The greatest gifts we receive often come to us in disguise. They come wrapped in difficult challenges and hard lessons and often we see only the outer layer and react so negatively to the gift that has been handed to us that we fail to move through the thin covering to the true prize that lies within. 2008 has been greatly misunderstood. We’ve all been left slightly bruised, battered and bewildered by this strange year. Most of us will be only too pleased to wave it goodbye on New Year’s Eve while still remaining quite perplexed at what it was all about and if the past year was a lesson in chaos or quite a bad cosmic joke! Whatever your take on 2008, it certainly hasn’t been an easy or comfortable year for most of us.

Yet, just for a moment, please resist the urge to just draw a line under 2008 and turn quickly to a new page because there are one or two important things I’d like to share with you about this oddly fascinating year before you head into 2009. You really need to understand what’s been happening to you in order to appreciate that the coming year could be one of the most satisfying of your life!

If the past twelve months have seemed to have had the surreal edge of an uneasy dream in which you’ve had little control over what occurs or how you have responded, then the good news is that 2008 has brought you what you truly needed.  If you’ve felt frustrated, angry or traumatised by your life situations or by your apparent impotence to change your life in any meaningful way, then I can now reveal that the universe has really been helping you out. If you really haven’t liked yourself much recently, felt completely out of balance and not yourself at all, then it’s definitely time to take the wrapping paper off this gift.

2008 has been a crucial period of time in the most amazing growth phase humankind has ever undergone. In the coming years, our spiritual development as a race will radically accelerate, bringing untold gifts to our perception and understanding and creating incredible shifts in our consciousness. We are now crossing into the next stage of our evolution and Mother Nature and the universe are preparing us for all that is to come.

So, rather than perceive 2008 as a perverse mix of chaotic forces, let’s regard this year as it truly is: the most intensive purification process you have ever had! See it as a radical life detox that is clearing out all the unwanted toxins that have clogged up our system. 2008 has stirred up the emotional and mental “gunk” that weighs us down in great, solidified lumps of uncomfortable feelings. Past hurts that haven’t healed, behaviour patterns that lead us again and again into self-sabotage, opinions and attitudes formed from painful experiences that stop us being open to life and love. The unique dynamic energies of 2008 have brought these toxins to the surface, confronting us with our inner hurts, prejudices, false assumptions and distorted perceptions in the hope that we will see these destructive influences for what they are and finally take action to heal them.

I’ve met so many people who have been angry, frustrated and dissatisfied with their life situations this year and most have been concerned about their mental and emotional health. Yet, these are exactly the feelings that surface in such a radical purging process that is trying to strip away what no longer serves people. 2008 has held up a mirror, confronting us with the way we’ve constructed our lives and our perception of reality. If you’ve felt completely deconstructed by the experiences of the past year, well done, you’re getting somewhere!

For me, this year has been symbolised by the element of fire, the most powerful of cleansing agents. The element of fire easily consumes the dross in lives, but only if we are willing to let go and trust in this process of destruction that will create the space needed for new beginnings. Recognise the process for what it is and a more truthful, open and authentic you is emerging from this spiritual fire. However, if you’ve struggled to maintain the status quo of your life this year, and indiscriminately clung onto everything that you feel defines you, then the challenges of 2008 might well become the harsh lessons of 2009.

In the angelic realms, the element of fire is embodied in Archangel Michael, the angel responsible for the spiritual evolution of humanity. Michael’s fire has provided the catalytic quickening much needed for us to raise the vibrational frequencies of our energy fields and slowly transforming us into our true state of being. Though we’ve all suffered the trauma of this process, the fire of this cosmic forge is completely beneficial if we’ve allowed it to do its work.

In spellcraft, the time you perform a spell is often dictated by the lunar cycle and whether the moon is in its waning or waxing phase. A waning moon is good for clearing and cleansing magick, whereas a waxing moon is good for manifestation and creation. This principle perfectly describes the relationship between the energies of 2008 and 2009. From the cleansing magick of 2008, we now move into the tremendous potential of the waxing phase of the process: the time to create the life we want.

If the energies of the past year have been successful, you should now have some sense, some awareness, of the real, authentic you at the core of your being. Authenticity is a key word for 2009. Feeling your truth, living your truth. Being able to say, “This is me, this is who I am and this is what I need to feel happy, fulfilled, nurtured and nourishes. This is the soil I need in order to grow”. Whether you accept it or not, 2009 will bring tremendous changes to your life situations. Big, fundamental life changes designed to help you grow and live in a more authentic way, based on who you truly are. Please remember, you are not the victim of these cosmic forces. On the contrary, you are being invited to direct these forces into creating a life based on the true you that is now revealing itself.

In 2009, many people will change jobs, move homes and end relationships. None of these decisions will be sudden. Rather, they are part of a growing realisation process. The frustration and dissatisfaction of 2008 will lead to positive changes in 2009. For those who truly believe that we create our own reality, 2009 offers you unlimited powers to create the life you want and manifest the changes that are needed to attain that life. The energies in 2009 are a powerhouse for making life – enhancing dreams come true and for finding success and fulfilment in anything that makes your heart sing. As long as your dreams and plans are radiating from your true, authentic inner self, there are untold rewards awaiting you in the coming year.

But you do have to be brave. From the element of fire in 2008, I feel the angelic wheel is turning to the element of water for 2009. From Michael we move to Gabriel and the challenges and gifts of water. Water is flow. Going with the flow, being in the flow, feeling the energy flow of the year and of your life and moving with it. See this year as a smoothly flowing river that invites you to come swim in its strangely exhilarating waters. Go with the current even though the practical, sensible you may often want to swim in the opposite direction or seek the safety of the bank. Be open to where the current takes you. This is a year to take chances, embrace new opportunities, taste new experiences and travel out under the sky. The restlessness of 2008 is fueling the adventures to be had in 2009. Like the current of the river, the new year will have an intuitive flow that you must follow. Listen to your intuition, it’ll serve you much better than your head will in 2009. However, try to go against the current of 2009 and you do so at your peril!

To work for you, the new year requires you to be of a bright, optimistic disposition. Welcome whatever happens and trust that the current is taking you to where you truly want to go. The experiences of next year might seem unrelated so don’t have preconceived ideas about how it will all turn out. During the journey, your dreams may change and that’s just fine. Be open, flexible and adaptable. There is much you need to find out about yourself and 2009 offers you many opportunities to discover the rich qualities of your true nature.

Our relationships are also explored with the element of water. This is the year of truthfulness in all our dealings with other people. Be you, pure and simple, and the new year will throw open all its doors and windows and welcome you in with open arms. To live from the authentic core of your being, you must address all that is artificial, manipulative or contrived. Be honest about who you are and what you want. Be clear and truthful in all you communicate to other people. For us to evolve, we need to live from a core of personal truth and be able to have to courage to communicate that truth to all the people in our life. The element of water calls to be honest about all we feel and all we need in our relationships and to respect the feelings and needs of others.

The evolutionary process we are undergoing is incredibly exciting. However, it now requires our commitment, our acceptance and our trust. 2009 is about fully trusting in the process and letting go of the riverbank. Embrace life with every fibre of your being. Champagne glass in hand, truly welcome in the New Year and affirm that you are open to all the Universe has in store for you in the coming year. The adventure has only just begun.

 © David Hand 2008

David Hand is a psychic consultant and spiritual teacher. For more information on David’s services, workshops and courses, please visit http://www.mysticklight.com