It is the first day of 2016 and the first day of the month I devote entirely to opening my heart and soul to hear what the universe is whispering. January is the dreaming month. It seems fitting that when the outside world is inside, that I should spend some time looking inward as well. Wrapped up in blankets and bed, peeking out at the cold icing sugar dusted world, I can get quiet, and just listen. That is why I reserve the whole month of January. So I can find those moments between children and work and housework and the mundane to reach deep in to quiet pockets of being. Each year, they show up---beacons in the darkness that drag me back to the light, when the anxiety and depression sneak up on me and I feel myself going under. On days when I just can't make another decision, I follow them to a safe place, because I found them in my dreaming month when I was open and listening and the world felt a bit more stable. Authentic ---it is the first and ca