Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:00]:

Hello, beautiful ones. As we welcome in the new Year, we're at that liminal moment between what has been and what's waiting to be born. If you're like me, you might be feeling the tug to reimagine what your life could look like in 2026. Not based on resolutions, restrictions or self optimization, but something deeper, something wilder, and definitely something more exciting. What if this year you didn't try to fix yourself and instead you fed yourself creatively, sensually, spiritually. In today's episode, I'm sharing the five forces I'm weaving into the fabric of my year. They're not goals, they're not hacks. They're sacred threads that want to be followed.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:00:46]:

So pour a cup of something cozy or sparkling, light a candle, open your journal, and let's step into the new year differently. Let's dive in. Hello. Hello, beautiful ones, and welcome back to the Goddess School Podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Marie Rankin. This episode is going to be released on New Year's Eve, the last day of 2025. And as we prepare to cross the threshold into a brand new year, I wanted to share with you five areas be focusing on both personally and with my community in 2026. And it's not about goals or resolutions.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:01:31]:

It's not even about calling anything in. It's definitely not about healing or fixing, because that's so last year, but about amplification, reclamation, turning the volume up on what truly matters, really becoming more of you. Not to be honest, 2025 was a challenging year. It was challenging for me personally and also was very challenging for all of us collectively, personally. My partner's father died five weeks later. My mom passed away. I turned 50 and my daughter left for her first year of college. She left out of state.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:02:12]:

You need to take an airplane. Well, I guess you could drive, but she's away. So there were so many thresholds, so many endings, and also new beginnings. It seemed like there were several rites of passage that I have gone through in 2025. And I know that I'm not alone. I hear from the women in my community and if we watch the news, there was really a collective weight of this year in a sense that we're kind of a teetering, teetering on a cliff. And still I can't help but feel like Daenerys Targaryen at the end of Game of Thrones season one. Do you remember when there's a big fire and for a moment we think she may have died, but then she comes out and she's Standing naked in the ash, she's unburnt, holding three baby dragons.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:03:02]:

She's finally embodied in her power. So after the trauma, the drama and the karma of 2025, I find myself, and maybe you do too, feeling as if I, too, like Daenerys was forged in fire, feel more resilient, more awake, and dare I say, even ready for whatever comes next. Of course, I hope that 2026 offers a little bit more ease, beauty and joy, because I'll welcome that too. So this year I'm not interested in in healing or fixing or diagnosing what's wrong. I'm moving out of what's wrong consciousness and into what's possible consciousness. So for me and for the women in my community, these are the five five things I'll be focusing on. Imagination, beauty, creativity, play, and connection to the divine. So in this episode I want to explore a little bit more about what I mean by each one.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:04:07]:

Let's start with imagination. So I have a lot of women who come with me either for coaching or join my programs and they feel like they are stuck or they're not necessarily doing life right. And what's keeping them stuck isn't the fact that they haven't found the right self help book or enrolled in the right program, or that they haven't healed their inner child hard enough, is that they haven't yet imagined a new way of being in the world. They haven't yet dreamed up a more vibrant life, a healthier body, sexier relationship. Because our culture teaches us to focus on the problems, to focus on what we're lacking. And of course, many of you might have heard where attention goes, energy flows, we end up circling our problems and never actually getting out of them. So instead, let's start to focus on the possibility. Easier said than done.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:05:07]:

Because I believe that collectively, imagination is at an all time low. People don't imagine anymore. And that's because we never let ourselves get bored. Think about it. We could spend our entire days consuming between social media, streaming shows, audiobooks, and yes, even podcasts such as this. But when was the last time that you gave your mind space to wander, to meander, to play in the world of what ifs. For that, you need some white space in your day. That's why we often have such good ideas whether maybe we're in the shower or right as we're about to go to sleep.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:05:51]:

We need time to let our minds drift. And that's actually exactly what we're going to be doing inside my substack in 2026, I will be offering one active imagination per month, which is a guided journey to help you dialogue with the unconscious, access your inner wisdom, and really reawaken your mythmaker. So if you are interested in that, you can get a link to learn more about my substack community right in the show notes. But the thing is, you don't need more instruction. You don't need some guru or some expert telling you what you need to do, because you already know what you need to do. We all know what we need to do. We just need imagination to remember why it matters and to show us these beautiful visions of the future. So imagination is really going to be key.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:06:41]:

The next energy quality that I want to focus on is beauty. And if you've been on a spiritual path or maybe even a personal growth path for a while, you might have internalized this idea that beauty is shallow, that something to transcend that it really is what on the inside that counts. But what if the divine actually lives in beauty? Think about it. We can see the divine in a sunset, a baby smile, a blooming orchid. And if we are made in the image of the divine, which I truly believe that we are, doesn't it make sense that we should present ourselves beautiful too now? Not beauty in an Instagram way, or trying to keep up with some unrealistic, ever changing societal ideal, or try to get cultural approval, but as a reflection of the divine within us. As I reflect back on my mom, which I've been doing a lot lately, going through photos, this was something she seemed to know instinctively. She would dress up for the airport, she wore lipstick, or get her nails done when she had a doctor's appointment and it wasn't to perform, or it wasn't because she didn't think she was good enough, but to honor herself, to show up. Well, so what if in 2026, you prioritize beauty, whatever that means to you.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:08:05]:

Maybe it's fresh cut flowers on your kitchen table. That's a practice that I have been doing for a while now. Or it could be wearing red lipstick to the grocery store. Or maybe it's a decluttered closet that sparks joy. But start thinking about what does beauty mean to you and what would it mean for you to live a life of beauty? There is an author, teacher and tantrica, David Frawley. He's written to follow the goddess is to follow the path of beauty. And I agree. Let's bring beauty back.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:08:39]:

The third quality I'd like to focus on is creativity. Last year in my community, the motto was create more than you consume. So that was something that we really focused on to make sure we were not consuming. Again, this is like content, or I guess it could really be anything more than we were creating. And it still holds. So you know that phrase, you are what you eat. It's also true that you are what you consume. So now more than ever, I really think we need to ask ourselves, ourselves is the content that we are engaging with, is it feeding our consciousness? Is it inspiring, uplifting, thought provoking? Or is it generating fear, anxiety and outrage? Consciousness is the soil.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:09:26]:

So what we plant there matters for what it is that is going to bloom out. So what it is that we can create, and we are always creating that such a beautiful, beautiful quality of the feminine is that we are inherently creative. We were literally designed to create. And of course, you know, that means babies, but it doesn't have to be. But we're always creating experiences. So maybe you are working on a novel or a piece of art, but that it doesn't need to be something like that. We are always creating. So maybe you're focused on cooking a new dish, arranging a bouquet, writing a love note, or rearranging your furniture.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:10:07]:

It's not necessarily about art. It's about what you can bring to life. So we'll focus a lot on creativity. And the fourth, fourth element that I would like to really explore in 2026 is play. In the Hindu tradition, there's a concept called Leela, which is divine play. And it's the idea that life isn't a test to pass or a punishment to endure. It's a Dr. It's consciousness is staging for the sheer joy of experiencing itself.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:10:43]:

It's so you can experience all of the human emotion. But here's the thing. You're not just the actor, you're also the screenwriter. So you can change the script if the story is getting old, rewrite it, put on a new costume. And if you want things to change in your life, you need to do things differently, right? Sort of obvious, because sometimes we find ourselves, ourselves, we're reenacting these scripts, and we do it over and over again. And that's why we say things like, why do I keep dating the same type of person? Or why do I never have enough money in my account? And it's because we do the same sorts of things. We have the same habits, these same proclivities over and over again. So in the spirit of play, what if you were to act out of character? What if you were to do things differently? Like let's say you're usually shy when you start to date somebody.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:11:40]:

Maybe you send a flirty text. Or if you always have the last word in a heated conversation, try remaining silent. You like to sleep in, get up early, do things that are out of the box. On that note, I really want to retire from our culture's obsession with being authentic. Right? That's like so social media buzzworth is the like, you must be authentic. And I have to be honest with you, I don't even know what that means. Is it that we should only behave in ways that are consistent with who we believe ourselves to be? Because that's kind of limiting because we are changing all of the time. So what if instead of trying to be authentic, we pursued our curiosities, our whims, and our desire? Because I know personally, I don't want authenticity.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:12:37]:

I want range, play, expansion. This winter, I'm entering my dark romance era. If you're watching this podcast video on substack, you'll see I'm wearing black lace. I have dark lipstick. I have these gothic earrings. And it's fun, right? I want to see. This is something that's calling to me right now. I'm reading like, Withering Heights and Rebecca wearing beautiful romantic clothing.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:13:02]:

So as we start to think about play, who do you think wants to come out to play this winter? Is it your inner siren? Your high lady? Your dark queen? Experiment? And then lastly, let's talk about connection to the divine. And this, this might be the most important one. The first four, imagination, beauty, creativity, and play are all pathways to the divine. But I want to talk about intention. This year. Let's start shifting the question from what can I get out of my spiritual practice? Like, what's in it for me? To what would the divine have me do? How can I become a vessel for divine will? How can the divine will move through me? Because it seems like spirituality has sort of become like a slot machine, right? We have manifestation meditations and meditations to bring in romance and affirmations and mantras. We journal and manifest and pray for the car, the partner, the house, the 10k months. But we need to remember the Goddess isn't here to do our bidding.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:14:16]:

We are here to do hers. This doesn't mean that you shouldn't want things, of course. Follow your desires, your curiosities and whims. I often think that those are breadcrumbs to connect with the divine, to become the best version of ourselves. But let's not confuse devotion with just the things that we want. We're not here to manifest a perfect life, something that we can post and tell our friends about. We're here to participate in a greater unfolding, and we don't really know what that is. But until we open ourselves up as channels to the divine, and when we do that, that's when synchronicities start to flow.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:14:57]:

The right doors open not because we've hacked the universe, we did the right mantra, but because we've stepped into right relationship with the divine. So that will really be a big focus. It's less about I need to have that. You know, I think it's funny. Remember that song Janis Joplin sang? Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz? All my friends drive Porsches. I must make amends. Like we can laugh at that. Like, that's so silly.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:15:24]:

Of course, of course God isn't going to buy us a luxury vehicle. And yet we do treat our spiritual practice like that. But what if you prayed, meditated and journaled, not so you could get something, but so you could open yourself up to divine will? Imagine. Imagine what could happen then. So there you have it. Those are going to be my five focal points for 2026. And I will be explor expanding and also encouraging my community to do that as well in Substack. So you can learn more about that in the show notes.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:16:00]:

But just to recap, imagination, let your mind wander. Imagine what is possible. What do you really want for your life? What is that inner wisdom really telling you? Beauty. Let's bring beauty back. Both, maybe in the way that we present ourselves or how we organize our house, even how we appreciate beauty. Maybe we should be going to museums more often. Creativity. Create more than you consume.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:16:29]:

I feel like I could say that over and over. And if we're talking about consumption, also look at what you are consuming. Make sure that it's nourishing that because that creates the soil from which you can create. Play, let's have fun. Let's try on different roles, let's try things differently. Let's look at life as not this, like, cross to bear or this obstacle to move through, but as an opportunity to play and see what is available to us and then connection to the divine. Rather than thinking of our spiritual practice as something that we're asking for or something that we're trying to get something from, think of it as opening yourselves up so you can be a vessel for divine will. And you don't know what that is or where that will lead you.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:17:20]:

And that's the beautiful part because I do believe the divine likely has a greater vision for you in your life than you have on your own own. So that is my focus. Happy New Year's Eve. I hope it is safe and inspiring. If these themes resonate with you again, I invite you to join me inside this enchanted life, which is my substack community. We read books, we watch movies, we explore archetypes, we dive into imaginal journeys, and most of all, we remember what's possible. So together we are parting the veil and re enchanting life. Okay, here's to 2025.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:18:01]:

Thank you for all of the lessons and let's welcome in 2026. Can't wait to see what we create. Be well beautiful ones. Thank you for joining me for this episode of the Goddess School Podcast. I hope it sparked your imagination and expanded your vision for what's possible. If you're ready to explore these concepts more deeply, reclaim your personal myth and live with greater creativity and enchantment, I invite you to join me inside enlivened my Divine Feminine Mystery School and Sacred community where we bring these teachings to life through ritual, story coaching and of course, real world action. You can find the link to learn more in the show notes. And remember, the Goddess isn't a deity outside of yourself.

Lisa Marie Rankin [00:18:50]:

She an aspect of your highest self. You are the Goddess. Until next. Time.