2025 Themes & Poetic Synchronicities
Emily Dickinson's "Aspiration"
Happy New Year, Dear Readers!
Thank you for being so supportive during my caregiving hiatus. While the journey continues, I am too excited about moving forward to wait for the “perfect” moment to reconnect with you. When in doubt, I trust in Emily Dickinson. I queried her poems and letters for advice.
Time is short and full, like an outgrown frock.
Indeed, I’ve outgrown more than one frock since October due to caregiver stress. But I am returning to you with a resolution: creating alchemical magic for the soul means my fingers engage the keyboard more often than chips and salsa. Stepping into 2025, I feel the world is on the cusp of transformation, and we are too!
Do You Believe in New Year’s Predictions?
I do not.
Instead, I do believe in poetic synchronicities. For example, Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) was born in 1835, when Halley’s Comet passed close to Earth. During a New Year’s party in 1909, Twain said he expected to go out with the Comet’s return in April 1910, and he did—to the day, April 21st. A personal example comes from my Mother’s recent passing. On the Total Solar Eclipse (April 8, 2024), I gave Mom a pillow featuring Our Lady of Guadalupe in the design. It was the last time I saw her. Her funeral was held on December 12, 2024, the Feast Day for Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Poetic synchronicity is noticing how everyday happenings relate to us and connect the world. A valuable skill we can all cultivate, noticing fuels intuition and can make the difference between a so-so year and a fantastic year ahead. As we enter 2025, I offer a poem by Emily Dickinson to set the context for our hopes and dreams, three tips for homing our observation skills, and five themes to align our lives with the alchemical catalysts of change and renewal.
Emily Dickinson wrote 1,800 poems, but only ten were published in her lifetime. She experimented with literary forms, reimaging word meanings and the punctuation playbook. Few of her contemporaries understood her artistic vision. One reason is that Dickinson had highly developed observation skills. She noticed everything—the seen and the unseen—in vivid detail.
3 Tips for Noticing More
What I take away from Dickinson’s poem is that our challenge is to learn to trust ourselves without concern for what others may think. By playfully becoming more present and observant, we can learn to notice the world in wondrous ways.
Tip #1: Engage Your Sense of Smell
Of all our senses, smell is unique. Scents are directly connected to our limbic system, where our strong associations with emotions and memories reside in the brain. Today and tomorrow, notice what scents surround you: the aroma of coffee, the crispness of winter air, garlic from the kitchen, a wet dog, etc. For instance, I can’t stand the smell of damp dog fur. It reminds me of when my dog rolled in the remains of a dead skunk! Make a list of the different smells and your associations.
Tip #2: Play the “10 Details Game”
Wherever you are, pause and challenge yourself to notice ten details you hadn’t seen before. It could be the pattern on the wall, the shape of a tree’s branches, or the tone of someone’s voice. While riding the bus or subway, I play this game almost every day.
Tip #3: The Color Hunt
At the start of your day, choose a specific color and notice how many times you encounter it. Whether it’s a particular shade of blue in the sky or the red of a stop sign, this exercise sharpens your visual awareness while making the mundane feel magical.
The more we practice, the more we notice and the closer we come to achieving our aspirations.
5 Themes to Spark Poetic Synchronicities in 2025
What’s your highest aspiration?
Mine is self-care: a journey of re-enchantment. How might this play out? I’ve identified five themes for 2025. Each theme holds untapped poetic synchronicities for all of us. For each new post, I’ve listed the upcoming publication date.
#1: AI Becomes A Digital Philosopher’s Stone (January 13)
Echoing the alchemist’s search for enlightenment, AI will not merely provide answers but act as an empowering catalyst for personal growth. But only you possess the magic to make the miracle. ChatGPT, for example, is not an engaging tool if it’s feeding you homogenous answers. It can become an engaging tool if its descriptions and instructions are configured to ask you provocative questions in a well-defined context.
#2: Elemental Mysticism: Be a Force of Nature (January 20)
The elements—Fire, air, water, and earth—are the building blocks of life. Each element offers unique spiritual teachings. Rituals remind us of our place within the cycles of nature, offering solace and clarity in an increasingly fragmented world magnified by increasingly violent atmospheric (solar flares) and weather events.
#3: Renaissance: The Return of Sacred Pilgrimages (January 27)
From Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales to immersive virtual realities, pilgrimages have long been a cornerstone of spiritual life. Modern seekers will rediscover the transformative power of the pilgrimage—but with a contemporary twist. It will be less about the destination and more about the quest for connection, healing, and transcendence in a world hungry for depth.
#4: Spiritual Creativity & Prima Materia (February 3)
In the alchemical tradition, transformation begins with the prima materia—the raw, chaotic substance from which all creation emerges. Artists, writers, and everyday creators will see their work as a spiritual practice, a way of transmuting the raw materials of life into expressions of beauty and personal truth.
#5: The Rise of Sacred Meals (February 10)
Family and friends will commit and return to the dinner table for meals. Food is a bridge between the physical and the spiritual. Imagine a table set with seasonal ingredients and dishes chosen for their spiritual significance: pomegranate for renewal, rosemary for remembrance, and cinnamon for warmth and abundance. Dinner conversations can go from reciting what happened during the day to what was meaningful about the day.
The Time is Now
2025 invites us all to become modern alchemists, transforming our lives through creativity, spirituality, and connection. Which of these five themes resonates with you? Cast your vote and share your thoughts in the comments!
Why does this theme resonate with you? How will you incorporate it into your life this year?