Each new year is an opportunity to start afresh. This is supported by the transition from December to January—the turning of the calendar from 2021 to 2022, and by our own inclination to leave behind what is no longer serving us and to choose the next best steps in our life. Every year I like to re-affirm these four intentions written many years ago by Deepak Chopra.

•    I want a joyful, energetic body.
•    I want a loving, compassionate heart.
•    I want a restful, alert mind.
•    I want lightness of being.

As you can see, these intentions move from body, emotions, and mind to spirit. These are the domains of consciousness where pure awareness takes form as sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts. There is a flow that is natural to everyone’s life, and what you are intending here is to replace resistance, disorder, effort, and struggle with an easier way of living.

If you already meditate or pursue your own inner practice, you can add the four intentions at the end of your session. Place your attention on your heart. Repeat the first intention and let the intention find its place in you. Return your attention to your heart as you move through each intention.

May these four intentions bless your life with satisfaction, joy and peace.

Tonight’s conjunction of Mars and Venus has me thinking about masculine and feminine qualities. The planet Mars is named for the masculine god of war, while Venus is named for the feminine goddess of love. Even popular culture has picked up on this idea as when a psychologist assured us several years ago that men are from Mars and women are from Venus!
 
If you look off into the western sky tonight just below the crescent moon, you should see the two planets Venus and Mars very close to each other.  This conjunction happens every couple of years and it is an opportunity to reflect on the conjunction of masculine and feminine qualities. Such qualities are much more than what makes a person male or female, but rather point to archetypes of the ideal qualities that we all want to cultivate in order to be balanced in our personality.
 
Here’s a brief meditation you can do tonight. It is based on the archetypal qualities in Deepak Chopra’s book The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire. As you read the following two lists of qualities, notice how they make you feel—which ones do you like or dislike on a physical level?
 
Masculine qualities of being strong, decisive, courageous, articulate and powerful
 
Feminine qualities of being beautiful, sexual, intuitive, nurturing and affectionate
 
Now that you have a personal connection to the qualities, participate in the following visualizations:
 
Imagine that you are as stable as a mountain.
Imagine that you are as flexible as the wind.
Imagine that you are a shape shifter and that you can be masculine or feminine as you choose.
 
Today’s special planetary conjunction of Venus and Mars is a reminder that a full range of human qualities are always available to us, guiding us to the best response in any life situation.