'Tis the season to be Jolly! The holidays are upon us and often this brings a mix of anticipation, joy, anxiety, sharing and stress. Family and friend gatherings are on the way. So how can we move through this season remaining connected to the intention and Spirit of this time with our loved ones? I imagine we all want to feel that sense of connectedness with those we love, especially during this time. There are many people that we may only see on this occasion, and rarely do we set out with the intent on feeling contracted or on edge. Yet this often happens if we do not remain centered and clear as to what this holiday means for us. That being said, I don't think we all have the same understanding or needs from the holidays. Knowing if we have expectations and what they are, is a wonderful starting point. As long as we are present with this inner meaning within ourselves, we can bring a sense of sacredness to this occasion.
It is important to recognize before the hustle and bustle begins, what it means to us. Is it a time to celebrate our connections with our friends and family? Is it a religious experience for us in reverence of the birth of Christ or do we recognize it from the spiritual connection to the Earths circling back into Light with the Solstice? Are we looking forward to the giving of gifts? Sharing meals? Reconnecting with others? Do we give permission to opt out of activities and go within, if that is the inner call?
What ever meaning we identify with in our hearts, we can then go about creating the holiday form this inner sanctuary. If we have clarity within, then we can begin to determine what activities are in alignment with our truth. This is the foundation from which we then connect and act outside of ourselves through. When we can honor our own truth, we are more able to enter into even challenging situations with more awareness, spaciousness, and ability to interact from this conscious intention.
Whether we are looking to create Joy, Peace, Enthusiasm, Sacredness, Celebration, or Gratitude, we must first have a clear intention of that experience. This doesn't mean that we seek to control the experience, but enter into each situation looking through those eyes.
For instance, a few years ago my intention for the holiday was to bring everyone together and create a wonderful meal and simply to share my love for my family. Now, anyone who knows me, knows I do not cook, so I admit, I had the help of my partner in some of the preparation. I had been feeling so much love for everyone, that even during a couple hurried and harried moments, in the small space of our home and lack of any formal eating space; AND two family's(mine and my partner's)joining together for the first meeting, I found I was able to maintain this space of love within. Now, though I did whatever I could to make everyone as happy and comfortable as possible, I can not guarantee everyone had as good of time, filled with a sense of connectedness as I did. I did my best to be a considerate hostess and created a peaceful and warm environment, yet I also had to let go of my expectations as to how this was experienced by my guests. As far as I could tell, everyone had a wonderful time and at the end of the day, I felt such a deep satiated fullness, and not from the food! I felt fed by the sharing I wished to offer and in my reality, love was all I felt.
So once we know what we are intending to create, contribute, or experience, it is always good to do what is needed to keep ourselves in a nourished space. Of primary importance, don't let go of your spiritual practice as the pace of the holidays escalate! This is what allows you to come to the table, whatever form it takes, clear and open, ready to be present and loving. If you don't have a practice or something that grounds you, do what you can to cultivate an inner clarity. For example, hot baths, music that brings you into your fullness, exercise that makes you feel energized, maybe a massage or energy work. In other words, keep your self in alignment with YOU, first! Then cultivate a calm nervous system. When the nervous system is calm, your moods, reactions and 'internal' stories can be managed. This means it is easier to remain open-hearted and aligned with your intention! You don't have to take my word for this. Simply notice that as you become tense, what happens to your breath and your emotions. Usually agitation sets in, meaning your being is becoming contracted. In contraction, not as much energy can flow through you and the heart becomes more shut off from others and life. Notice too, how you feel when you are relaxed, maybe after meditating or yoga. The breath flows freely, you feel softer, more open, more in the flow of whatever is present. This is spaciousness and the place where Love streams freely from!
Gifts to others can come in many ways, and some of the most powerful ones are acceptance, acknowledging who others are, letting go of expectations or control, really listening to others, not needing things to be other than they are. When we are settled in our own inner peace, inner joy, inner gratitude, whatever happens around us can have much less impact on us, and we become a source of those qualities of Being to those we love.
So, I send out warm and peaceful wishes to all! May your holidays be perfect, in whatever way that is meant for you. May we all have the inner peace to bring that Peace and Light to all in our midst! Spaciousness is Love. Love is what we are all seeking ~ and that Love is what we are!
Peacefully Merry~
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