The Spirit of St. Nicholas

We all know the popular stories of St. Nicholas and how he became the patron saint of children. Stories can be found about how he provided money and treats for families when they were in need. Even after his physical life, there are accounts of him stepping in from the other side to help children. St Nicholas is also the patron saint of many other professions and trades including sailors, bakers, bankers, travelers and more.

I believe St Nicholas' patronage with various trades goes beyond the specifics of each profession and relates more to the underlying heart of Christmas Spirit. The heartfulness, generosity, compassion, and perspective of St Nicholas is relatable to all, regardless of what skill or talent one has, regardless of how each chooses to earn a living, and regardless of season. 

The Spirit of Christmas is a beautiful sentiment that most of us can hop on board with this time of year. The notion of giving toys, food, and other necessities increases, as we realize how fortunate we are to have what we have. Hopefully through the combined giving hearts of those with a little more, everyone can feel a glowing warmth at Christmas.   

While the Spirit of Christmas is ever-present at the end of each calendar year, we can remind ourselves to carry over that generosity and perspective all the time. We can notice when others are giving from their hearts - how one simple gesture, kind word, or anonymous deed can bring about joy in a moment. 

Giving is selfless and joyful when it's accompanied with sending hope, love, and generosity to others with the intention their lives might be enhanced in some way. How wonderful it can be to give to one another - the gift of time, the gift of believing in someone, giving someone the benefit of the doubt, or a listening ear.  

By opening our hearts and keeping them open year-round, St. Nicholas and his Spirit of love, oversight, and caring is always available.   

Happy Holidays

Given the busy-ness of this season and how crowded our days can become while we prepare for celebrations, listed below are a few heartful things for us to incorporate all year long, and especially during the holiday season. 

• Fill your mind with good thoughts
• Expand your capacity to be compassionate and kind
• Breathe deeply and regularly
• Create time for yourself
• Keep your heart open
• Be ready at a moment's notice to give and receive an exchange of kindness 

New Beginnings II

It's interesting how new beginnings occur several times throughout our lives.  In reality they're happing almost daily - each day is a new beginning, each meal, workout, conversation, job, relationship, etc. New beginnings are happening all the time. The below is another reflection on New Beginnings. 

New Beginnings are happening all around us and within us - all the time. Our cells are constantly dying and regenerating, new days are upon us every 24 hours, new food comes in our home and bodies, new opportunities, relationships, experiences, travel routes occur on a minute-to-minute, day-by-day frequency. 

While we may be caught in a routine of things, there is still an amount of newness that pervades our existence - a new way of being, responding; or even thinking. Perhaps when you see the term "new beginnings" you find yourself longing for something new and different. Or maybe you feel a knot in your stomach when considering the next new beginning.  

New beginnings require an amount of trust and surrender to what was and what will be. New beginnings enable us to not know all the answers, which can be frustrating and refreshing. New beginnings may also show us where our stability lies - whether outside of the things that are changing or the change itself could be our rock.
 
Regardless how we interact with new beginnings in our daily life or in new chapters of our lives, one thing is certain - change in constant. We must be sure to savor the change and the growth that comes with it. Know that without change our depth of potential cannot be reached nor can our magnificence as unique divine beings shine forth.

How will you embrace change today?

   

Peace of Mind

We talk about having peace of mind when it comes to safety, healthcare, financial security, and a lot of other things. We purposefully put measures in place - checks and balances - in various parts of our lives to ensure that we mitigate or eliminate concern so we can go freely about our lives in other capacities.

Many of us are distracted by our own routines, jobs, workout schedules, volunteering, paying bills, caring for others, home/chores, etc., that true peace of mind may escape us for long periods of time. We may constantly be worried about getting everything done, how others perceive us, or some variety of persistent thoughts. 

What if we were to elaborate on the concept of peace of mind, and increase its priority to be in every aspect of our lives? At first it may seem daunting, and when we consider for a moment what peace of mind looks like in all ares of our lives, of course, most anyone would want that.

Where does peace of mind come from - what is it driven by?  Do we claim or pursue peace of mind to allay fears versus opening up to the wonder and goodness of this world?  How do we keep this seemingly protective layer in place so we and others can be mindful of our own and each others' peace? 

Obtaining and maintaining peace of mind requires:

• Awareness of all our emotions and thoughts and addressing those emotions and thoughts to fully let go of them. Yes, although this can be a bit time consuming initially, it will become easier as we continue the practice. 

• Permission - us giving ourselves permissions to not only take the time to reflect and process what we need to mentally and emotionally, but also permission to let go, trust, and allow ourselves to truly be in the moment releasing any concern. 

• Commitment to ourselves that we are worth the investment of time, attention, and growth.

Peace of mind may be subjective and personal, so feel free to take some time to identify what peace of mind feels and looks like to us individually and collectively. Then dare to bring that peace of mind with the help of our angels and guides to clear the path of experiencing peace of mind as a gift to ourselves on a daily basis. If we employ the assistance of others too, this peace of mind concept may very well be contagious. 

Achieving our Goals

(Originally appeared in the Sol Angel March Newsletter)

 

By now I hope we have all secured the overarching essence of the year’s theme for our personal development and interests. With this knowledge we can plan steps forward, classes to take, groups to join, conversations to have, all while maintaining a balance from within. If you haven’t already, march on forward towards your goals this year. Take the vacation you always wanted to, or make the time for yourself or your family - whatever it is that feeds your soul. Power yourself up and go do it – and feel how super energized you can become!  

 

Following our hearts’ nudges can be like exercise - there may be some discomfort or even pain as we follow through on our heart’s plans – but when we reach a milestone, we look back with greater understanding and a bit of pride, knowing we’ve made it this far and can evaluate what’s next. Also, like exercise, the more we follow our hearts’ nudges, the easier it becomes.

 

So if you’re already on your path to your goals or re-evaluating them or making new ones, kudos to you and keep moving forward. For those who are still procrastinating, find ways to be accountable so you can be in the forefront of your destiny. Enlist the help of family, friends, or neighbors – or even a professional to assist. We’re all here supporting each other in our life journey. 

New Beginnings

New Beginnings are often associated with the New Year or the Spring season. However, New Beginnings can occur any time of year. Mother Earth doesn't necessarily know it's a new calendar year on January 1st - she keeps moving along as if it's another day. While her new beginnings are most associated with spring due to the regeneration of life around that time, new beginnings are occurring all the time.

Same for us in our own lives. New Beginnings can happen any time we choose based on our perspective. If we've been in a relationship for a long while and may tire of some of the routine - how can we perceive or act to create a new beginning for it? Can we incorporate more date nights, or perform some acts of kindness that warm our partner's hearts? We can apply the same for a job that we've held a while. In which ways can we perceive it as a new beginning, internally or externally? 

There are also times we don't choose the New Beginning - say a relationship ends, a death occurs, we get laid off from our jobs, or we graduate to our next level of education. While we may not have direct control of the changes themselves, we can regulate our perspectives during these changes and influence how the New Beginnings evolve. Certainly it is necessary to face the many emotions that arise during these unplanned moments, taking the appropriate time for us. When we reach the point where we can realize and accept that a New Beginning is emerging we can move into it gracefully, at our own pace. 

Be aware of any New Beginnings you can create or take advantage of for your own growth and healing and/or for positive influence to others. We are much better creators than we give ourselves credit for.

Beauty Within

I love the Disney movie, Beauty and the Beast. Aside from its surface love story and endearing characters, there is a wonderful deeper meaning to it all.

Many of us struggle to keep our more unwanted features and aspects of ourselves hidden from others, and many times even from ourselves. It's normal to initially look upon these characteristics and qualities with disdain, frustration, and anger. Yet behind all those discordant emotions, there lies a depth of beauty - an opportunity to learn and to grow right there within ourselves. 

In the animation movie, Bell saw beyond the physical appearance of what she initially perceived as a ghastly being. She learned that the Beast was more than what he portrayed on the outside - that he had great beauty within  as well.

As we experience life, we sometimes find our patience wearing thin when dealing with ourselves, coworkers, family members, and neighbors. It is in those times that it's helpful to try and step back and see beyond what's shown to us on the surface. Feel what is going on beneath the actions and words. 

Beauty and the Beast can be likened to our own human struggle for self-acceptance, with all our perceived flaws. As we learn to love our flaws, they seem to dissipate into something more beautiful than we had originally imagined.

What perceived Beasts will you look beyond to find the true jewel and Beauty within?