End the month on a smile! The power of the smile lets us move through the slog of discontent and despair or discouragement. A smile turns on the power of abundance, harmony, and healing.
A smile is the tool that lets us redeem ourselves from what ever darkness tries to overwhelm us. Remember that you have the power to change how you feel. It is like turning on a light! Smile.
Many blessings.
This blog was written originally in 2011. I have only used part of it as the rest was too dated for this coming year. I hope you enjoy it!
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For those of you that have asked questions about how to set your intentions for 2018, I would like to share a beautiful ritual that one of my friends sent to me several years ago.
I do not use this at New Years, however, this ritual is certainly right for that purpose. I do use it to set intentions for any time. It is powerful to use this ritual with the New Moon.
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This is the initial technique - Setting Your Intentions for 2018 or any other time:
You start by asking yourself 4 questions...
Then you write your answers. I feel into my body to identify in my heart what I am being drawn to create from the year. The MOST IMPORTANT part is to write it as if it has already happened.
As an example / template, here is an excerpt in part of what Maureen Collins (an artist) wrote for the category of business:
I am so grateful that this year became such an amazing journey of openness and discovery in my business, as it moved into the corporate world and lecture stage larger than ever before. I was able to deliver my shared vision via “What If? The Movie” through divine energy to hundreds of thousands of souls that were not only open to the information but contributed to the content collectively... AND they further delivered it to many more through word of mouth. This wisdom known to us all was a huge success with so many experiencing heart felt shifts and changes through the material offered by many like-minded souls. It became a place of safety and conversation for all who viewed it, and grew to include new audiences of those opening to the materials being offered by me and other contributors. The opportunity for the community to converse with one another about their own positive belief and pattern changes was a blessing and a joy to my heart, showing me the possibilities for all communities of the world. I loved watching and hearing the shifts and changes clients and friends and family were experiencing as they also awakened to how amazing and powerful they truly are, and reveled in the moments they shared with others in the community ...which triggered more openings and shifts and more sharing and so on. What fun... and so effortless and flowing... I felt like a kid again with all the discoveries...
You get the idea... write it as if it has already happened AND makes sure you include how you "felt" when it happened. Do this for each of the categories (there may be some overlap but the categories are designed to allow for specifics in those four areas of your life). This is a POWERFUL exercise that almost acts as plan for the year but flows through and creates a vibrational resonance with what you are desiring. You can do this over the next couple of days... I promise you it will really make a lovely impact. Then print it out post a couple of copies in places you will regularly see them to remind you what you are creating.
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Ritual: Burn and Release from Maureen Collins…
On a sheet of paper, I write out all of the things from the current year that I've outgrown, no longer want in my life, no longer work for me, and anything else I feel I want to shed and leave behind. On a separate piece of paper, I write all of the things I can think of and feel that I want to grow and expand in the new year. I then burn each paper in separate dishes or shells, making sure all pieces are turned to ashes. Then, when cooled, I put them into separate envelopes or containers (film canister, Ziploc baggie, etc.) and mark "to shed" and "to grow" on the container. Around 5 minutes before midnight, I start visualizing all the things on the "to shed" list, and see them slip away, see them blown away and washed away, out of my energy field, out of my life and out of my reality. I go out side and pour the "to shed" ashes into my hand and let the wind scatter the ashes away and release them and all they re present, as the old year fades away.
After midnight, after blessing the new year, with the second container "to grow", I visualize all of these goals, desires, etc. coming to fruition, to this level of reality. I bring that envelope down to the garden, and with a stick dig a small hole, then plant these ashes in the earth, near a tree or in a special place, (for those in apartments, I encourage them to use their favorite houseplant). The ashes are a reminder of the life cycle, the power of nature and the honoring of Mother Earth, that these seeds of hopes and dreams are nurtured into reality, in the coming year. This is a ritual that I've shared with many people, and even had a group in Ireland do it one New Years! You may want to try this and tweak it and do it a way that suits you.
Many blessings for 2018
If you are getting ready to host a New Year's Eve party, you may want to add these delightful Tourtiere Rolls to your hors d'ouvres menu. They have quite a few ingredients, but are easy to make. If you want to do vegan, mash up mushrooms or black beans as a substitute for the meat.
Enjoy.
1/2 284-mL can water chestnuts, drained
2 tsp butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
500 g ground chicken, turkey or pork
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp dried sage leaves
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 green onions
2 celery stalk
1 egg
1/2 cup sour cream, preferably not light
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
6 sheets phyllo pastry
1/3 cup butter, melted
fresh thyme leaves, or finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
Keep some appetizers in the freezer and ready to cook for last-minute guests. We’ve paired savoury Canadian tourtière filling with Mediterranean pastry for a crunchy bite in these hors d’oeuvres.
Prepare rolls up to point of baking. Freeze rolls on baking sheet until firm, then store, layered, in an airtight container or freezer bag. To bake, do not thaw. Spread out frozen rolls on a baking sheet. Bake according to recipe, but frozen rolls will take a few minutes longer.
Many blessings.
Have you ever notices how much people want to give you advice? Have you ever noticed how often the advice does not make sense to what is going on in your life? Have you ever wondered just why people seem to want to give you advice and then get mad because you don’t take it?
It seems especially around Christmas that advice flows out of people as frequently as the snow that falls in the North. And, the advice is often so detailed, one wonders how much time the other person has on their hands. I am not saying that all advice is worthless or bad. In fact, some advice can change one’s life. I guess the biggest issue is that most advice is unsolicited. What is it that makes others want to interfere/intercede in your life? I am saying that when one wants advice, they usually ask for it.
The Angels tell us that giving advice all the time is a method of gaining influence or control over another. Rather than being content to manage one’s own life, advice givers have a need to “prove” that they are knowledgeable and know more than you do. The other part of giving advice is to show you as weak and incompetent.
The best option for dealing with people that hand out that never ending stream of advice is to limit your time with them, and even cut off contact with them. If you need to maintain contact, simply tell them that you will take the advice and consider it, and then let it go. If the person giving advice persists, that is often an indication that they have another agenda other than your well-being.
Many blessings.
My wish for you is that you have the most wonderful Christmas with your friends and family. I wish that your days are filled with kindness and with thoughtfulness. I hope that you find time to practice self care and to be caring to all.
Many blessings.
As we come closer to the day of Christmas, I find myself asking for calm spirit. I feel the energies from outside me, pushing at me, causing me to feel unsettled.
I ask for calm spirit. I wish to glide through the days with everything that I do being easily accomplished. I wish for all that I meet to smile at me and wish me well.
I ask for calm spirit. I ask for inspiration from the sky and the stars. I ask for my identity to be Calm Spirit Woman so that I am at one with the flow of what happens next.
I ask for calm spirit. I am oneness with everyone out there, with every person around me. I see them in me. I move to calmness. I am refreshed.
Many blessings.
A common Christmas carols says – Peace on Earth, Goodwill to man – I think it is from "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". The song was on the car radio. I started thinking… peace. For many it means no war or persecution. For others, it means not having to deal with anything that is drama or is negative.
I like this poster that says, and I paraphrase, peace is being calm in your heart. That feels right.
Many blessings.
Just being more conscious of one's self will make this Christmas a much easier time for you. The list above is to stick on your fridge, or in your wallet so that you don't forget. Too often, we forget that if we don't care for self first, no one else will do it for us. No one can sleep more for us, or drink more water for us. Others cannot exercise for us or relax us. Those things must come from inside us.
Make a pledge to yourself that this Christmas season, you will be kind to yourself first, and then kind to others.
Many blessings.
I had been out for the evening and was driving home when I noticed all the decorated trees along the boulevard and streets. Extremely tall pine trees, apple trees, oak trees, and all kinds of bushes were dressed up in sparkling lights. Some were colored and some were white. I thought about how peaceful the glowing trees made the drive. They made me feel as though they were lighting the way home.
I know that is fanciful. However the trees seemed to be linked, perhaps by the lights or perhaps by the mood. It felt like the trees were representing Nature and offering more light to us at a time of year when many feel stressed and even depressed.
I think that the lights at Christmas are a way of "Light-ening" the mood for everyone.
Many blessings.
It seems that life is busy and that busy-ness is complicated by Christmas. The Angels tell us that we are doing more instead of being more. What they mean is that we are caught up in the tasks and by doing more, we don't have to be introspective and think about the things that hold us back, or cause us grief, or....
The Angels say that each of us is growing, a little bit at a time, and that Christmas is the perfect time to practice giving, kindness, mindfulness, and to practice giving hope to others with thoughtful actions.
My plan for today and until Christmas is to try to slow down and to be more mindful when I do a task or activity. I will see how far I grow.
Many blessings.
When all your family and friends are coming home for the holidays, it is time to make this easy, delightful fudge for sharing while you stroll down memory lane. This recipe is still a favorite in our family.
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
As this is easy to make, it is a great gift for those folks who "have everything". It is like a warm hug.
Many blessings.
As we move through the activities that take us up to Christmas, we are often stuck in situations where nothing seems right – we just cannot find the right gift. Or, we cannot make the right cookies… or, we cannot get everything done.
The only way to get through the daunting tasks is to remember that "often the last key in the bunch opens the lock". What this means is that one cannot give up. One must keep trying until they are successful. A locked door remains locked until the key is found.
It is during the tough, mental times that we need to be grateful that we are getting this chance to grow and expand our thoughts. We receive new guidance from our Angels in the form of inspiration. Hope springs anew as we find better ways to problem solve. And as always, we need to be mindful of our actions.
Many blessings.
This is the time of year when many friends and family choose to die and leave the planet. We said good bye to someone we love very much on Sunday.
The instant that a life passes, everything is different. Changes happen to help us grow, and to find ways to cope with new experiences.
Our Ancestors learned to say good bye early in life because the life span was not very long. They were strengthened by the passing, and they honored their ancestral folks once a year.
We do not have a practice for bringing our deceased relatives or other loved ones into our daily life, in the 21st century. Perhaps it is time that we find a way to give death a respectful place in our daily rituals.
Grief is the by product when a being leaves. It is like a winter storm, it has to run its course and run itself out. It is intense and violent, and then drifts into calm.
Beginnings happen after every big change. We map out a new course of being, and then we move on with our life. Over time, the sense of loss does ease, but the hole in one's life is always there.
Healing, it is said, is a product of who we are, and what our faith is. Healing takes time. It cannot be forced. When it is finally complete, there is a sense of rightness. That rightness may take years to achieve. It is as it is.
Many blessings.
In our house, when I was growing up, a favorite cookie that only appeared at Christmas, was the big ginger cookie. We loved it!
For those of you that want a special treat to pack up in a cookie box and give as a treat, I highly recommend this recipe.
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
Enjoy the cookies.
Many blessings.
This blog is a repeat of the one published on December 1, 2008.
This is the first day of December - a signal to us that Christmas is twenty-four days away! Do you know the following things about December?
1. The Moon celebration is called "The Moon of Long Nights".
2. During this time, the water is believed to be revitalized.
3. The event of Winter Solstice, held on either December 21st or 22nd depending on the length of the year. This honours the longest night and the return of the Sun Goddess, Lucina.
4. Our Ancestors thought that December was a time to endure, for the elderly to die, and for the world, and their life, to be reborn.
5. During this cold time of December, our Ancestors spent time on introspection and renewal - weaving new clothes, creating new tools, honoring the Gods and Goddesses.
6. It is common for people to use this time as time of purification. People have saunas and roll in the snow. Others participate in sweat lodges. Some simply steam. The hot and the cold are the balance to purify our bodies.
7. The trees that we honor at this time are the family of evergreens - pine trees will be decorated for Christmas
8. The colour traditionally associated with Christmas was dark red.
Many blessings.
