Every year in its own way has been a game-changer and 2014 was no different. As I’ve geared up to turn the page of the calendar to a new year, a new day, my word of the moment is Alignment. Getting into alignment with myself. I’ve done it before, many times, in many years past, because it’s the kind of thing that needs renewal and rebooting, and can always use more consciousness. But this was the year I actually studied what alignment meant from the energetic standpoint.

What we are in alignment with is what our energy will focus on and lead us to and give us more of. But there is an outer alignment which focuses on exterior goals and accomplishments, and an inner alignment, when we know without question that we are following our life plan, the blueprint of the soul. The two can be complementary, one serving the other, or there can be disharmony when they don’t serve each other. They can start off harmonious at the beginning of a new enterprise or relationship, and evolve into a disruptive clanging down the line.

A year ago around this time I was looking for a part-time job. My inner work, writing, was humming along, but I needed more income. After several false starts I found something that suited. When certain aspects felt wrong, I looked at the big picture and overlooked the niggling bits. Then in the spring I enrolled in the introductory course of Quantum Light Healing at the Academy of Spiritual Sciences, part of Rainbow Light Foundation. All was well until I approached the end of the three-month course and kept delaying the finish. I didn’t know what was holding me back, but when I quit the job it was like the sky had suddenly cleared and my plane could take off. The very next day I completed my last assignment and sent it in. I was rewarded with a Practitioner’s Certificate in Energy Alignment.

I was now more clearly aligned with myself so that I could assist others in their alignment process. Lesson learned. Next was being in alignment with my true nature while dealing with survival on the physical plane. As someone who has been in the arts all her life, I am well aware of how difficult it can be. Yet beyond difficult or easy, trial and error, there’s this thing called “staying in your own energy field.” That is where we stay aligned with our purpose.

As this year draws to a close I could list a project that never got off the ground, and tell you how the beast called Insecurity, aka Fear, reared its head again. The details are irrelevant. The beast appeared because I still had more to learn from this particular fear. My first reaction was to throw my hands up and wail in despair. Then came acceptance of what is. Owning it, accepting it, not judging it, and then noticing what could still make me feel powerless. At this point of detachment I was then able to take the actions needed to deal with it.

Then, “out-of-the-blue,” along came “rescue” in the form of a commission. But there was to be no joy in that because directly on the heels of what seemed like the cavalry rushing in, came the news that someone I had been close to for almost half my life was in hospital. He became more ill by the day, and by the end of a month he was literally wasting away. He appeared to be dying, and there was nothing I could do.

So, first there was fear for my own survival, and when I overcame that, I went into fear for someone else’s survival. The pain called for another kind of acceptance, and in that acceptance lay the bigger picture. A more whole picture. The man was my ex-husband. We have been divorced for much longer than we were married, but remained close (albeit in a fractured, sometimes difficult relationship) because of our son. His illness now brought about a shift in power. And the absence now, of any power I had once given him.

How natural then, for the love I had once felt to come rushing back. Showing me it had never left, but had only been masked by personality differences, conflicting needs, and blame. All the anger and resentment I had been holding onto seemed to vanish overnight. The prospect of immanent death or a lingering death puts everything into perspective. When life and death become clearly aligned, all that lies in between moves to the sidelines.

My ex-husband’s transition was the beginning of a new transition for me. As I threw myself into the process, I realized I wanted to create a workshop for others going through loss—any kind of loss—which always signifies a transition is in the works. I will be talking once again about Art and Ascension, which is a particular focus for those inclined to write or draw, or need encouragement to do so, thus coming into a deeper awareness of their inner life and Life Plan. And so realign their energies by being more consciously aware of what they have been aligning themselves with. Thus easing the shift into a new place.

More on the Transition workshop soon…