recreation
Wishing You A ‘Less-Is-More’ Year In 2021
The year 2020 was challenging, but not all bad. In fact, it helped me to get my life a little more ‘tuned-up.’ I slowed down and really took stock of what is most important.
I was able to spend more time at home, reflecting on what matters most, and getting more in touch with parts of myself that have been neglected for too long. Sometimes there are sacrifices when it comes to enlightenment and I guess that could be said for 2020.
I also had more time for self-care and learning the importance of it. Not just teaching the importance of it, but actually taking some of the tools to bat for myself!
I have also noticed my relationships improved a lot. I stopped communicating with all the energy thieves and psychic vampires, avoided social media, and enhanced those meaningful relationships that needed more love and care.
I do believe I generally live in a very mindful way, with awareness and discernment, but 2020 somehow just helped me see things with clear 20/20 vision on so many levels.
It may seem weird, but actually I do hope 2021 will be somewhat similar – minus the coronavirus, of course, but with continued awareness and clarity. I do not want that aspect of the year to end. It has enhanced my spirituality, health and well-being on so many levels. I think it would be such a missed opportunity to just back to the rat race mentality and start living again with all the usual pressure and stress again.
I am so incredibly grateful for the time spent at home this past year. It has been downright delightful. Who would not get great joy from curling up and spending time with yourself, your cats, and reading cool books?
To Live Gratitude Is To Touch Heaven
One aspect of spiritual living too seldom addressed is our lack of true appreciation and gratitude for all the blessings in our lives, regardless of our circumstances.
Some spiritual seekers tend to be very keen on beating the drum of prosperity, and becoming fixated on the Law of Attraction and manifesting abundance, which is too often merely a thinly disguised obsession with material wealth and earthly comforts.
Most of us simply take too much for granted every day. We experience so many blessings of joy, beauty, forgiveness, protection and Divine grace, which we seldom acknowledge in our lives. We always have something to be grateful, or thankful for, no matter how difficult times may be. As a species we are very good at complaining about what we don’t have, but we seem to find it difficult to give thanks for what we do have.
We seldom express our gratitude and appreciation towards those we love and cherish, and we hardly ever remember to share what we have with those who have less – not because we feel obligated, but because we feel so much appreciation that we simply want to share our abundant blessings with others. Charity is not about lending a helping hand; it is about celebrating all that we have, and to share our joy and appreciation.
Research has demonstrated an indisputable connection between gratitude and spirituality. It is no coincidence that gratitude is regarded as a much cherished and valued quality by most world religions, including the Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu Jewish, and Christian traditions. When reviewing the large body of research done on the subject, gratitude seems to play a much more noteworthy role in our happiness and well-being than most other emotions and personality traits.
Several research studies in recent years have shown that people who have a tendency towards higher levels of gratitude also tend to report higher levels of psychological, emotional and physical well-being. People who are grateful have been shown to be happier, more optimistic and more content with their lives. They also appear to have lower levels of stress and depression, and they are more satisfied with their relationships and social interaction with others.
How To Have Peace And Calm This Christmas
The year 2020 has been quite a year! The pandemic has turned the world upside down. Given what we have all been through, there is now an increased emotional need to have something to celebrate, and with Christmas around the corner, we have just that.
However, as magical a time of year as Christmas may be, it can still be somewhat stressful, and this year may prove even more challenging due to the need for safety precautions, social distancing and travel restrictions.
Nevertheless, with a little pre-planning, you should be able to get your Xmas off to a good start and enjoy the celebrations to the maximum without experiencing too much stress and drama in the process! How good is that? Here’s how.
Set Clear Intentions
Given the kind of a year we have experienced, we can indeed be excused for not celebrating a perfectly traditional Christmas this year. We are now in an excellent position to enjoy the kind of Christmas that we prefer.
Let go of the idea this year that Christmas must be ‘perfect,’ and that you must make it that way for everybody. Set instead a clear intention for what your ideal Christmas will be. After that, all you need to do is make plans that go along with your vision. Having established what Christmas really means to you, you can then use it as a guide to prepare your celebrations.
Keep It Simple
Simplicity ensures peace and calm, whereas complexity causes stress and drama. It really is as simple as that! It is imperative that any Christmas plans you make are as simple, straightforward and as streamlined as possible. Doing so should help to create a sense of calm and empowerment, which you will no doubt need to take into the New Year with you.
To The Beat Of My Own Drum
I am in the process of moving home. While going through years of stored stuff in the attic of my old home, I found a Christmas gift that my parents gave me around the age of four. It was a little drum, intact, with sticks to play to the beat of my young heart. I am sure there were many times my parents thoroughly regretted buying a four-year-old a drum to bang on!
To my surprise, throughout the house, I also found a total of eleven more drums. All different sizes and kinds. And it is safe to say I can still make a joyful noise with each one (although my family might consider this debatable).
In the summer we spend a lot of time at Camp Etna, one of the spiritualist camps here in Maine. We have two small cottages here – one that we live in, and another I use as my office. Some of the drums I found are kept in the office cottage, for my clients to enjoy.
Why the obsession with drums, you may ask? Well, drumming has always been a form of great stress relief for me. You can release pent up emotions, by beating the drum as hard or soft as you wish. It feels good to express yourself through the primal beat. Moving to the sound of the beat seems to make doing most tasks easier. Drumming is just plain old-fashioned fun, and people around the world have been moving to the sound of drums since the beginning of time.
Drums are also a very useful spiritual tool. In energy work, for example, I use drums to get in touch with the heartbeat. We also host a drumming circle here, at least once a week. Young and old come out to participate, and everyone in the area is invited. It is a spiritual activity that helps to unite the community. One person sets the intention, and the beat for the circle, and then all join in. It is wonderful to see the smiles and joy the drumbeat brings to faces.
Anyone can learn to play the drum. With people being at home much more these days, if you have always had the desire to learn to play and instrument, it is a good time to try the drums. With all the information technology we have these days, there are many courses and tutorials available online for one to learn drumming techniques in the comfort of your home.
The Healing Embrace Of Mother Nature
Throughout my life, especially during the most difficult times, the one thing I have always been able to count on is Mother Nature. Gaia, the Great Mother, has always served me well.
I grew up in California, where there is an abundance of water: water falls, creeks, rivers, lakes and the spectacular Pacific Ocean. I had quick and easy access to hiking paths, and other adventures and recreational activities in the great outdoors. In fact, next to dance, hiking was my favorite form of exercise in my teenage years.
When times are difficult, I have always sought out nature. It is so much easier to block out other people’s negativity when all you can see is God’s magnificent creation. It’s divine intent, joy, beauty, harmony, balance, and timelessness.
In the arms of Mother Nature, there is the freedom to tune out all the noise and toxic energy of others…and just hear the voice of Go. It helps you to center yourself, and clear out the negative energy and drama other people sometimes bring into your life.
I find that those of us who live in large cities and urban areas are more likely to get swallowed up by the negative energy of others. We can simply not get away from it in our daily lives. Going back to a home every day, where there is still a lot of radiation and traffic noise, will not let you heal or reenergize.
We all need to take the time to hear our inner voice. No cars, no talking, no noise. Just our own thoughts and inner guidance. We must make time to just hear the voice of spirit within. Otherwise, the voice of the ego that we hear in our head becomes toxic with negative self-talk.
God’s natural world is a temple of healing, a shrine of grace, a sanctuary for the burdened soul. This is why nature must also be protected. By protecting nature, we are protecting God. Mature is a gift to us from Source. It belongs to all of us, including future generations.
The Virus That Brought A New Lease On Life
I have been asking spirit to help me better understand the deeper meaning of the COVID-19 virus emerging at this time in human history. This is how it has been explained to me.
The surfacing of the novel coronavirus is unfortunate, and in many ways tragic, but it also has value. It is teaching mankind many important spiritual and life lessons, including the value of slowing down, appreciating life, and loving each other more.
Modern society has been rapidly expanding and moving increasingly faster and faster since the 1918 influenza pandemic – the most severe pandemic in recent history. In our modern world we have grown accustomed to constantly rushing, and we seldom, if ever, take time to stop and smell the roses.
My spirit guides showed me that it is like a car driving over the speed limit all day, every day…until it burns out. We have been speeding through life. Rushing here, rushing there. No time to rest, no time to prepare healthy food, no quality time with our loved ones, no gratitude or appreciation for the blessings we receive, and also no respect for Mother Nature.
The Divine Creator decorated this place we call home with some pretty amazing scenery and life forms: oceans, mountains, forests, rivers, deserts, wild life and beautiful flora. Yet, we choose to speed by without noticing much of it.
The Healing Power Of Trees
Recently, I was visiting the small town in the Spanish countryside where I lived a couple of years ago. After running my errands, I met up with a friend in a small café, close to her home. Here we struck up a conversation with a very interesting, serene-looking gentleman, who had some fascinating things to say about the trees in the beautiful pine forests that surround the town.
At first he told us how worried he was that we might be subjected once again to a total lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But it soon became clear his fear was not due to the usual reasons. Apparently he goes to the nearby forest several days per week, for what he describes as his “charge up fix” of energy from the trees.
During the total lockdown in Spain earlier this year, he greatly missed the forest and, combined with the lockdown restrictions and sense of isolation, him not being energized as usual by his beloved trees, had a significant impact on his overall well-being and mental health.
He mentioned how he usually spends a lot of time talking to one particular old tree, and knew the tree was missing his presence when he had to stay away during the lockdown. He proudly showed us a photo of this favorite tree and explained how he communicates telepathically with the tree.
He had named the tree ‘Buho’ (Owl), because both the appearance and wisdom of the tree reminded him of an owl. During the lockdown period, when he was unable to visit, he would communicate telepathically with ‘Buho,’ by focusing on the photo of the tree.