions, your goals for 2026 without first knowing your current location. Align with Alice is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. So while your instinct may just be to jump straight into where you want to go in the year ahead, I encourage you to pause and reflect. This is your opportunity to acknowledge the experiences and lessons that have shaped you, to consider both the highs and the lows, recognise the challenges you’ve overcome and celebrate the progress you’ve made, no matter how small it may seem. Reflection is where you gain valuable insights into what’s working in your life and what isn’t. It gives you the chance to assess your habits, choices and patterns and to identify what aligns with the person you want to be and the life you want to live and what may be holding you back. And remember that this isn’t about labelling the entire year as good or bad, but recognising that there would have been highs and lows
