Dear Friends,
Once again, we find ourselves at the turning of the world – at the pause between decrease and increase, between exhalation and inhalation. Beginning this week, the spark at the heart of the earth will start to grow again, as the heat of the sun also grows. In just a few short weeks, the green of spring will again appear and joy will bubble up as nature moves back into abundance.
These dark days are so valuable though. The time of turning within, to observe, to meditate, to write is so important to reset our spirit, to bring it back into harmony. Even as the spirit turns in, our body, like the trees, consolidates, rests, resets, setting the foundation for the coming resurgence and the healing of springtime.
2023 has been such a year of change and has brought some unexpected gifts. Early in the year, it felt like a return, at last, to pre-Covid energy levels and a different, stronger engagement with the world. As we moved into summer it seemed that creativity was reborn and my heart began to sing again. For me this has shown up with a renewed drive to weave, to finish up old projects that had languished, and to start AND complete new projects and programs. Efforts that had seemed onerous no longer feel daunting. (To be honest though, I still haven’t washed my windows… 😊)
Has that renewed energy manifested in your life? Are you engaging in creative pursuits that make your heart sing? Do you know what makes your heart sing? Perhaps this next year will provide time and opportunity to explore and discover where your joy lies. If that energy has not shown up, perhaps in this coming year you can take the steps that will help you rebuild a stronger, healthier foundation to support creative engagement… (Of course, I recommend meditation, Qigong and Taiji to do this… 😊).
The winter solstice is Thursday the 21st at 10:27pm EST. It is a good day to burn incense, to honor the completions and releases of the prior year, and to articulate our intentions and goals for this next year. This is also a good time for the Daoist prayer which is based on gratitude. We thank the Dao, the divine for blessing us and for blessing our parents and teachers, our children and communities, our lineage – forward and back – and to expand that gratitude to include all people in our town, city, country, and the world. We can expand the frequency of love out from our hearts to bless both the people of the earth and the earth itself as it continues to nourish and sustain us in so many ways.
I hope that you will be bathed in gratitude, love, good health and an abundance of joy in 2024! Happy Holidays!
With much love and deepest gratitude,
Corinne