I don’t believe there are many who would say that 2016 hasn’t been one hell of a roller-coaster ride.

There has been a universal awakening that has rippled across the world shaking up hearts, minds, bodies and souls in every corner.

We will have noticed that each month has had its own unique energy, and within that energy there were major events as well as valuable lessons to learn. Within it all was minefields of knowledge or information essential for our soul to stretch and grow.

One of the greatest lessons many of us learned this year is how to accept that which we cannot control or change.

Even though some of what we have experienced was unpleasant and uncomfortable, we were constantly adapting to the alterations, and without consciously realizing it, we were evolving at a rapid speed.

In the midst of each whirlwind, we were often quite ungrounded, despite how determined we were to remain on our feet. That’s quite natural during any kind of turbulence, however, once the episode passes and we feel steady once more, we can glance back and see which fragments of the storm we have clung to longer than necessary and which we would like to remain.

There are things we need to let go of, as we will need a vast wide-open space to welcome the new.

December brings closure to some areas of our lives and openings in others, and this month is an opportunity to throw anything to the wind that is harming or no longer serving us.

2017 is a “1” year in numerology (2+0+1+7 =10) (1+0=1) and the number 1 signifies new beginnings. Therefore now is the time to energetically move towards a brand new start.

We will notice that, before it is even here, we are already falling madly in love with the essence of 2017.

Many of us were emotionally shook up and challenged by the struggles we endured throughout 2016, and we now feel truly ready to release them so that we can walk lightly into a new year wiser, freer, more heart-centered and fearlessly ready to open to new experiences.

As 2016 draws to an end, we are reminded of how far we have journeyed. There have been intense emotions rattling inside us, and although its felt agonizing at times, they have been trying to gain our attention to guide us to connect with our heart’s true desires. When we hear people say, “the heart knows,” it truly does, but learning to trust it and have the courage to follow its direction is the really challenging part.

Altering the path we are on is not for the faint-hearted, as we can find comfort in familiarity, however that comfort is also often what keeps us stuck and our dreams just out of reach.

This theme of this month is about being brave and vulnerable enough to courageously open to new experiences, new friendships, new kindred connections, new ways of managing our thoughts, emotions and feelings and overall anything that offers us the opportunity to taste an entirely new way of existing.

This can be terrifying, especially if we start to question if the people we are opening up to “deserve” our time, love, care and attention. We never know whether someone is going to be with us for just a few moments, or whether they will by alongside us for a lifetime and neither will we know whether the exchange will be mutual and balanced. However, none of those things are important when it comes to matters of the heart.

The only thing essential for our soul is fully embodying and becoming love in each moment, regardless of whether we receive similar feedback in return or even whether our openness and heart-centered expressions are rejected.

If we keep ourselves closed we remain stagnant and in emotional pain, as our high vibrational loving energy becomes blocked and we will notice the tension and tightness building and creating layers around our chest and shoulders due to fear.

If we are willing to trust in the process and have faith in our heart’s unique navigation skills, we will begin to notice an unmistakable energetic push nudging us closer to something or someone that we have slowly been gravitating toward.

We will need to remain aware and present as we will also be feeling magnetically pushed and pulled, shaken around and feeling entirely spun out and it can cause us to feel triggered to either lash out in frustration or to feel the temptation to back away and close ourselves off.

This is all taking place so that we awaken and discover the hidden reason within us that is causing us to shy away from what we want most. Often it is our insecurities wrongly telling us that we are not worthy of whatever is calling us.

This turbulence will feel like we’re entangled in a hurricane—however, if we attune to it, we will notice we are actually right at the center, the eye, the calmest safest place. If we remind ourselves of this we will find a level of peace that will allow us to heighten our senses and listen carefully to what our silent inner voice is trying to tell us.

All kinds of messy emotions will rise up during December, and we may be feeling irritable due to old wounds being prodded but, this is for our own good so that we can heal whatever is causing us to repeat patterns and react in ways that we have become conditioned to believe are acceptable.

We may also experience melancholic heaviness due to flashbacks of treasured memories, vivid dreams, repetitive thoughts and generally feeling agitated as though there is something trying to get our attention, but we aren’t entirely sure what.

This is the perfect time to practice meditation, even if only for a few minutes at the end of a highly emotional day. We can settle the mind and breathe deeply so that we can release, without judgment, anything that has been spinning and causing discomfort and a lack of concentration.

When we quiet the mind, the heart receives the opportunity to communicate. From there we can then honor what floats to the surface as we will know that it is heart-centered and that we are not led by our ego.

Living vulnerably, with courage and direct from the heart—both within our relations and also within ourselves—is one of our toughest lessons to learn and most challenging things to embrace.

We can work toward a heart-led existence by asking before we speak or take action, “What would love do and what do I need to learn here?” When we are triggered we can also inquire, “Is this my unhealed wounds communicating or love?”

We will quickly tap into knowing which choices are guided by love, as our heart is full of wisdom desperate to break free.

The reasons for our wounds speaking are deeply hidden in the dark, unconscious parts of our soul and may not reveal themselves instantly. However, we can softly focus on engaging in loving action as that in it self gently soothes our wounds and allows healing to naturally occur in its own time.

The answers will arrive when they’re ready; forceful pressure will only push them further away.

From there we can move with grace and integrity knowing that even if our decisions don’t appear to go according to plan, we are not leading from past emotional injuries and instead we are following our heart’s intentions.

In time, the dots will join, and we can glance back and see that even if it felt destructive at the time, everything that happened was vital for our soul evolution and to restructure us for a higher good.

When we live as courageous warriors of the heart, we start to see that every “mistake” has meaning, every interaction has depth, every feeling is fueled with raw beauty and bravery, every word is delivered with tender care, every person is a teacher, and every time we connect with someone our love will beam out into the world—and mostly, our heart will start to fill up, crack open and expand.

This can be as painful as it is beautiful, and as long as we remember that the only cure for pain is to keep our hearts open, let more love in and to radiate boundless love out, rather than building high walls of separation, we will find the faith necessary to continue.

Eventually we will start to notice that the tender aching sensation we now feel in our chest is not one caused by pain, but it is due to it stretching to create space for more love. As we accept this the aching gently dissipates and is replaced with a warm glow.

December is the month for bonding with those resonating on the same frequency. We will feel emotionally closer to our family, our friends, our tribes and those we are in a relationship with—and we will feel compelled to show and tell them just how much they mean to us.

This month is the perfect opportunity to refuse to shy away and resist love and instead to step fearlessly forward from the heart, especially as 2017 is a year for transformations and heightened levels of love.

These next few weeks are the optimum opportunity to get a head start so that we are prepared in advance for the love, magic and mystery waiting that is patiently for us on the other side of 2016.

Relephant:

Author: Alex Myles

Image: Flickr/Neda Andel

Editor: Travis May

This year, an assignment for you:

Bonus: