Aligning with Grace

A new year has commenced with a super moon, bearing better tidings, I hope. I chose to dispense with my preferred rituals for ushering in a new year and instead record my theme for the coming year in my journal, which came to me from an unexpected gift. Several friends set out to do the Camino in Spain this year. One, brought me a beautiful pendant from the region from where my family originated. It had a beautiful Celtic inscription on one side, with the the following words inscribed in Spanish on the other side: "Renacimiento Entusiasmo Salud" The moment I received it, sometime last fall, I knew that these words would comprise my theme for the coming year. Renacimiento, can be translated literally as "rebirth," or as "renewal." Both of these seem appropriate for this juncture in my life. This word is followed by "enthusiasm," and finally by "health." I noticed that many people chose a word this year as their own th...

A New Year is here.  Another one has been dispatched... We could sit here and talk about how hard it was - or how bad it was. But I will not do that. And neither should you. Let's not give the past anymore energy... I choose to look ahead instead... I am grateful for the many blessings and miracles that I believe are currently unfolding in my life, and in the lives of others... This year, I chose to usher it in differently, and dispelled with my usual rituals. I thought instead, of what I would like to fill this year with. I thought of the new year as a cup, filled with many good things. What would you like to fill your cup and your new year with? What kind of drink warms your body and your heart? Good coffee - tea, or hot cocoa? It really doesn't matter what your pour into your cup. Imagine yourself holding your cup filled with your warm drink of choice. It happens to be very cold where I am at this morning. Feel the warmth of your cup. ...

"Did you love enough?" This question has been haunting me for nearly a month - ever since a friend brought it up as she reflected on her life and situation. I went home that afternoon, daring to ask myself the same thing: "Did I love enough?" Did I love enough in that situation in the past? Am I loving enough in this situation now? And inevitably that morphed into: "Have I loved myself enough?" No matter the question or its variation - the answer is always the same: NO. We can never love enough - whether it is someone else - or ourselves. Love by its very nature is expansive. There is always more room to grow. In loving others however, the key is to love without attachment, without holding on - without being needy. And in loving ourselves - we may simply just need to set boundaries and allow ourselves the right to practice self-care. We can never love enough - just as we can never meditate deeply enough. We never arrive. There is ...

Just a few days ago I wrote about undertaking one simple task for your day... Just for today, be more patient... Just for today, clean out one drawer... When we set simple goals like these ones, we tend to be more successful... But, what about when we aren't successful? What about when we fail? What about those moments we think we've taken great strides and thought we'd made great progress and then something reminds us that we haven't? Have we gone back to "square one?" Well, not really... You see, we can always begin again... And again... And again... Every day we wake up is precisely that - a new day - and a new opportunity. We can pick ourselves up, and dust ourselves off, and start over. We can begin again... So maybe you didn't exercise at all over the holidays. Or eat in the most healthy manner. Maybe you meant to start yesterday and did - but then had something you shouldn't have had later. Do you beat yourself up? ...

The Reiki Precepts, as they are often interpreted or presented, begin with the words,  Just for today... In other words, it can be daunting to take on a task or project, or commitment for the whole year -  for the duration of your whole entire life - or even for a week sometimes... But we can always undertake a task or commit to something for just a day... We can decide to do a juice fast for a day, or do a spiritual practice - just for this one day... And then the next day, we can do the same - that is - commit again just for that day... In time each day will accumulate on a bed of other days, creating a cushioning in our lives. A spiritual practice will flourish and nourish. A change to more healthy ways of eating and/or exercising will contribute to our well-being... At this time of year, we tend to take on more than we can ever accomplish realistically. So instead of a monumental undertaking - say to yourself, "Just for today..." Plant seeds, and in the ...