“My wish for you is that you continue to be who and how you are, to astonish the world with your acts of kindness. Continue to allow humor to lighten the burden of your tender heart.” –Maya Angelou
Is it just me, or have you noticed that holiday season feels at times like a rollercoaster of emotions? There are moments of joy, sadness, grief— all in the same day.
We are all a bit fragile during the holidays. Our hearts are especially tender. There are expectations, demands, promises, hopes, fears, worries, and grief all swirling together. We have our own personal challenges to deal with as well as feeling the pain of humanity’s injustices.
We learn to honor the ups and downs. As we practice awareness, we are more willing to accept and allow our emotions and not get thrown off balance.
Here are some simple steps I take to bring me back to balance.
I am grateful for this new day. I embrace this day knowing God is revealed as the radiant, energizing, joy-filled presence of Love. I know Love moves into the very cells of my being bringing light, harmony, and peace. I accept guidance to willingly let go of any resentment, hurt or disappointment. I invite the healing presence of Love to wash away any pain or darkness. I enter this day with a grateful heart and receive all the blessings Love has in store for me. And so it is. Amen.
May the light of the season guide your days with wisdom, fill your heart with peace and surround you with the presence of love.
“Peace is not the absence of war. It is the pervasive presence of compassionate connection.” – James O’Dea
My heart hurts and I suspect yours does as well. It feels like we move from one daunting experience to another.
In this trying time it can be challenging to know what to pray for. Here are three simple prayers to speak for yourself and others. There is great power in our collective prayers.
The prayer is repeated four times– for yourself, for a loved one, for community and for all humanity. I like to visualize a small pulsating light that grows with each statement and circles the planet.
The Light of God surrounds you. The Love of God enfolds you. The power of God protects you. The Presence of God watches over you. Wherever you are, God is. And all is well. Amen.
This Thing Called You by Ernest Holmes
“When you become confused, stop and listen to your inner calm. Turn from the confusion to that deeper something within. Say:
I am submerged in peace. I am surrounded by peace. I am immersed in peace. There is nothing but peace. Peace–deep, calm, undisturbed.
Visualize humanity surrounded with love and light.
“As you begin to think more about how you can love your way through life, rather than about how you have to battle your way through life, love will reveal to you its secret success powers.” — Catherine Ponder
We make thousands of decisions each day. Too often our decision-making can be confused with outdated beliefs and limitations.
As little girls we obeyed the rules and expectations of family, church and society. Our choices were dictated by others and we were often stifled. Years later, many women awoke to find their souls yearning to be set free to express, to love and to find joy.
Believing we are not good enough is our deepest secret. We’ve been trained to keep our secrets and pain to ourselves. As a result, we tend to think we are alone and are the only ones dealing with doubt, self-judgment, and lack. We come together in community to encourage and support each other. After all, empowered women empower women!
It is time to bring those old beliefs out of hiding and free ourselves from limiting thoughts, behaviors and actions.
“In the short term and in the long run, how we treat people is our legacy. We have a daily responsibility to stay conscious of that and show up in ways we can be proud of.” – Sam Horn, Talking on Eggshells
It’s holiday time! That exciting time of year when we navigate the emotional terrain of spending time with loved ones. Anxiety, anyone?
Some loved ones are a joy to be with. Others can be more challenging.
Here are some helpful tips:
It’s not about them. We often have attachment as to how we would like our loved ones to behave. In fact WE have lots of ideas about how they can live better lives. Breathe and step back. Practice letting go.
Respond not react. Our loved ones know how to push our buttons. Disable your button. Disconnect from your high mindedness. Dissolve the need to have the answers. Practice responding peacefully and not reacting to situations.
Claim your intention. Instead of imagining all the terrible, awful, dreadful things that the holidays might bring, practice visualizing what you do want. What is your intention? To have loving communication? To have peaceful interactions? To have joy-filled experiences? Set your intention before you venture out the door.
Remember to breathe. Conscious breathing keeps us grounded in our awareness of our divinity and our oneness. Allow your breathing to center yourself in love. Pause and take a breath.
Practice gratitude. Gratitude lifts us up to a higher vibration. In that vibration of love, all things are possible.
I am grateful for my many blessings… I am grateful my family…I am grateful for my body and good health…I am grateful for my home…I bless my neighbors and my co-workers…I bless the economy…I bless our country…I bless my spiritual community…I bless the world.
I am so grateful for you. You are a blessing to the world.
Our Wisdom of the Heart retreat was another wonderful experience of joyful connections. We arrived a bit weary, rattled and stressed from our busy lives. And we left uplifted, renewed, and realigned with the presence of love.
Here is some of what the retreat sisters shared:
–The retreat gave me a chance to look at what is really going on in my life. I received prayers and tools that I can use everyday to further open myself up to the gifts the Divine has already made available to me.
–As a new person to the group, I was amazed at the immediate acceptance and welcome into this amazing circle of women.
–The prayer night affected me profoundly. There was a powerful presence that surrounded us.
–Every day was filled with wisdom and tools to take home. And the music was awesome!
–Big love to Lauri for bringing such heartfelt, spiritual musical beauty to our experience.
–First time attendee and I will return. Rev Christine is an excellent facilitator responding to our needs.
–I always appreciate the flow of practices, the opportunities for sharing, and the balance of downtime. I do not have many opportunities to step out of my life to be supported in this deep work and I am so grateful that you continue to offer this transformative time.
–Each retreat has taken me deeper in finding the “real” me. The support of my “sisters’ is beyond anything I can imagine.
–I loved the whole retreat! I arrived rattled from the noise and clutter and found peace.
–Spending time in an old growth forest with heart-centered women led by Rev Christine is a gift for your soul.
–The retreat is a respite from the overwhelming cultural demands. It helps calm the spirit within and to know more clearly who you are.
Save the date for next year’s retreat: October 19 – 22, 2025.
“You are word. You are an aspect of God being brought forth into light.” – Paul Selig. I Am the Word
Have you ever noticed that some days a brain fog seems to set in and we forget about the power of our words? We often speak aloud words of criticism, complaint, and judgment coming from our inner critic instead of empowered messages of love and inspiration from Spirit within. The words of the critic come from the head, and the empowered words of Spirit originate in the heart.
From The Book of Knowing and Worth, Paul Selig reminds us, “What you give your authority to becomes your God. And if you want your pain to be your authority, or the memory of your pain, that will be your claim, that is what you put into your basket, that becomes your broadcast, or your resonance and you call it back to you in every moment of your waking life.”
Yikes! I don’t know about you, but I prefer not to call back my pain and suffering every moment of my waking life. I choose to be aware in the present moment. I choose to pay attention to my thoughts and words.
Do you ever talk out loud to yourself? When we do, we tend to say things that are not positive and uplifting. Try this practice: Speak your gratitude and words of empowerment out loud. Your heart needs to hear your voice. Your heart hears constant words of error and false beliefs. But when your voice speaks words of truth aloud, your vibration is raised, your awareness is heightened, your experience of love expands.
Practice your spiritual readings out loud, as well as your prayers. Speak your gratitude for being aware in this moment, for loving friends and family, for your delicious meal. Affirm your success, prosperity and good health.
Our words are adding to the vibration of humanity. Let’s make them count.
Speak this aloud for yourself, your family, our country.
