Surrender in this case means being in acknowledgement of what is right in front of you, how your life happens to be unfolding, and dropping whatever resistance you may have towards this unfolding. Remember that in the wrapping up of this artisan year whatever you see in front of you, whatever situation you are in now has been created entirely by you. 

As we move out of the Martyrdom of the year, beware of the Impatience that wants to yank you around here and there with dissatisfaction, irritability and disappointment. Surrender means accepting your life just the way it is, with neutrality and love. Only in Surrender do you allow yourself to settle in and anchor to a stable platform from which to move forward. To the extent that you keep fighting, pushing, efforting, running away from, chasing, rejecting, denying, ignoring, judging or wishing it was different, is the extent that you will have no platform, no leg to stand on so-to-speak.  The beauty of accepting your life unfolding is the deep peace and relaxation that comes with letting go of the struggle.

Surrender does not mean giving up your dreams and goals and it does not mean giving up your disciplines. In fact the Commitment theme this month is very much about anchoring discipline. The discipline however is related to staying out of the distractions that keep you from being present with what is in front of you and with what is true in your life. The task this month is to become at peace with what you do have instead of chasing what you don’t have. If you become fully present with what you have, you will be building a strong and secure platform on which to stand. This will become extremely important in the months to come.

I am reminded of a childhood game where participants run around and then when the leader says, “freeze”, everyone has to freeze in exactly the position they are caught in. We have been doing a lot of running around and now whatever position you are caught in is the one that identifies you and the place you hold in the world at this time. The biggest challenge is to stay out of judgment around what it looks like. It is what it is. Freedom comes from fully accepting and committing to your life unfolding. Again, this does not mean withdrawing from life, giving up, falling into Martyrdom, or feeling sorry for yourself. This means taking full responsibility for what you have created and committing to it fully. Stop wishing it were different. Stop blaming yourself or others. Stop worrying about the past and obsessing about what you should or should not have done. It is what it is.

As we move out of the influences of 2007, we are being drawn into a still point. This still point is the point of power if you can be in total surrender, acceptance and commitment. For some of you it may feel like death. For some of you, like a deep relief and release. It is this still point that holds the present, whatever it may look like, and serves as the platform on which you stand.

Let’s look at how the influences of 2007 are transitioning out. The artisan influence is winding down and throwing chaos in its wake. However if you stay out of other peoples drama and focus on just what is in front of you, you will find the still point in the chaos. It is also a good idea to really honor how you have used the artisan influence this year to create and recreate in your own life.

The goal of growth has kept us very busy indeed this year and now as it cycles out you may be grasping at the final lurch to get that last chance experience. Watch the impatience as it may try and seduce you into feeling that you have not grown enough, accomplished enough… It is enough. It is what it is. The pair to growth is abbreviation. As growth leaves us this month you may feel tired, withdrawn, like being internal and alone. Spurts of growth need to be processed and assimilated. So take some time in your surrender to surrender to sleep, rest and assimilation.

The mode of passion has hit the adrenals pretty hard this year. Drama has been up and experiences have been intense. As Passion winds down watch that you don’t over-identify or blow things out of proportion. Simplify your life rather than over-dramatize it and over-complicate it.

The attitude of idealist leaves the playing field through its pair, the skeptic. You may feel yourself and your ideals being deflated, made more ordinary and realistic. Ideally, you should be simply looking at what’s in front of you now without any rose colored glasses or grandiose ideas.

Martyrdom was mentioned already as enlisting its pair, Impatience. Watch these two as they try to distract you from inner peace. It really is OK to feel like everything is OK just the way it is.

The emotional center is throwing monkey wrenches in your attempt to be rational. Just when you think you have it under control and figured out, something emotional happens to sideswipe you. These emotional events are actually helping to clear away the last attachments and forcing you to surrender to the present state of things. So go ahead and have a good cry, just don’t indulge.

How you end something and what you take away from an experience is far more important than how you began it. So in keeping with this concept, pay attention to how you are leaving this year’s influences and what you are taking away from 2007 in terms of growth, change, creativity and wisdom. Appreciate what you received and managed to accomplish. Be grateful for what the influences taught you and what they supported in your life. What are you taking away from the artisan, the goal of growth, the mode of passion, the attitude of the idealist?  What did you learn from Martyrdom and the emotional center? Instead of feeling like you can’t wait for this year to end, stay present with these times and with your life unfolding, in gratitude.

Personal Growth and Well Being
There will be many lessons around the importance of assimilation and honoring the still point in any growth cycle. If you do not actively choose this, you may be one of those people where spirit handles it through an illness or other situation. If you are tired, rest. If you are energized, take action. If you are confused, stop doing and practice just being for a while. The extent of personal growth this year will be very hard to measure. Even without the markers you can still be grateful for what you do have and what you have accomplished. Your sense of well- being will be defined by your ability to accept and surrender your current life.

Relationships
A big part of accepting your current life is to look and see who is in it and who is not. Do not waste time pining away for those who are not in it. Thank and acknowledge those who are. For whatever reason maybe only spirit knows, the people who are around you are the people you created in your life to be there. Accept, surrender, commit and stop wishing there was someone else. If you can relax and be at peace with who is there, you will be in a much better position to draw others towards you. If you are ending a relationship, any relationship either with a person or a habit or a situation, focus on ending it well.

Business, Finance, Projects and Partnerships
Look at what is manifesting in your life, surrender and commit. Focus on each piece instead of a large expanded picture. It may be time to take a break so that you can get some clarity on your direction. The areas of business, projects and finances are all subject to being drawn into the still point. This does not mean their death, just a time of taking a break and opportunity for further reflection. Be careful not to judge the whole of the future based on what is happening in your life right at the moment. However it is important to accept and embrace the moment fully before you can move on.  It is a good time to begin something new only if that something new happens easily and is what is unfolding in front of you. It is also a good time to end a project or a business relationship if that is what is happening easily and without any effort.

Physical Health and Well-Being
Health and energy levels may go through ups and downs as the body adjusts to moving through the changes of the influences. One day you may be exhausted, the next, day your knees will hurt. Be careful not to judge the whole picture by a symptom. If your body comes up with something you are having diagnosed, get a second, third, fourth and fifth opinion before deciding on an invasive procedure. One thing is certain. As a collective we have made the choice and decision to raise the frequency and vibration level on the planet. What that means for the body is an adjustment. It also means that wherever the body is still holding patterns of a lower vibrational frequency, you are likely to have some symptoms or even problems. These can disappear overnight if you catch them and work with raising their frequency.

Climate, Weather and the Environment
The climate is here to support our process. The environment is also going through a frequency change. This means having weather patterns that seem out of sync with unseasonably warm or cold or wet or dry conditions. Continue to keep your plans flexible and never blame the weather but rather accept and surrender to it. The environment here means not only the greater natural environment but also your own personal environment. Be grateful for what you do have and work with what is right in front of you.

Government, Politics and World Events
Because this month is geared more towards the personal rather than the global, the focus will be much more towards community and the individual rather than the big picture. Events that happen on a global level will filter down to the more intimate community and affect that community as well as the individual. The commitment should be to support and heal and make the right decisions for the individual and the immediate community. The ripple effect will be felt by the greater community and eventually by the planet itself. In this way we can affect change.

Important Dates:

December 1-7: Squirrelly time of highs and lows. Be flexible and prepared to change your plans, your attitude and your priorities depending on what is unfolding in front of you. Stay out of Martyrdom, focus on gratitude and surrender to the obvious.

December 8-12: A window of clarity and commitment. You will definitely see and feel results if you stop struggling and get with the surrender aspect of the month. There is a possibility for deep release, relief and inner peace as you let go of the attachment to wishing it was different. Practice acceptance and raising the frequency around you.

December 9: New Moon at 10:40 AM Mountain Standard Time. An excellent time to review how you are leaving the year and its influences, what you are taking away from the experiences you have had and what you learned from the personality of 2007.

December 13-20: This is a time marked by either tremendous confusion, chaos, depression, despair, struggle, grief and unresolved emotions; or a time of feeling centered, anchored, peaceful, balanced, full of gratitude, inspired, relaxed and comfortable in your own skin. How this time goes is entirely up to you and will depend on how well you have surrendered and committed to your life unfolding.

December 21: Winter Solstice at 11:08 PM Mountain Standard Time. This marks the shift into a new set of influences that will be moving in during the whole month as the ones for 2007 move out. The new influences will support surrender and commitment and the anchor to a new platform. Take this time and acknowledge how your life is and what your platform may be. Look around and take note of where you are, who is around and what is happening in your life. Accept and be inspired.

December 22-31: A time of going inward and getting to know yourself a bit deeper than you have in the past. The still point beckons and it would be futile to resist. This is a time to anchor a higher frequency not through what you do but through what you do not do.

Note: You will receive another update around this solstice time to clarify this time frame as well as to provide a bit more information on the new influences of 2008.

December 23: Full Moon at 6:16 PM Mountain Standard Time. This is close enough to the Winter Solstice that it should also be a time of honoring the change of season and your own personal changes over the past year. Celebrate your life as it is with your community.

Happy Holidays!

NOTE: A 2-CD audio set will be available on the influences for 2008 after our lecture on the topic in Santa Fe on December 18th.

Blessings,
Lena and Jose