I wrote the following article for Soulfulliving.com which will be featured on their website on New Years Day to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Check it out HERE!
The time for pushing is over.
The time for allowing is NOW.
Transformation is remembering who you are.
Just about everyone celebrates Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa. Unfortunately, when most of us commemorate such special days, we rarely think about, and in some cases do not even know, that many of these holidays--holy days--date back thousands of years and were originally created to mark the changing of seasons and other happenings in nature. Even worse, as our celebrations have become less about meaning and more about material concerns--getting presents or wearing new outfits--holidays can be both stressful and laden with unrealistic expectations.
Remember as you get caught up in the routines and busyness of your life, you get lost in secondary choices and lose focus on your higher vision. Make sure you take time to nurture your soul and body.
Turn this holiday into a meaningful occasion.
You'll be surprised how easy it is to turn holiday occasions that you normally take for granted, or move through without thinking, into a meaningful ritual. Instead of just coming up with a guest list and planning the usual gatherings, if you slow down, realize that you're taking part in a time-honored tradition that connects you to your past, and concentrate on your intention --to commemorate an important holy day--you will get deeper meaning and a greater sense of connectedness out of each occasion.
To restore meaning to our holiday traditions, we can look to our own roots, explore the practices of our ancestors, and even borrow from ancient cultures to celebrate holidays in a new way at these celebrations. Let this year be a living ritual to peace and understanding.
Whether you are lighting Hanukkah candles, looking at the lights on a Christmas tree or lighting the candles of Kwanzaa, I want to invite you to take a moment and reflect on all the ways that Light can dispel the darkness. Let the light be a reminder that we are sparks of Divine Light.
Rituals to End the Year
Do not answer your phone on the first ring or answer an email or text immediately. Instead, take a few deep breaths. This will calm your mind and regulate the stress hormones in your body. You will feel clearer, calmer and make better choices.
Take some time to be quiet and reflect on the decade that is drawing to a close. Think about the people who mattered the most to you, your greatest accomplishments, challenging difficulties and the lessons learned.
Contemplate the patterns in your life that keep you stuck. Write down the limiting beliefs or habits that you wish to leave behind with the old year. In a fireproof bowl or fireplace, burn the paper. As the paper burns, be aware that you have made space for new ideas, people and opportunities to enter your life. Carefully throw out the ashes when they cool and leave on the earth.
Do something you have never done before that brings you joy. Check out some art, listen to music, invite friends for a potluck dinner and ask them to bring food that they loved as a child.
Take 5 minutes to focus on peace. Light a candle and imagine the light going out into the world.
Forgive, forgive, forgive.
Create a gratitude altar. Write down all the things and people that you are grateful for. Write each one on a separate slip of paper and put it in a bowl or basket. Each day pick one name out of the bowl and imagine that you can send and receive love from them/it.
Keep in mind that the first 12 days of the year represent the entire year. If you would like some support, sign up for my newsletter at my website and you will receive one "intention intensive" mp3 each day for twelve days, January 1 - 12.