Choosing a word of the year is a powerful way to focus your spiritual intentions and manifest your deepest desires.
Unlike traditional goal-setting, this practice helps you connect with your inner wisdom to bring to the fore the desires that emanate from your soul.
Remember, that words are spells and creating a word of the year can help align your focus and manifest your deepest desires.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you craft your personal Word of the Year.
Step 1: Connect with Your Dreams
Start by creating a quiet space for yourself. Light a candle, burn sage, or simply take a few deep breaths.
This simple ritual will help you connect with your intuition as you begin this meaningful process.
Once in a mild trance-like state, write down six dreams that resonate deeply with you.
It's important that you give yourself permission to dream BIG. Do not limit yourself to what your ego thinks you can achieve.
Instead, reflect upon what dreams might you have tucked away in a corner of your heart because you think what's the point or it's too late or no way is that going to happen.
And yet every now and then you feel their pulse, their spark, their call.
Your dreams have not given up on you, so at least give them a chance to come to life, by writing them down and not worrying about the HOW.
Remember, no dream is too big when you are connected to your higher self.
Make sure your write your dreams in the present tense as if they are already true. So instead of writing, I want to be fit & strong, bring it to the present tense – that is, I AM fit & strong.
As an example, here is a list 6 desires:
I feel strong, powerful & amazing in my body
I am surrounded with warm, inspiring & loving people
Money flows to be easily & effortlessly
I contribute generously to causes I believe in
The only approval I need is from myself
I work on projects that bring a sense of joy, purpose & fulfillment
Step 2: Connect with Your Feelings
For each of the 6 dreams above, identify the feeling it brings up within you. What emotions arise when you think about achieving each dream? It might be joy, peace, freedom, or security.
Write these feelings next to each dream, taking time to really experience each emotion.
These feelings are crucial because they represent the emotional essence behind your dreams. And embodying these emotions even before our desires materialize in the physical is the KEY to manifestation!
For our example above, I've included the predominant feeling for each of the 6 desires in parenthesis:
I feel strong, powerful & amazing in my body (STRONG)
I am surrounded with warm, inspiring & loving people (SECURE)
Money flows to be easily & effortlessly (JOY)
I contribute generously to causes I believe in (JOY)
The only approval I need is from myself (PEACE)
I work on projects that bring a sense of joy, purpose & fulfillment (FULFILLED)
Step 3: Find Natural Connections
Next, look at your list of six desires and divide them into 2 groups of three.
This is a very intuitive process so trust your inner guidance – you'll know which dreams belong together. Some might connect through similar feelings, while others might relate to the same area of your life.
For our example wish list, I have created the following two categories on the basis of the feelings each brings up:
CATEGORY 1
I feel strong, powerful & amazing in my body (strong)
I am surrounded with warm, inspiring & loving people (secure)
The only approval I need is from myself (peace)
CATEGORY 2
Money flows to be easily & effortlessly (joy)
I contribute generously to causes I believe in (joy)
I work on projects that bring a sense of joy, purpose & fulfillment (fulfilled)
Step 4: Find Your Key Words
Now, look at the dreams under category 1. Softly focus on them – look at them individually & then combined. Go back & forth if you like & let the emotions they bring up wash over you.
Do not stress about if you're doing this right! Approach the steps with a spirit of curiosity and play.
As you gently tap into the energies of category 1, ask your higher self for a word that would encapsulate the predominant energy for category 1.
Repeat the above process for category 2.
For our example, I came up with the words empowered & joy for the two categories respectively.
Category 1 - EMPOWERED
I feel strong, powerful & amazing in my body (strong)
I am surrounded with warm, inspiring & loving people (secure)
The only approval I need is from myself (peace)
Category 2 - JOY
Money flows to be easily & effortlessly (joy)
I contribute generously to causes I believe in (joy)
I work on projects that bring a sense of joy, purpose & fulfillment (fulfilled)
Step 5: Discover Your Final Word
With your two shortlisted words in mind, take a few moments (or longer) to meditate. Focus on the words you’ve chosen and feel their energy. Ask yourself:
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How does word 1 make me feel in my body?
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How does word 2 make me feel in my body?
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Go back & forth between the 2 words & then gently let yourself marinate in the combined energies of the two words. Take all the time you need
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While still in a meditative state & holding space for the combined energies, come up with a single word or even a short phrase that encapsulates them.
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There is no right or wrong as this is an intuitive process.
For the above example, a word that combines the energy of empowered & peace could be EFFERVESCENCE or VIBRANT or DYNAMIC STILLNESS
Step 6: Pull a Tarot Card
As a final step, which is optional but highly recommended, pull a tarot card asking the question:
How will my higher self help me embody & anchor in the essence of my word?
Since the essence of the word is a feeling you are trying to embody, there will be times when you might waver or the emotional essence might feel out of reach. But knowing that you are not alone in your journey and that you can rely on the universe, your higher self to help you get back into alignment, will serve as a profound source of support!
I hope you have fun with this process and that you are able to find a truly transformative and beautiful word.