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Dear Friends,
I bring you best wishes for your well-being and positive thoughts at year's end. This is a time for both closure and reboot. Winter Solstice marks this transition. It's the still point – our darkest day and longest night – before we begin our journey back toward the light.
Personally, I've had a love-hate relationship with this time of year. Memories of family discord over the Christmas holidays and the stresses of year-end business still loom. However, through my spiritual studies, I've come to appreciate the deeper significance of this season.
Regardless of religious or spiritual context, this is a time to celebrate both our victories and shortcomings of the past year – to forgive and let go. This period is meant for rest, reflection and rebirth. I now relish this period of inward focus.
Since early November, we've had many festivals that celebrate light. Hindus celebrate Diwali, which signifies the victory of good over evil. Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, commemorates the recovery of Jerusalem and rededication of the Second Temple.
In ancient times, the Romans celebrated Saturnalia, dedicated to the agricultural god Saturn. Many of the Christian traditions we practice today are drawn from the Pagan Saturnalia festivals of long ago. Essentially, Christmas is a holiday reminding us of both the yearly rebirth of the sun, as well as the birth of the son of God. Jesus, the Christ, was born to shed spiritual light upon our planet.
With all of the above in my consciousness, I couldn't help but choose light as December's theme. This is a good time to meditate on the way light shows up in your life, both metaphorically and literally.
I'll be taking my semiannual break over the next few weeks for self-renewal. Online classes resume in January as well as private training in the North County San Diego area. If you'd like to learn more about my classes, privates and coaching programs, please reach out!
Wishing you a Merry & Joyful Holiday,
Happy Winter Solstice, and I wish you Peace!
In Light & Love,
Mara |
