Holidays and Gratitude!
As we come into the Holiday Season, which is always a Magical time for me, I want to offer a way for us all to BE Grateful for all that we have.
October was a very challenging month for me and November allowed me to uncover new ways and new perspectives to come into alignment with my Health and Well-Being. I am feeling better than I have in years and my energy and health have improved significantly. What changed? Well despite two mega doses of antibiotics and some natural health supplements to super charge my immune system perhaps what changed is that we are in the end of the nine year cycle (As previously discussed, 2016 is a 9 year in numerology and after Sept 9th [9-9-9] to Jan 1st, 2017 [1-1-1] when we begin a new cycle we will be releasing a lot of ‘things’ that are no longer necessary in our lives; from people to beliefs.) and I believe that cycle is what has been holding me in a certain pattern that is finally ready to be released. And in this ‘feeling good’ phase of my life I now feel like I have outgrown the limiting aspect of this cycle!
So, I have a lot to be Grateful for!
I came across this beautiful interview with Buddhist Monk Phap Dung in response to the question about what people can do who are feeling very fearful and uncertain about America and the planet. His response was beautifully worded! [For the full interview go here… http://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2016/11/22/13638374/buddhist-monk-mindfulness.]
“We see the mind like a house, so if your house is on fire, you need to take care of the fire, not to go look for the person that made the fire. Take care of those emotions first; it’s the priority. Because anything that comes from a place of fear and anxiety and anger will only make the fire worse. Come back and find a place of calm and peace to cool the flame of emotion down.”
I felt this quote was especially pertinent to all that is going on this last month and how we can take time this Holiday Season to take care of Our House and not project our fears, anxiety and anger onto our friends and family. The holidays can be particularly stressful for many people and emotions come up. And these emotions come up for us during the Holidays are often triggered by something related to what occurred during the first seven years of our lives. With the added anxieties that many are experiencing – especially in this season – we have an opportunity to ‘Remember the Magic’ and be in charge of how we want to BE and how we want to respond instead of directing the fire outside of us!
Taking responsibility for our reactions and emotional fears is something that isn’t always easy and is something that we would rather blame on someone else. These reactions and fears are the triggers that our egos would rather not deal with nor take responsibility for. Holidays often dredge up some of our worst fears and reactions – our disappointments, feeling alone, feeling unsupported, sensing unexpressed anger and sadness – that we often don’t acknowledge as they lie deep below the surface of our unconscious until triggered. Our families often take the brunt of these reactions.
However, this time of the year has another energy available to us. It is the Magical Beauty of Giving and Loving, the True Spirit of Christmas. I like to remind my listeners and readers every year that the Magic of the Holiday season is beautifully powerful. It exists because of the underlying energy available around unconditional giving and sharing. It exists because of the saying that is so prevalent everywhere: “Peace on Earth and Good Will towards Men”. I prefer to believe the use of ‘Men’ is a general statement that doesn’t reflect which gender we are and that this statement offers a Blessing for everyone. This Blessing forwards a prayer into the world that is sacred to those we love as well as to the planet and reflects an energy that we can tap into.
Gratitude and the Magic of the Holidays are similar energies that we can tap into if we remember and uncover the child-like innocence of our youth. When we can find the ‘gift’ in all our experiences and the Higher Purpose that is always present – or accept that there is a ‘higher purpose’ even when we can’t see it – we can tap into Gratitude and further the Magical energy of Unconditional Love and Sharing in the Holiday Season. When we can tap into the child-like exuberance of the innocence of our youth before love became conditional we experience similar energies.
To me it is about finding your inspiration. I’m often inspired by magical movies like Harry Potter (the first three movies before the series became darker), Fantastic Beasts, and Christmas themed movies (any time of the year). I’m equally inspired by the magical remembrance of a first kiss and falling in love or the love of a pet. Pets to me are very special. If you have never experienced the unconditional love of a pet before I would recommend it.
I encourage you to find your inspiration and Remember the Magic of the Holidays while BEing Grateful for all that is YOU. And remember that you can Share Unconditionally this Love and Gratitude from within to all that is outside you.
I wish you all the Happiest Holiday Season, full of Magic and Gratitude!
With Love and an Open Heart, Laurie