What is up for review this month is everything that makes up your foundation of comfort and security: the people, things and routines you have become dependent upon for your survival. The influence of the Instinctive Center as the primary motivator this year can uncover deep patterns and reactions that are not driven by emotions, thoughts or action but from something deeper and more subconscious. Instinctive Center times allow for these deeper reactions and patterns to surface so that we can really see what we are made of and what has been truly running the show. A strong observer is needed so that you resist the urge to judge yourself as being powerless in the face of your instinctual behaviors. The self-destructive aspect to the year can influence some to think there is no meaning in life, just knee-jerk reactions. This can lead to depression, despair, confusion and withdrawal.

SECURITY has many faces, facets and layers. At the basic level you have layered information accumulated from infancy, childhood, your parents and other imprinters. There is also your own need for security if this is one of your primary needs. Projection of other people’s security beliefs is also a factor. The security icon of the culture and the environment in which you live is also to be considered. Your physical body is accustomed to a certain set of comforts that provide a foundation of security. Basic food and shelter is at the core. Then comes emotional support, nurturing, love, family, money in the bank, your physician, favorite gas station, home, car, assets, reputation, spiritual network, and anything that you have built and layered around you that provides a certain framework in your life. This is the time that many of the pieces of this framework will be tested, questioned, re-defined, disassembled, reassembled, lost and found.

Dependency is a sub-theme this month. Make a study of where you are truly dependent as opposed to simply having a preference. True dependency is when you are so attached and inflexible about your preference that you cannot imagine survival without it. You may be dependent on certain people for certain things, you may be dependent on certain routines staying the same or you could be dependent on your physical environment such as your electronics, your vehicle, the supermarket, the bank, you cell phone etc. to provide you with what you have become accustomed to for your comfort and security. Another deeper, more instinctive and entirely subconscious area of dependency is the patterns and cycles of nature and the planet. Some of these are so automatic you have come to depend on them without conscious choice. When was the last time you actively chose for the sun to come up or go down; for daylight or for night; or for winter to begin; or for the leaves to turn and fall?  For any aspect of life that you are not consciously choosing, you are living in reaction to and have become unconsciously dependent on certain reference points that define your life.

A good practice would be to choose all aspects of the natural environment on a daily basis, giving you the power of living more proactively. The other discipline is to stay flexible in all of your plans and watch the stubbornness that may try and grab hold when those plans need to change. Observe and be truthful about your addictions, what comforts you depend on and what are the weak links in your life. A weak link is anything that does not serve in spirit and that diminishes your power instead of supporting it. The survival aspect of the month is ruthless in its mission to bring about the survival of the fittest. Survival of the fittest in nature means that the weak links are ruthlessly left behind no matter what the emotional attachment to them may be. This is your opportunity to support the survival of the fittest aspects of your self, connected to spirit and that which empowers. This means that the weak links: your addictions, dependencies, and instinctive attachments to external comforts and securities, will have to be ruthlessly cut loose. Just as the instinctive part of nature is ruthless, so you must be in this instinctive year. Use the king role influence to help you take charge of your life in this way.
 
The opportunity this month is great for maturing and growing into a more personally responsible citizen of the planet. This is no time for whining and complaining but rather a time to face change with courage and enthusiasm. Turn any feelings of anxiety or dread into inspiration and excitement by focusing on the endless opportunities a blank canvas has to offer. A strong spiritual practice is key to navigating these times without fear. Your security and survival should be anchored deeply into spirit. You can remind yourself of this connection through daily practice. The Responsibility sub-theme has everything to do with becoming fully responsible for yourself and what you have created and what you can create in the future. When you become overly dependent, you are giving away your responsibility and your power. In becoming less dependent, you are becoming more responsible. This kind of independence makes it far easier to be flexible when necessary.

Some suggestions for the month:

•Actively choose to break and change routines
•Try doing without something you are used to having around
•Make changes in your “traditions”
•Do something new every day
•Practice-saying "no" where you have said "yes" unconsciously to things and people that have disempowered you or that have become an addiction
•Change what and when you eat
•Contemplate life without some of the comforts and securities you are used to. Practice being flexible in your mind around how life could be.
•Practice giving that which you cannot control over to spirit and then trusting the outcome to be just perfect.
•Practice consciously choosing the sun to come up or go down or for it to be cold or warm or whatever it is at the time.
• If you fall into withdrawal, fear, depression or anxiety, use the moving center. Move your body and practice being present.

Personal Growth and Well-Being
There are great opportunities to uncover and work with what is in your own instinctive center. You can gain some clarity into where your deepest patterns come from and what instinctive reactions have been running your life up until now. Greater personal power can move you into a position of being more mature and responsible. It is time to grow up and lead your own life. The challenge will be to shut the mind chatter off that wants to remain in control and is terrified of giving up the securities that provide the illusion of survival. Trust in spirit.

Relationships
Survival of the fittest and the weak links left behind applies here to relationships especially in the case of dependency. Observe where dependency exists and work on becoming independent of those patterns. Your relationships will end up healthier and more powerful. Beware when entering into new relationships that they are based on mutual support rather than dependency. Excluded of course are karmic agreements with someone who cannot care for him or herself.

Business, Finance, Projects and Partnerships
This is a good month to revisit your dependencies and attachments, your security needs and any survival issues that may surface around areas of business and work. Security issues related to future plans should also be reviewed with a focus on flexibility. If you are starting anything new, make sure that it is in alignment with spirit rather than an old pattern. This is a time to be both conservative and to also think outside the box of instinctive limitations.

Personal Health and Well-Being
During this instinctively centered time, the deepest patterns in the body are affected. You may have issues with bones, teeth, joints, ligaments the lower back and the sacrum, which is related to the first chakra, which is related to the instinctive center. Because the body needs to feel safety and survival, treat it well, talk to it, keep it warm, fed, clothed, massaged, loved. This is especially important during accelerated and deep changes. And don’t forget to leave the weak links of any addictions or behaviors that disempowered the body behind.

Climate, Weather and the Environment
Since this is the year of Earth and Fire, expect some aspect of this influence to manifest in January. There is likely to be some earth movement in the far east of the planet causing a chain reaction that will be manifesting in various ways over the next few weeks or months. The climate continues to change and what is important is to use this change to let go of any dependency on the weather having to be a certain way. Be flexible in your plans and be willing to do things anyway, even if the weather is not perfect. Because Security and Survival are the themes this month, there are likely to be events, stories, drama, information, discoveries and discussion around climate, weather, survival and how our security is affected.

Politics, Global Issues, Economy
Watch for insecurity, survival, radical reactions, and people doing whatever they think they need to in order to survive. Corruption based on survival is on the increase but will only be temporary. The best antidote is to think outside the box, and involve spirit in your decisions. As the world economy struggles it is important to see any loss as an opportunity to rewrite the manual and start over, perhaps doing things differently. This time period is the beginning of the dismantling of the hierarchy of the world’s economies. The giant tower must crumble and fall down before the pieces are available with which to build something new. It will be important to stay independent of the collective panic, fear and despair that may ensue. Be resourceful and independent.

Important dates:

January 1-7: The body reacts. You may find that the body has a different idea of what it is willing to do and you may find it uncooperative. Remember to give it comfort as long as it is not based on addictive patterns. This is also a time when it is powerful to create your intentions and goals for the year. Keep in mind the responsibility and independence of being in charge and choosing your preferences with flexibility.

January 8: New Moon at 4:37AM Mountain Standard Time. Around this date we could see some earth movement as this new moon is fixed to an instinctive point related to survival and security. If you feel ungrounded and uprooted by events or your own process, focus on attaching yourself to the earth through your sacral area (base of your spine) and allow the long-term stability of the earth to support and comfort you. Use this time also to allow the flow of old instinctive information to leave your instinctive center through the sacral area and down into the earth.

January 9-14: A window of working with the concept of leaving the weak links behind. Your dependencies will become obvious as well as the attachments to your own versions of security and survival. It is very important during this time to be disciplined about a daily spiritual practice that supports independence and connection to spirit. Try new things; change your routines.

January 15-21: This could be a reactionary time to global events, disturbing information or shocking news either on a collective or a small personal scale. Remind yourself that this is all part of the plan and consciously choose the circumstances of the day so you can be in charge. This is a time that survival instincts will be tested. People will survive what they believed they could not, others may not survive where they thought they could. It will all depend on how much you trust in spirit and who is running the show. Inner resilience and strength built around community and strong alliances will support you way more than whatever you may have as intangible investments.

January 22: Full moon at 6:35 AM Mountain Standard Time. Celebrate your independence, your creativity, your ability to survive, your resilience and flexibility and the incredible power you have as a human being. Remind yourself of your power of choice that is always available to you. Celebrate the choices that you have made and the changes in your life.

January 23-31: A time to practice putting one foot in front of the other, trusting in spirit, and staying out of other people’s limited thinking, despair, drama, and beliefs. You are a part of the collective yet you can be a beacon of light, a light at the other end of the tunnel. If you jump into the middle of the collective muck, you cannot also be a pioneer, the trail- breaker with the lantern, lighting the way for others. It is your choice and will depend on how well you stay out of whatever collective misery you witness. There is never a need for suffering.

There is a difference between being in service and being identified. Being in service is doing whatever you can to stay in the position of the light at the other end of the tunnel.  Being identified is choosing to jump right in and suffer along with everyone else. Leaving the weak links behind can feel like a compromise at the time but it never is in the big picture.

Blessings for an incredible New Year 2008!
Lena and Jose

Trends 2008, the yearly forecast is available on audio CD.  Click here to order.