Illuminate is my guiding word for 2019. It came to me via clairaudience early in December, when I found myself pondering 2019 and its potential implications. The request for a guiding word was raised up, and "illuminate" was delivered. (It came with a secondary guiding word, which I'll get into another time.)

What does illuminate mean, according to the Merriam Webster dictionary?

This:

1a. to supply or brighten with light; 1b. to enlighten spiritually or intellectually; 2. to make luminous or shining

That all makes sense to me.

What does illuminate mean, according to my spirit team?

This:

"Illuminate produces the frequency of the one. The illumination for which is the guidance of 2019 reinforces the vibration of presence and understanding, of instruction and presentation of the intuition, of enacting right work."

I'm so glad I asked, because it reflects, reinforces, and builds upon a post on Instagram in which I shared my guiding word. For the sake of clarity, please know that "the one" is a term my guides use for the energy of God or source or the universe.

Unpacking that message...

Presence and understanding

The highly intentional image I used behind my guiding word in the image above reminds me of the lamp The Hermit (of Tarot) holds. The lamp's luminosity is plenty to illuminate what's immediately present. In addition, its glow may extend slightly further to illuminate what's immediately ahead.

Most important: the illumination allows for understanding of what's present. Understand, what's present is another way of defining intuition. It's "the power of now," as Eckhart Tolle put it.

When we're present, we're capable of receiving near-endless understanding of what's happening both within us and around us. This is an optimal way of being, in my opinion. It's something I'm strengthening in this new year.

Instruction and intuition

This is very much related to the above, and yet it offers an additional measure of perspective and inspiration. "Instruction" is meant to denote what we may learn within the present and also how we may proceed within the present. In some ways, it's a constantly updating task or to-do list. The difference is that we're offered the opportunity to complete the tasks/to-dos as we go along, rather than making a list for later.

And the instruction is a direct result of intuition. In effect, our intuitive awareness within each present moment is the instruction. That's a concept that's causing my brain to bend a bit (in a good way, of course), for the first time in this new calendar year.

Right work

According to The Buddhist Centre, right work, a.k.a. right livelihood, is "an important aspect of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path. The Buddha encouraged his disciples to engage in compassionate activity, and to make their living in a way that does not cause harm and that is ethically positive."

I'm familiar with the term and its meaning thanks to a class on world religions I took several years ago, and yet I love the way it's framed by The Buddhist Centre.

Contemplating the illumination of right work, it seems clear that the work I'm meant to do "by design," as I hear, will be illuminated within each moment. It's a different energy from the what-next way I usually employ alongside task/to-do lists and a carefully laid out digital calendar.

Imagining I'm astride a horse (my sister would laugh hysterically at this analogy), it's the difference between:

1. snapping the reins to keep the horse moving in the "right" direction efficiently, and
2. allowing the reins to rest without tension in my hands until there's a need to alter course and it's time to do so.

I'm definitely allowing the reins to rest, right now, which is uncommon for me. I sort of like it, because it feels very holistic and somehow purposeful. At the same time, there are moments of anxiety when I feel as though I need to get a move on, or else.

Or else...

"Or else" what? Will I miss out on something if I don't snap the reins? Or will I be left in the dust, perhaps? What if I can't keep up with my peers? How will I "grow my audience" and "find my tribe" and all those things I'm apparently supposed to do? Geez, Louise, what a bunch of ick.

That's my ego wanting to rule the roost; to be the driver and the wingman and the backseat driver. And that's my ego encouraging comparisonitis and competition where it doesn't have any business being. The illumination of this point alone is an important one for me.

Illuminating 2019... and myself

This is where I begin, and hopefully where I end, too, once 2019 is ready to draw to a close. What I mean is, I hope to find myself holding the reins without tension at the end of this year, too.

There are more depths to plumb around my guiding word. I know that now isn't the time, since it would take me from the present moment. It will be a blessing (and an adventure, perhaps) to see how it reveals itself to me as the year progresses.

What's your guiding word for 2019?

Feel free to share it in the comments, if you wish. And feel free to ping me through this post's address if you feel the urge to write your own blog post about it. Otherwise, you can tag me (@thesoulways) if you bring it to Instagram, and use this hashtag: #myguidingword

Blessings be.