Late last spring initiated a turn of the spiral for love and beauty, spurred by the unfolding potentials of technological change. What comes to mind is the innovations in medicine and surgical technique that allows those who wish to transition genders, sparking much handwringing and fear to protect “natural” definitions of gender. Which actually requires one to define those natural genders, which turns out to be so tricky that one might begin to wonder how natural they are, or why they require protection, or why a woman forged through her own will, desire, and medical support wouldn’t count.

On a personal level, we might consider ways we’ve come to reassess our own value, what and whom we value, and how we understand love and beauty since last May. Now is a time when those big shifts are bearing fruit and we can begin to see the new form things will take.

I made big changes in my own work and practice to allow myself more time and energy and now find myself in the question of: what to do with it? It’s a good problem to have, and I think it embodied this phase that will continue for several months. We’ll have to live with these changes for a while, but eventually we’ll be clear on what we like and what wants more change.

In what new ways are you experiencing and sharing love this year?