What a year!

###English Version below###

Wow, I can hardly believe that we are already in the new year. I just set off with my Emma. We have been on the road for 8 months now.

Reflecting

I deliberately took time to reflect between Christmas and now, at the beginning of the new year. I studied the Twelve Days and the 12 nights “between the years” that represent the difference between the lunar calendar (354 days) and the solar calendar (365 days). It is a time when our ancestors paused to honor the dark, harsh, cold season. They consciously withdrew, did no work, and did no laundry. It is said that during this time, the veil between our physical and the subtle, spiritual world is very thin, and the spirits of our ancestors, forebears, and beings from the otherworld are present, making it easier for us to connect with them.

For me, these days and nights feel magical, even here on the other side of Europe, it is clearly noticeable. A dark, raw feeling. Thoughtful. Melancholic. Contemplative. Deeper, as if I could hear my soul calling louder than usual.

A lot has happened in the last year. I fell in love with a place in Switzerland. I drove with my Emma to the northernmost tip of Europe. I stood up for myself. I celebrated a wedding with my friends. I spent another two months in my favorite place before finally setting off to spend the winter here in Portugal.

What did I learn about myself in 2025?

I would say that it was definitely the most challenging and at the same time the most fulfilling year of my life. During the first few months, I was very much on my own. The trip to the north demanded a lot of mental strength from me. I often felt insecure, alone, and overwhelmed. My nervous system was in constant fight-or-flight mode. Looking back, that was the biggest lesson I learned this year. I learned to hold myself. I learned that I don't need anything or anyone outside of myself to save or hold me. I learned that I am strong enough to carry myself. To give myself space for the emotions that want to be felt, that want to flow through me, without judging them, without overestimating them or wanting to change anything.

I have also started to be more courageous, more courageous in interpersonal relationships. To worry less and think less about what others think of me or whether I might be behaving incorrectly. I have learned to recognize my needs and have started to communicate them, but this will definitely be a big chapter in the new year. Empowerment. Connecting with my Shakti energy. The energy that resides in our sacral chakra. The seat of femininity, our sensitivity, sensuality, and sexuality.

2026

In 2026, I invite myself to let go of even more existential worries, especially those related to money, my life situation, and the future. I want to find a reasonable way of dealing with them so that they no longer make me feel as if I am going to die in the next few minutes if I don't have an immediate answer to these unresolved questions. Instead, I want to invite more trust, more trust in the unknown, trust in the guidance and plan of the universe. To listen more, to hear, to recognize signs and to respond to what life sends me.

Thank you

I would also like to say thank you for following this blog so attentively. Thank you for donating to my Christmas campaign. Thank you for your interest, your comments, and your messages.

Today I have another reflection question for you:

When and in what situation in the past year did you feel fulfilled and grateful?

All my love

Namaste

Michie & Emma