2022 Word of the Year - Metanoia

 

For 2022, I’ve chosen the word METANOIA for my Word of the Year. It has a variety of meanings, but I’m going to choose ‘change in one’s way of life resulting in spiritual conversion, a fundamental change in way of living, transformation of perspective and beyond-thought. I particularly like Calvin’s interpretation – withdrawing from ourselves, turning to God, laying aside the old and putting on a new mind and St. Paul’s – transfiguration for the mind that opens a new future.

Last year, Threshold was a good choice. It was like I was leaving one ‘room’ of my life and going into another. The thing is that for a great part, the room was still dark. Or maybe my mind was still dark? Glimmers of light, some revelations. But still pretty much dark. So this year, instead of looking for the switch in the room, I want to change my mind, my way of thinking. Turn my mind into the light. And, therefore, create my own ‘beyond thought’. Beyond what I know now. I don’t know what I don’t know … so this is the year to enter into that unknowing and turn it into a knowing.

As my world is turning into something I’ve never lived before, and it seems that even though I have people in my life, I seem to be retreating more and more into … into something I cannot define. Something of me and also beyond me. There is a part of faith that refers to ‘death of self’, and there are times when I feel my soul longing for this. A deeper connection with God, entering into Divine presence and releasing myself as much as I can, entering into something beyond myself. All of this is part of the word, for me. Maybe this word will be more than one year for me … let me start Metanoia this year. May I release what I need to release, clean out and get rid … so I can create a space for new things. May I let go to start again. Let this be the beginning of what has the potential to bring together all that I am to be, do what God requires of me, fulfill my purpose, my reason for being. I long for Metanoia to begin that journey and see it through. This is the year.

My chosen picture for symbolism and representation is open, outstretched hands, reaching out and up: letting go and inviting in and submitting all at the same time.