Words for 2023
The Year of the Water Rabbit
Prosperity, longevity and peace. Powered by the Wood Element and supported by Water, the 2023 rabbit brings trust, contemplation and inspired action.
To my Floating Lotus Family,
Welcome to 2023 - The Year of the Water Rabbit, as they say in the Chinese Zodiac. I hope this letter finds you love drunk on sunshine and satiated by Summer abundance; perhaps it’s those lazy weekends with your family, or some fun adventures outdoors. Or maybe it’s the quiet times you’ve spent in personal practice, deepening your affections and hobbies.
I am humbled by (and deeply grateful for) all of your ongoing requests for these letters to continue this year, and I’m excited to create another year of wondering and wisdom. It is an absolute pleasure to share the curious treasures I find, as I hunt the world for meaning and spiritual purpose. And I always love searching in unbeknownst places, fascinated by the possible knowledge I might find there.
In line with Chinese traditions, and in honour of the uprising Water Rabbit, I have spent much of this month slowing my mental energy down. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve still been adventuring, and spending long summer hours enjoying delights! But in terms of my goals, speed, expectations and ‘works of labour’, I’ve temporarily taken my foot off the gas. I’ve let the car slow to a gentle roll so I can gaze upon the sunset landscape for a little while. This is the spiritual significance of summer - a sacred time to plateau, pause and appreciate.
We often start the new year with obsessive drive and motivation, creating New Year’s resolutions to ‘improve’ or ‘fix’. And I don’t want to demonise this powerful forward energy, but I do find that it’s often misguided (and not really sustainable either). In other words, we set goals that are more based on desire and ideology, rather than anchored in deep roots that will pull nutrients from the soil of who we are.
So this month, I decided to approach things a little differently and took some guidance from these Chinese traditions. According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Rabbit is “a wise old sage sitting on a mountaintop overlooking the valley below”. It is believed to be a patient creature with great luck and solidarity, which can inspire you to create a plan and make intelligent investments with your time, thoughts, and actions. Twenty-twenty-three is a year of building solid foundations and seeking profound connections through wisdom that inspires you to live with purpose.
Inspired by this (and an old friend who embodies this practice each year), I decided to spend the first few weeks meditating on a few words for 2023. Words that would define, guide, shape, inspire, and anchor my choices and ideas. Words that felt honest, like a heart longing or calling, to what my soul is craving to create for itself. After a couple of weeks, my inner voice guided me towards generosity and proactivity, and these are now the pillars upon which I build this year. With every challenge that passes my way and every choice I struggle to make, I will measure against these two genuine anchors and assess whether my decisions and actions serve these deep inner intentions.
So I would love to offer you this practice and invite you to embody this idea - seeking a few words that can teach and guide you. Let the practice sink in and really take your time, perhaps even brainstorm a few words and meditate on them until a few feel just right. Then write them down somewhere and reflect as often as you need - when you’re confused, lost, unsure of what to do…or even when you’re just struggling in your yoga practice. Are your thoughts and actions in service of these words? Can you shift and make a different decision? Then, at the end of the year, we will look back upon this moment and see if the valleys we built came from deep, rooted trees.
With deep love & gratitude,
Namaste 🙏
