ILLUMINATED in 2026

For the past four years, I’ve chosen a single word as my North Star for the year ahead. In Ayurveda, intention is powerful — it directs prana (life force) and shapes how we move through the seasons of our lives. This one word becomes my guide, my anchor, and my reminder to return to presence when life feels noisy or fast. Choosing a single word helps me stay curious and aware — noticing how its meaning reveals itself not all at once, but slowly, through lived experience. 

My word for 2026 is… ILLUMINATE 


This word came to me on the Winter Solstice — a sacred turning point of the year — when darkness gives way to light.  It felt like a quiet yet powerful invitation to awaken to Truth and remember the Divine light that lives within each of us. To ILLUMINATE is to bring clarity, understanding, and conscious awareness. It is the gentle inner glow that reveals what is ready to be released — old habits, patterns, and beliefs that no longer serve — while also shining light on gifts and talents that may have been hidden in the shadows. Walking an illuminated path, for me, means aligning my daily actions with my deepest values. It’s asking myself, again and again: Am I walking my talk?  It’s the practice of remembering my inner radiance, and trusting that everything I need is already within me. 

In Ayurveda, ILLUMINATE is deeply connected to the fire element — the sacred force of transformation. Fire is hot, sharp, light, and mobile. It governs digestion not only of food, but of thoughts, emotions, and experiences. When balanced, it brings clarity, courage, discernment, intelligence, and inspired action. When tended with care, fire becomes the light that guides us home. 

As we move into this new year together, my intention is to nurture this inner flame — not burning out, but burning bright, and honoring what is ready to transform.


May 2026 be a year where we each remember our light, tend our inner fire with devotion, and allow ourselves to be fully seen — starting from within. 

“All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle.” — St. Francis of Assisi 

With love & luminosity,
Shannon 

Suggested ritual for daily illumination:  Light a candle each morning and gently ask, What wants to be illuminated today?

My previous Words of the Year 

2025 - Order

2024 - Grounded

2023 - Simple

2022 - Rhythm

Photo by David Schwartz - “Antares God Rays”