Words, they say, are spells. And the word of the year can be an intensely potent spell that you cast not just over a year, but — dare I say it? — over a lifetime. They have an inherent magic and power that can work in ways you may never have imagined, to bring you the exact medicine you need at any point of time.

That medicine can sometimes be bitter, sometimes not. But like any good medicine, a word of the year can change you in bold and beautiful ways. Like Devotion. My word of the year for 2022. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and yet — it swept through my life, leaving me with some important and necessary questions to answer.

Devotion. That was my word for 2022. And what an interesting experience it has been!

I started the year by listing down the areas that I was devoted to, all of the places where I wanted to bring my love + attention + care. That included my health and my relationship with my body; my art and creative practices; my relationships and friendships; and my connection with my soul + the divine.

Sovereignty. That was my word for 2021. And what a ride it has been!

I started the year with a sovereignty list. A list of ideas that I had bought into that didn’t really hold true for me anymore. And as usually happens, as the year progressed, I lost sight of that list.

But it didn’t lose sight of me.

I pulled the list out while doing my year end Visioning, and to my surprise, I had achieved almost everything on that list, plus some more!