On the spiritual path, we’re often told that we are light, that we are love, that this light and love are always here and available to us. And yet often we don’t experience that!
In March of 2020, just as the entire world was going into lockdown because of Covid-19, I was getting ready to move in with Tom Carpenter and his wife Linda, who had been Course in Miracles teachers and mentors for decades. They needed support and my husband and I had volunteered.
A few years ago, my daughter turned me onto the idea that there's a Major Arcana Tarot card that informs the overarching energy for the year on a global scale. She now has a business offering astrology and Tarot card readings! (click here to learn more)
One way to think about this is that the card sets a tone for the year on a world-wide level.
To determine which card is being activated is simple. Add the numbers of the year together. So, for this year it would be: 2+0+2+5=9
Ready for a New Year’s exercise?
It’s to make a vison board – but with a twist.
I’m sure you know that I LOVE making vision boards. Perhaps you’ve even made one with me in the past!
**If you’re new to vision boards, click here to get my how-to download.**
Making a traditional vision board is fun, inspiring, & a wonderful exercise in intentionality. It gets you thinking about every aspect of your life – from your health, wealth, learning, fun…
Have you noticed that certain times of year evoke different feelings or orientations?
For me, it’s about LIGHT, about opening to it and receiving it.
How do you define light?
Perhaps you think about it as: inspiration, healing, divinity, truth, love- or something else.
Whatever your definition of light, the dark days of December seem to call for a kindling of that spark, a nourishing of our inner light.
Here’s a simple one: How would you complete this sentence?
Last week I began an online class focused on the arc known as the Hero’s Journey. If you’re at all familiar with the mythologist, Joseph Campbell and his work, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about!
Essentially, the idea is that we are all the hero of our own story, and within our lifetimes are invited, encouraged, urged, and sometimes dragged onto a journey of self-transformation.
Are you ready for some faith?
That’s this week’s advent theme.
What exactly is faith?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, here are the definitions:
1. Allegiance to duty or a person; loyalty (lost faith in someone or something)
2. Fidelity to one’s promises; sincerity of intentions (acted in good faith)
3. Belief and trust in and loyalty to God; Belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion
4. Firm belief in something for which there is no proof
5. Complete trust
6. Something that is believed especially with strong conviction
We bat this word around – especially those of us on a spiritual path.
Did you know that the 1st week of December is the week of hope?
According to advent, a Christian tradition of preparation, it is!
I don’t know about you, but my association with advent are those fun children’s calendars. Remember them? You know those cute posters with little doors and windows that open for every day of December, and often hold little surprises behinds them.
But apparently there’s much more to advent than candies behind closed doors.
Advent invites us to slow down and reflect.
Did you enjoy the equinox?
Good news because the fall celebrations continue!
Everywhere folks are welcoming in the harvest. In India, it’s Durga puja- the celebration of the Mother. And in the Jewish tradition, it’s the new year and the days of atonement, otherwise known as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
This time of year always feels like new beginnings to me. Maybe it’s the decades I spent as a student and then a teacher, but the fall is definitely a transition time.
There is a closeness to God now, and we see it actualized in many faiths. The veil is thin.
The spring and summer were all about outward expression, and now, as we have reaped the rewards from nature, it’s time to turn within.
What is it about failing that feels so hard?
Is it perfectionist syndrome?
Has our society become so risk averse we’re all afraid of looking stupid? Inadequate?
Because this fear of failure, is pervasive!
Students unwilling to raise their hands lest they appear ignorant.
Employees afraid to ask for help, concerned they’ll look incompetent.
When I find myself stymied by the fear of failure, I always go worst case scenario.
Isn’t the physical body truly remarkable?
And the more we learn about it, the more we see how interconnected our physical body is to our emotional well being. Right?
Thanks to neuroscience, we now know that the body stores stress, memories, and trauma.
In part because the physical body is always present!
Think about it – whether you’re watching a movie or sleeping, working on the computer or making a speech – regardless of where your attention is, your body is present in that physical space.
It’s like the silent witness.
Which is why, it’s even more important than ever to work with the body when a trauma occurs; from something small like a rejection to something big like a car accident or physical violence.
Yes, it’s vital to talk about what happened and process your thoughts and emotions. But don’t forget to support your body in that healing work.
The other day I was talking to a young woman who’s been living in the city for a while. On a work trip recently she visited a sleepy town surrounded by national forest. While there, she realized the city was no longer feeding her.
More and more I hear that. And it echoes my own experiences.
I crave nature- trees, water, silence.
How about you?
When life pulls at you, demanding your time and energy, it’s SO easy to feel depleted. Then what do you do? Sleep for a week? Binge watch Netflix?
Instead, think about what FEEDS you?
