Stop Starting Over—Ground Yourself Deeper

I decided to welcome 2026 with a little ritual.

On January 1st, I pulled out my fire pit. It was cool weather in South Florida, so it felt like the perfect opportunity. As I lifted the metal brim, underneath I found a piece of snake skin that had been shed. I thought, how cool!

Given that we are transitioning from the year of the Snake into the year of the Horse, the symbolism felt immediate. I symbolically placed the piece of skin into the pit and started the fire — to welcome the energy of the Fire Horse.

As I sat there and watched the flames lick the inside of my fire pit, I felt a strong message from the fire, as if it were saying it would be our guide throughout the year — that we would have the opportunity to work with it and let go of many things. Simple as that. I thanked the fire.

When I looked up, a beautiful bright moon began to peek just above the shrubs, signaling that all is well — that nature knows exactly what is happening and that we are all exactly where we need to be. And I just glanced at the clock. It read 3:33. January is not a blank slate. It is a threshold between what has shaped us and what we are ready to embody.

In this article, I’ll share how Spirit sees the energy for January, and how working with it can support the way we step into the year ahead.

Ancestors:

The Strength of Wholeness

When guidance turns toward the ancestors, it is not asking us to divide the past into what was “good” or “bad,” successful or failed, worthy or unworthy. It is asking us to recognize wholeness.

Our ancestors did not hand us a polished legacy; they handed us a complete one.

Within our lineage live resilience and fear, brilliance and missteps, devotion and limitation. None of these stand alone. Together, they form the architecture of who we are. From a psychological perspective, this reflects systems theory: no part of a system exists in isolation. Every outcome is shaped by context, pressure, adaptation, and survival.

Neuroscience supports this understanding. Emotional patterns, stress responses, and coping strategies are carried through generations not as moral judgments, but as biological adaptations. What once ensured survival may now seek refinement—not rejection.

January invites us to stand in unity with our lineage, not in opposition to it.

When we honor both the achievements and the struggles of those who came before us, we stop fragmenting our own identity. Integration creates stability. Wholeness creates strength.

As we look toward 2026, this perspective matters. Growth does not come from denying the past or glorifying it. It comes from standing fully inside the truth of it—and allowing that truth to inform wiser movement forward.

Grandmother Earth:

Stabilizing the Nervous System Before Motion

Grandmother Earth appears as the stabilizing force of January, reminding us that before momentum builds, the body must feel safe. This is not symbolic—it is physiological.

Grounding regulates the nervous system. Contact with the Earth, slow movement, and embodied awareness reduce stress hormones, increase parasympathetic activation, and improve heart rate variability. The body relaxes not because danger has disappeared, but because support has been felt.

Psychologically, grounding creates containment. It allows emotions, insights, and intentions to settle into form rather than remaining abstract. Without grounding, vision stays in the mind. With grounding, vision enters the body—and becomes sustainable.

January is not meant to be mentally busy. It is meant to be somatically intelligent.

Grandmother Earth teaches us that stability is not stagnation. It is the platform from which meaningful movement becomes possible. The Horse energy ahead requires strong legs, clear direction, and regulated breath. January builds that foundation.

The Peace Pipe:

Where Harmony Is Asking to Enter

Peace is not a concept here. It is a practice. The Peace Pipe, used in many indigenous cultures, carries the energy of sacred agreement—within oneself and between oneself and others. It is not about avoiding conflict, bypassing discomfort, or pretending harmony where it does not exist. It is about restoring coherence.

Internal friction keeps the nervous system activated. Unspoken tension, unresolved interactions, and inner resistance drain energy quietly but consistently. Neuroscience shows that coherence between thought, emotion, and physiology creates measurable shifts in well-being, clarity, and resilience.

The Peace Pipe asks a simple, honest reflection:Where in your life would you benefit from more peace?Is it within a particular situation—or with a particular person?

Peace begins with acknowledgment. When we recognize where harmony is missing, we regain choice. We can soften our stance, clarify our boundaries, or shift our relationship to what is happening. Peace does not require agreement; it requires presence. In January, reconciliation is medicine. Not reconciliation as surrender—but as alignment.

January as a Threshold Month

Culturally, January is framed as a reset. Biologically and psychologically, it functions as a threshold. The nervous system does not instantly recalibrate with the calendar. Integration continues. The body is still organizing information, emotions, and insights from what has already passed. When we push too quickly, we override wisdom. When we pause intentionally, clarity emerges.

Threshold months are not about acceleration. They are about orientation.

January asks us to locate ourselves—emotionally, physically, relationally—before committing energy forward. The guidance of ancestry, grounding, and peace is not coincidental. These are the conditions required for momentum that does not collapse under its own weight.

Grounded Beginnings

In psychology, beginnings matter because they set the tone for how the mind organizes experience. The first way we approach a new phase—whether a year, a relationship, or a personal chapter—creates an internal reference point. From that point forward, the brain looks for consistency. When beginnings are rushed or driven by pressure, the nervous system stays alert, scanning for threat or failure. When beginnings are grounded, the mind interprets the path ahead as safe, navigable, and self-directed.

Grounded beginnings support agency—the felt sense that we are participating in our lives rather than reacting to them. This sense of agency is critical for emotional regulation, motivation, and resilience. When we begin from a place of stability, we are more likely to follow through, adapt flexibly, and remain connected to ourselves when challenges arise.

As neuroscience teaches, the nervous system does not respond to intention alone—it responds to state. The brain and body register whether an intention is formed in safety or in stress. When the body feels grounded, the prefrontal cortex—the center of discernment, planning, and meaning-making—functions more effectively.

Grounding practices enhance interoception, the brain’s ability to accurately sense internal states. This improves intuition, emotional literacy, and decision-making. When we feel our feet on the ground—literally and metaphorically—the brain receives consistent signals of safety. From this state, growth is not forced; it unfolds.

Peace further reinforces grounded beginnings. Internal coherence—alignment between thought, emotion, and physiology—creates measurable shifts in heart-brain communication. Stress decreases. Clarity increases. Energy that was previously tied up in internal tension becomes available for creativity and movement.

This is why January does not ask for urgency. It asks for orientation. A grounded beginning does not demand that you know where the year will take you. It only asks that you know where you are standing. From that place, intention becomes embodied rather than conceptual, and movement—when it comes—has direction, strength, and sustainability.

January Practices: Preparing the Ground

Ancestral Acknowledgment

Reflect on the full legacy you carry—strengths, struggles, resilience, and adaptation. Allow all of it to exist without hierarchy.

Grounding Through the Body

Each day, engage in a simple grounding practice: walking, stretching, standing barefoot, or slow breathing. Let the body lead.

The Peace Reflection

Notice where tension persists in your life. Gently acknowledge it without judgment. Peace begins with awareness.

Breath for Coherence

Practice slow breathing—longer exhales than inhales—to signal safety to the nervous system.

Seed Intention

Rather than setting goals, plant one seed of intention rooted in how you want to feel as the year unfolds.

Reflection Questions

·       How does honoring my full lineage change how I see myself moving forward?

·       Where does my body ask for more grounding right now?

·       In what area of my life would peace create the greatest shift?

·       What kind of movement becomes possible when stability is present?

·       What am I preparing—not rushing—toward?

Closing Thoughts: Before the Horse Arrives

The Horse will arrive with speed, courage, and forward momentum. But January reminds us that powerful movement is never impulsive. It is prepared. Seeds are planted quietly. Roots grow unseen. Peace settles before action begins. Stand grounded. Stand whole. Stand ready. From this place, the year does not need to be forced. It will move—strongly and naturally—when the time is right.

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This December, find your flow in all aspects of your life. Pause, connect to your heart and remember what you came here to embody. Or contact me directly if you would like to work with me.

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