Annual Examen for Busy People (Free Resource)
from Cyd Holsclaw
This is an invitation to an ANNUAL EXAMEN, by Cyd Holsclaw
As I (Cyd) sit and look out my window on a rare sunny day in wintry West Michigan, I can't help but experience a tension. It's a silly thing, but feels symbolic of a tension I experience nearly daily.
I am torn between enjoying the world outside... and feeling the impulse to grab some window cleaner and clean up the streaky window.
Isn't that tension always there? It is for me.
I want to celebrate the good and beautiful, lean into the lovely, and savor the joy... and I feel the urge to clean up the streaks, manage the mess, and improve what is.
And this is the reality of life in a world that is already redeemed and still groaning for redemption. Sometimes, we look past the streaks and focus on the shining snow. Other times, we can't possibly enjoy the blue sky because there's a cloudy film that obstructs our view. Both are real. At the same time.
Annual Examen
As we approach the close of 2024, I imagine your year was filled with both shining beauty and stubborn streaks. What is it like for you to notice both and allow them to exist side by side?
I invite you to join me in a sacred practice that has long helped Christians grow in deeper awareness of God's presence and activity in their lives as well as the feelings of absence and inactivity: the Annual Examen.
This reflective journey offers an opportunity to pause and prayerfully review the year, noticing where God has been most present, where you have experienced growth (the shining beauty), and where you might invite His grace into the places that still need healing or transformation (the stubborn streaks). I hope you will take part in this tradition as a way to reflect on God's faithfulness, discern His call, and prepare your heart for the year ahead.
This examen is oriented around Psalm 23 which has green pastures and still waters AND dark valleys and present enemies (yes, it's the same one from last year - but how can exploring this beloved Psalm two years in a row possibly be a bad thing?). But in the midst of both, we are invited to notice the Good Shepherd with us on our way to dwelling in the house of the Lord forever.
Download the Annual Examen here
See BELOW for an invitation to become more ROOTED in the new year (with a special Christmas discount)...
Blessings,
Cyd Holsclaw
Integrative Coach & Spiritual Director
Invitation to Communal Learning
As you go through the Examen, you may find yourself longing for more in 2025. Maybe you want to be more at home in your body, more able to navigate dark valleys without losing your sense of rootedness, or more joy and belonging with God, or more tools to make the changes you long to make.
As you begin 2025 with new intentions, I invite you to join Rooted: Integrative Tools for Lasting Change, which begins on January 7 and runs for 6 consecutive weeks on Tuesdays at 2:30pm OR 4pm EST. You can choose the time that works best for you.
• $30 OFF through Dec. 25th with discount code: XMAS
Together, we work through six different modules:
Be Where You Are - notice your body, learn how early stories influence your present moments and your capacity for change.
Befriend Your Body - learn tools to work with your nervous system to better regulate your body so you can stay present in the moment.
Build Resilience - understand your window of tolerance and explore emotions and healthy release of emotions.
Build Capacity - connect more deeply with God amid emotions and borrow God's endless capacity.
Believe You Belong - build joy and belonging with God.
Begin to Integrate - put it all together to continue to strategize lasting change in your relationships and self-regulation.
This is sure to be a rich time and a nourishing way to begin a new year. I hope you'll join us!