I don’t know about you, but this holiday season has felt like a rollercoaster of emotions. Lofty highs and rock-bottom lows and depleting energy in-between. I found myself feeling blue for no real reason or feeling lonely with plenty of people around. I feel like I have a label on my forehead that reads — Fragile: Handle with Care.
We are all a bit fragile during the holidays. There are expectations, demands, promises, hopes, fears, worries, and grief all swirling together. We have our own personal challenges to deal with as well as feeling the pain of humanity’s injustices.
Here is my simple practice to bring me back to balance.
• Breathe and remember the gift of life.
• Be mindful and acknowledge how I am feeling.
• Be grateful for all the blessings in my life.
• Love myself first and extend that love to others.
• Speak with loving kindness.
Here is a prayer that brings me back to Love:
I am grateful for this new day. I embrace this day knowing God is revealed as the radiant, energizing, joy-filled presence of Love. I know Love moves into the very cells of my being bringing light, harmony, and peace. I accept guidance to willingly let go of any resentment, hurt or disappointment. I invite the healing presence of Love to wash away any pain or darkness. I enter this day with a grateful heart and receive all the blessings Love has in store for me. And so it is. Amen.
Regardless of emotions or appearances in your life, please know that you are loved and appreciated.
May the light of the season guide your days with wisdom, fill your heart with joy and surround you with the presence of love.
“Grief I’ve learned, is really just love. It is all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump of your throat and in that hallow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.” — Jamie Anderson
“As I become conscious of my Oneness with God, I am filled with enthusiasm and a sense of energy and vitality.” – Ernest Holmes
Feeling tired lately? You are not alone! Vitality seems to be in short supply these days. There are so many challenges that drain our energy and can leave us sleepless and exhausted.
Vitality Is defined an exuberance; living with purpose. But some days it can be quite a feat to move from exhausted to vitality. It takes practice to take a breath, take a pause, and let go of our self-imposed demands. It often takes courage to ask for help and compassion to release our need for perfection. When we practice letting go we open the heart to more love, and we naturally feel more enthusiasm and vitality for life.
I feel vitality when I am in nature, at the ocean, forest, or desert, I feel a newness and freshness. My friend feels it when she is with her granddaughter. The world seems to stop and she is completely in the moment and in a state of unconditional love. Another friend feels exactly the same way when playing with her dog, feeling immense love and joy.
When we tap into vitality we are tapping into our connection with the divine and the life force energy. We feel an aliveness and appreciation for life itself. Eric Butterworth describes vitality as “All the the attributes of the Infinite are in focus as you, flowing forth through you. You are this flow.”
Pay attention to what makes you feel energized. You may not feel it every day and that’s okay. If we are willing to recognize vitality and pay attention, it happens more frequently. To some it may show up as an abundance of energy and to others it may be a quiet sense of purpose and gratitude. Wherever we are, we are connecting with the frequency of love.
“The purpose of life is the expansion of happiness.” Deepak Chopra
Expansion of Life is the fourth step of exploring the frequency of love.
Letting go
Opening the heart
Vibrating vitality
Expansion of life
When we are able to let go, open the heart, tap into vitality we open to the expansion of life. There is an expanded sense of self and a deepening of our mystical experience. This is divine power.
Living in a world that craves external power, Carolyn Myss reminds us, “Power originates behind your eyes, not in front of your eyes. Once power becomes visible, it evaporates. True power is invisible.”
Expansion is the all-encompassing presence of love. Now we live in the awareness of love as a frequency, a vibration, a presence of grace. We no longer try to possess love but instead learn to live as an expanded sense of self and give love away.
Practice sending love every chance you have. Send energy, send light, send grace. It is all love. Whatever you give out graciously is returned multiplied.
Enjoy the journey.
Affirm: I am grateful for the expansion of love as my life.
“Heart opening is a conscious act of participation in healing the self and others. It is an act of creative engagement with the spiritual ascension of humanity.” James O’Dea
Opening the Heart is the second step of exploring the frequency of love.
Letting go
Opening the heart
Vibrating vitality
Expansion of Life
When we love without hanging on there is an openness in our relationships. When we are open we are free to allow. When we allow we are willing. There’s no need to restrict or control but we experience greater freedom to appreciate and honor each person on their journey.
We begin with ourselves. When we allow our hearts to open there is a greater sense of self-acceptance. We are more inclined to forgive our mistakes, doubts, and limitations. We have a sense of self-compassion. Self-compassion allows us to view others with empathy and grace.
A great way to practice openness is to practice with the breath. Pay attention and set aside time to consciously breathe and release. Open yourself to receive love, appreciation, and respect.
Affirm: I am open to receive all that the Universe has in store for me.
“Love is not a feeling. Love overrides feelings because it is an expression, an active expression of the divine operating as and through you. So as you align to the frequency of love, you call to you love.” Paul Selig
Love means many things to many people. If we see it as a frequency instead of a feeling, our experience is transformative.
When exploring love as a frequency, contemplate these four steps:
Letting go
Opening the heart
Vibrating vitality
Expanding Life
Have you ever heard yourself say, I love that. I just have to have it! Love can easily become ownership. We want to own the thing we love. It may work for objects but not so much for people.
Hanging onto a person is not love but dependency. We often restrict another’s growth because we have an expectation for them to stay with us and to stay the same. We fear change and often equate change with loss.
Maybe instead of being attached to a person, we enjoy their company and let them grow. We let go of demands, our own needs and insecurity. Imagine what it would it be like to engage in inter-dependent relationships, growing together and respecting each other’s lives.
Practice this week noticing the things and people you want to hang on to. Practice loving and releasing. Avoid trying to fix, control, and manage. Instead honor and respect loved ones in your life just as they are. Pay attention to the results.
Affirm: I am willing to let go and allow love to be expressed in the world.
