Bliss and Blessings
“Blessed is the season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love”
~ Hamilton Wright Mable
I put up my Christmas tree the weekend after the USA Thanksgiving and posted a picture of it on Facebook. Someone responded by saying “Don’t you think it’s a bit early to do that?” My response is it’s never too early for joy! Joy is our natural state and it’s that time of year when timeless traditions give us a way to raise our bliss.
There is something about the winter holiday time that brings out my inner childlike glee. I love all the beautiful decorations. Our calendar becomes full again as we plan for parties and special gatherings with our loved ones. I always arrange an outdoor adventure with my family and can’t wait to see all the pretty lights on people’s houses, trees, shopping places and parks. I am endlessly tickled pink watching my grandchildren laugh with excitement from all the fun that we have at this time of year.
Holiday time has always been a big event in my home, and at this time of year, it starts December 1st with the lighting of our beautiful advent candle. My Danish husband’s family brought this special tradition into our home where we light a candle that is marked with 24 days. My family laughs at my possessiveness of controlling how it’s burnt with precision every day. I won’t let anyone cause it to drip down the side or pick at the wax because I want it to last 24 days. I love how it brings my family to our dinner table and I feel so blessed to have them all in my life.
I fill the pouches of my homemade door-size 24-day calendar with Purdy’s chocolates and scratch-and-win tickets and love watching my adult children, their partners, and my grandchildren discover what treat surprise is waiting for them. The first of the four Sundays before Christmas Day can fall anywhere between November 26 and December 3. I’m not religious but I love the spiritual traditions of how each one symbolizes hope, peace, love, and joy. The ending of the old year and the beginning of the new year is the perfect time to honour and reflect so I like to be ready for when the countdown begins.
I also like to sink into the hibernation of wintertime. I make a special effort during all the hype to find time to cultivate my yin side. In Eastern traditions, the darker cool yin time is when one spends time reflecting on that place of being aligned. I love my morning bath time, when I light a candle and soak while I meditate so I can better receive the signposts that life gives me. While I relish the creation of the magic happening in my outer world, I savour my cozy quiet moments when I can tap into the magic within. Here I cultivate that place of balance, respect, and release. I ask myself what needs to be honored and let go of? What needs to be dropped and what needs to be pulled in? What am I needing to nourish so I can grow in abundance? The deeper I am able to sink within, the bigger the dreams to be made. It’s my quiet reprieve from the brewing anticipation energy of the season that gives me strength at this time of year. We all can become so focused on getting things done (yang energy) that we don’t often allow ourselves to receive and be in the present.
I’ve been really enjoying reading a book written by Lisa McCourt called “Freeing Your Joy!” I love her joy school where she gives many happiness life-hacks on how to make every day rich and sweet and beautiful as our days are meant to be. I spend a lot of time working on raising my joy setpoint. Being an Energy Medicine expert, I have come to realize how potent JOY can be. It is the vital thing that feeds our Radiant Circuit energy system, which propels us towards better physical and mental health and wellbeing. Your mind is the most powerful tool you have to manifest what you want in your life. Everything you think impacts you and therefore everyone and everything around you, the whole web of life, and the entire Cosmos. If you hope to have a life full of blessing and bliss you must be more thoughtful of your thoughts.
May 2024 be a year where you manifest lots of joy in your heart, mind, and life.
Enjoy the holiday season and we look forward to seeing you in the New Year!
Love from all of us at Core Potentials ❤️
