Ditch the New Year Resolutions

Cultivate Palates for Life for a Magical New Year. And then some...

Dec 29, 2023 — Zurich, Switzerland

Ditching the New Year Resolutions?
But what about the “New Me” dream?

The first day of the New Year is considered a time for a fresh start in many parts of the world, particularly in the so-called Western world. For many people, it symbolizes an opportunity to renew hope and regain control of certain aspects of themselves, positively impacting their wellbeing, relationships, and prosperity.

The desire for a new and improved version of oneself is not a novel concept. According to Wikipedia, this tradition dates back 4000 years to the Babylonians. The specific phrase "New Year Resolution" was first documented in the 1813 issue of a Boston newspaper.

Many of us continue to uphold this tradition. However, it is also acknowledged that a significant number of us struggle to adhere to our New Year Resolutions, giving rise to another tradition known as "Quitters Day." Observed on the second Friday in January, it is dedicated to restarting those resolutions.

While some find value in setting goals for the year, others consider it a waste of time. Regardless, there is a shared aspiration for positive changes in our lives, and the New Year seems to bring about a renewed energy for such transformations.

So, how can we approach this differently?
What strategies can support us in making the changes we desire?
Here is one possible answer:

To change, you must face the dragon of your appetites with another dragon: the life-energy of the soul.—Rumi

The Dragon of Our Appetites

If you cannot change an undesired behavior no matter how many times you try, that’s a sign that something bigger is at play. If that’s the case, you’ll never find your way out of it through commitment.

The "dragon of our appetites" may refer to our desires, cravings, addictions, and altogether the subconscious aspects of our nature that lead us towards unhealthy or unfulfilling pursuits despite our conscious intent otherwise. These could include any behavior that impedes personal growth and stays on the way to our wellbeing and prosperity. There is a clear connection between Rumi's concept of the dragon of our appetites and the Jungian psychology's idea of the shadow.

In both cases, we refer to the unconscious aspects of ourselves that we repress or deny because they are deemed socially unacceptable, personally uncomfortable, or mostly- because we cannot yet access them with our level of consciousness and the methods we have used so far.

I personally would not have called it “the dragon of our appetites” because it sounds as if we are guilty and out of control.

I know for sure that it is not about guilt, shame or control. We are not weak, screwed up or unworthy.

We are simply not aware of the forces at play, we underestimate their strength, or we do not understand how to integrate them.

That is why no matter how many books we read and how many New Year resolutions we make to be healthier, get thinner, do exercises, stop smoking, sleep more, make more money, whatever it is we are striving to do…we are not going to succeed unless we face first why we didn’t succeed last time, and then go from there.

My professional evolution from an Organizational Leader to a Management Consultant and a Trainer, then to a Coach and Facilitator, and finally to a Constellator of Family & Systemic Constellations has been driven in its last stages exactly by an ever-deepening awareness of the powerful forces at play. Systemic Constellations are exactly one such a method which involves bringing subconscious elements into the light of consciousness, acknowledging them, and integrating them into our conscious awareness. We gain a better understanding of “what is”, and that deeper knowing and integration, in turn, facilitates personal growth and transformation.

The Life-energy of Our Soul

Whatever the dragon of our appetites is showing us, we can face it and integrate it only when we are at a place of deep connection with what gives us energy for life.

The "life-energy of the soul" represents a force within us that is connected to deeper aspects of our being, referring to our spiritual or higher self. Rumi seems to suggest that in order to change, to transform oneself, one must recognize and bring to light the unknown parts of self (the dragon of appetites) with other also not very well-known parts of ourselves - the life-energy of our soul. I call all that “Unleashing Our Human Advantage”.

You may think of these as empty phrases, or maybe as a whole life’s work. Whichever it is, and anything else in between, I want to bring a few simple ideas to pave the way.

But first things, first.

Our soul experiences life through our body, and more specifically through our senses. We have 5, 12, 32, 53 senses… Maybe more…

Aristotle is the first known philosopher who talked about the 5 senses. That’s what we’ve known since we were kids: Touch, Smell, Taste, Sight, Hearing. Ever since Aristotle, however, people have been discovering additional sensory experiences or modalities, leading to a broader list of senses. According to Rudolf Steiner, the 12 human senses are the way in which the soul experiences the external world: Touch, Smell, Taste, Sight, Hearing, Self-Movement, Balance, Temperature/Warmth, Language, Thought/Intuition, the sense of the ‘I’, and sense of Life. More recently, Emma Young published the book Super Senses: The Science of Your 32 Senses and How to Use Them”. She uncovers the science behind the abilities that make us human and offers lessons in how we can all learn to use them better. Many (me including) believe that the list of our senses is even longer. For example, here is an electronic book with examples of 53 of them.

The exact number and classification of senses would therefore vary depending on level of awareness, cultural, philosophical, or scientific perspectives. Through my work, I am experiencing that there are a lot more and utterly unknown to us ways to perceive the world, and to connect with each other beyond space and time. The concept of an extensive list of senses beyond the traditional one is an ever-deepening exploration of ourselves and the various ways we perceive the world.

Hence, sensing is to experience something even though we may not be able to explain how. I call that tapping into new ways of knowing without thinking. The more we do it, the more sensitive our palates for life becomes, the more variety in our senses we’ll discover, the richer will our experience become of joy, wellbeing and prosperity.

I refer to that as “Unleashing Our Human Advantage”, and as you will hear me often say, the deeper we go into the 21st century, the more important it becomes.

If you are not sure what I mean with sensing, think of the process of tasting wine. If you do not drink wine often, or if you drink it mixed with something else, you almost have no palate for the different wines. On the other side, a developed wine palate refers to the complex and extensive set of tastes and sensations that a master sommelier would tune into. Having a good wine palate, greatly enriches our experience and our delight of wine.

Having a great palate for life, greatly enriches our experience and our delight of life. The better we tune into our senses, the richer will our quality of life be. We’ll open to new ways of knowing about important aspects of our lives, deepen our connectedness to self, others and to the rest of Nature, and altogether, awaken our human powers.

Cultivating Palates for Life for a Magical New Year. And then some…

Following is a list of things to consider, and as wiser people have said, those who think they don’t have time need a double dose.

This list is far from being complete. Look at it more as an inspiration to explore.

Some of the listed things may be trivial for you; maybe even mastered.

Others might be known, but not fully practiced or embodied.

There will also be those that touch you in a new way.

Maybe there will be also those that challenge you.

It’s the same for me and all of us…

It’s a journey worth being on…

Each item on this table deserves way more elaboration but I will leave that to you…

Altogether, it’s not about New Year’s Resolutions with plans and deadlines, and sticks and carrots. Instead, it is about openess, dreaming, exploration and experimentation.

It is about taking much better care of what we let in to form and nurture us. It is about cultuvating palates for life which enrich our experience of health, prosperity and the joy of living. It is about making the most of being here and being alive.

Where it gets difficult is that the subconscious is not just one element in this… 95% of who we are is pre-programmed.

Wiser people have said that. Others say 90% is invisible (like the surface of an iceberg which is under the water). I personally do not know whether it’s 95%, 90%, or another number. What I know for sure is that this subconscious programming pretty much runs our life. It comes to life through our beliefs, instincts, memories, as well as other forces that are invisible to us. Some for good, others - not.

Awareness of the programming is the beginning of wisdom.

The main work then is first to keep bringing to light the invisible - I call that tapping into deeper knowing without thinking. Then, when this new way of knowing really reaches our awareness, we can act differently.

I am launching a few exploration journeys in 2024 focused on critical for the quality of our lives domains like health (for example chronic pain), other aspects of our wellbeing, money, career, relationships, family dynamics, dealing with life's changes, and creating impact.

They are designed to support you in facilitating a shift with the most stubborn issues you face, which reduce your joy of living and prosperity, and stand on the way of your dreams. These sessions offer an opportunity to explore beyond common narratives, tap into intuition and reveal hidden aspects of the dynamics at play. This newfound awareness liberates and paves the way for new paths towards a fulfilling existence marked by greater ease, health, prosperity, and joy.

​Would you or someone else benefit from this opportunity?
Contact me at hello@nataliablagoeva.com and I will tell you more.

The world is overflowing with magic and ripe with possibilities.
Yet, we might miss out on them when we keep our senses numb, stay entangled in repetitive challenges, or the limitations of old maps and the stories we create.

I hope I inspired you to cultivate palates for a magical 2024, and then some.

I invite you also to inspire each other by sharing in the comments
your little tricks when it comes to cultivating palates for life!

With love and gratitude,
💜🙏Natalia

---

I am passionate about unleashing our Human Advantage for an era dominated by AI & machines by tapping into new ways of knowing, deepening our connectedness, and awakening our human powers.