Our holiday celebrations form around stories that remind us of the invisible, the unexplainable, the liberating, the joyful, and the miraculous. Whether we realize it or not, our holiday stories are there to remind us of all that is within us, waiting to be touched, to be illuminated, and to be shared.  The oil that kept the lamp burning, the star that led to the humble manger, the baby who grew to be a man of wisdom and miracles…This holiday season, as the material world beckons your attention, try and remember that your inner gingerbread person wants your attention as well—all that is sacred, all that is holy, all that is good, is not only within you, it is you.

As the holidays approach, anxiety rises up for many, for any variety of reasons. Let’s just say holidays can magnify those aspects of our life we haven’t quite worked out yet, and the loneliness, the self-consciousness, the unresolved issues around family…all can interrupt our taking pleasure in the precious experiences our holidays are meant to invoke:  taking pause, giving thanks, and experiencing humility in light of the spiritual and the miraculous…

Any unresolved stuff tagging along with us during the holidays gets magnified. If you are alone, if you are grieving, if you are struggling financially, if you have to go between mom’s house and dad’s, in order to satisfy both, if you have been trying to get pregnant, if you feel disconnected from your partner, if you are trying to recover from addiction, if you are addicted, if you never quite measure up to expectations (theirs or yours), or if you are simply sad…EGO will press on those circumstances and create a deeper ache than usual.

This is why at holiday time it can be especially important to be extra deliberate about remembering our true nature, our spiritual nature, so that when those discomforts come up for us, we can feel them without allowing them to weigh upon our sense of self, our sense of worth, or our sense of place and peace. The holidays are as good a time as any to “clean house” and recall the most profound truth of our life: we are spiritual beings with a spiritual consciousness so gracious, that even at the most stressful or heart-heavy of times, our mind can be at peace, and our heart can remain open.  We simply need to turn our attention inward, breathe, and ask that the reigns be taken…

I wish you peace, and a very happy new year.

Love, Liz