Starword: Power

I learned this week about a practice that a number of my friends have been using for a few years.  Each year at Epiphany (just after the 12 days of Christmas), they randomly choose a word to use in the coming year as a focus for prayer and self-discovery.  They’re called Starwords because the star is a symbol of Epiphany (think of the Wise Men following a star to find the Christ child).

Some of my friends share this practice with their congregations, cutting out hundreds of stars and putting a word on each one.  Every member of the congregation is invited to draw a Star-word and use it in their own prayers and meditation throughout the year.  Others take advantage of a virtual basket of Starwords maintained by Marci Auld Glass.  She has lots more information about Starwords on her blog, Glass Overflowing.

I asked Marci to draw a Starword for me this year, and the reply came quickly: Barbara, your word is “power.”  I admit that I wasn’t sure what to make of that.  “Power” seems so… well, powerful.  I thought it would be good to emphasize a softer side of who I am this year. But there it was: your word is “power.” So, “power” it is.