 As winter draws near, Mother Earth breathes in. Her energy moves further and further inward, drawing back what streamed into the cosmos during the summer. Outwardly, she grows quieter. We can see that the plants seem to rest and the animals prepare for the cold months ahead. The snow brings a blanket of stillness to the earth.  In this darkness of winter, we experience a longing for inner peace and are given the opportunity to realize it, if we so choose. The Sacred Nights of Dec. 24th – January 6th offer us a moment of stillness, of inner quiet. A space in between our usual days and weeks in the year. The ancients experienced that at this point of the inhalation of Mother Earth, when the visible sun is at its lowest point, the inner spiritual light that radiates from her is at its most powerful.  For us, if we take time away from the hustle and bustle of the holiday season during these sacred nights, it can be a time for being open to listening and receiving from the spiritual world. Moving inward, we can reflect upon our past year and gain deeper wisdom of our experiences, seeing our own potential in new light. We can celebrate our growth and accomplishments and release that which doesn’t serve us anymore. Each day of the Sacred Nights correspond to a month during the year. So each day can be a time to reflect on the month of the previous year. Then on that same day, we can set clear intentions for the upcoming month in the new year, planting seeds on our path to becoming our highest self. What deep nourishment this is for our soul!  In the stillness of our listening during this time, we can also receive the divine messages of peace and love that come to us and we can share with the world. If we get lost in the hustle and bustle of the holiday celebrations during this time, which can be so easy nowadays, we miss a special opportunity for this sacred moment to nourish ourselves and the world. I encourage you not to miss out! In the upcoming weeks, I’ll share with you some ways to fully embrace the Sacred Nights of this winter season. Interested in more nourishment for your soul? Check out 10 Healing Songs and Practices that Will Give Voice to Your Creativity. Now available here. Uncover your inner power to begin manifesting your most creative self today!
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This time of year, as I’m making plans to be with family and friends for holiday gatherings, I’m especially grateful for all of the people who have touched my life. There are so many who make a difference in my life every single day. Who has touched your life? Someone you greatly appreciate. Take a moment and think of one. A friend, a relative, a loved one. Do you remember the moment that this person came into your life? Do you remember how your life changed as a result? What are the gifts that this person has brought to you in your life?  Take a moment and imagine that this person never came into your life. How would your life be different today? What would you not have or long for? What a wonderful time to take a moment and feel your gratitude for this person in your life!  Maybe even call or write a letter and tell this person how grateful you are. Feeling grateful for our relationships with others helps us to feel closer and more connected to people. Which in turn supports, encourages, and sustains us. What a gift we receive! Expressing our gratefulness also takes the attention off of ourselves and helps us see that our growth and success are due, in part, by the actions of others who have supported us on our path. “When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect towards others.” Dalai Lama  Now, let’s take one step more together. Consider a relationship that has been challenging for you in your life. Certainly there may be parts that you have not appreciated. But, consider if there’s anything that you have learned in the process of the challenging relationship. About yourself, about life, about your values, your needs, your boundaries? What have you come to understand about yourself and others because of this relationship? Has this helped you in your own growth and inner development in life? Of course, we’re not grateful for situations that are toxic, abusive, or harmful to us. Yet, we can look closer at a difficult situation and possibly discover what we have learned about ourselves and life having moved through such a challenge. When we practice gratefulness we bring our attention to the present. We become mindful about how we relate to others. It can open our hearts to one another, facilitate connection, and even break down barriers. Compassion and empathy are awakened. Our life flows in harmony with the Divine Source within the universe. I encourage you to continue with this gratefulness practice with other people in your life over the next couple of weeks. It’s deeply renewing and such a precious gift at this time of year! Interested in more? I invite you to download one of my songs and accompanying guidance that reveals how to shake off fear so you can manifest your most creative life. An easy, fun, and effective way to start each day full of new energy! OR Interested in even more? Check out 10 Healing Songs and Practices that Will Give Voice to Your Creativity. Now available here. Uncover your inner power to begin manifesting your most creative self today! The greatest and simplest thing we can do for our own health and the health of the world is to be grateful. To be grateful for what we have right now in our life. Truly grateful. Honestly grateful. Yes, of course, there may be challenges or obstacles in our lives right now. But, we can still find something to be grateful for. Think of what feeds you. Truly feeds your soul. Is it a sunrise? A walk in nature? Time with a loved one? Reading a good book? Hearing a wonderful song? Or something else? I invite you to take a moment to consider what truly feeds you. And how grateful you are for this.  "We need to be honest about what is feeding us in order to strengthen our spirits." - Kris Carr  Gratitude opens the doorway to the Divine Source. By focusing on what’s good in your life and being grateful for it, you send your energy there, cultivating a sense of abundance and happiness. If you focus on what’s not so good in your life or what’s lacking, your energy will move in that direction. You’ll cultivate a sense of negativity or never having enough  I want to challenge myself for the next few weeks to deepen my practice of gratitude. I’d love for you to join me! Let’s spend the next 20 days consciously and honestly deepening our gratefulness for life. We’ll keep it simple. Nothing elaborate. Yet the practice each day is potent and powerful! Here are some possibilities. Try one or try all 4! But take at least one moment each day to pause and be truly grateful. See what changes you experience after 20 days! 1. Upon rising in the morning, express gratitude for the gift of another day and at least 2 more things that will be a part of your day.
2. Express your appreciation to someone for something they have done – out loud and in person. At least once a day. Truly feel and mean what you say. Not simply out of obligation. “Thank you for joining me for lunch today.” or “Thank you for helping me with the project today.” or “Thank you for cleaning up in the kitchen.” 3. Resolve to not criticize others or complain about anything. If you find yourself doing this, stop and think about something you are grateful for. Notice how the energy shifts. 4. Before bed, think of 3 things that you appreciated from your day. Do this each day and challenge yourself to not repeat anything you have thought of in the past. Will you join me? I’d love to hear about your experience over the 20 days. Just add your comments here or email me at jeannine@doctorofthesoul.com. Interested in more? I invite you to download one of my songs and accompanying guidance that reveals how to shake off fear so you can manifest your most creative life. An easy, fun, and effective way to start each day full of new energy! Click here to access this free gift.  As we head into November and the cool autumn wind sends the leaves swirling about on the ground, I’m grateful for all of the gifts I’ve been given on this day. I am spending the day with my husband and our 23 year old daughter. I always cherish the opportunity to spend time with just one of our children at a time (we have four of them!) What a treat to have the time and space to just be together, to have a lazy day where we share deeply from our hearts. Our daughter is in her last year of college and she is in the midst of writing her senior thesis. I am especially grateful today to be close to her process of writing. As she reads the introduction of her thesis to us, I can feel her excitement and deep connection to her work. One of the greatest and simplest things we can do for ourselves each day is to be grateful. Each and every day in our lives. When we’re grateful for the many gifts that we’re given each day, we experience joy and meaning in our lives.  “It is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” by Brother David Steindl-Rast Sometimes it’s a struggle to feel gratitude. Especially when the challenges in our lives and in the world weigh us down. We might see only darkness and despair. When you struggle in finding a feeling of gratefulness in your heart, I encourage you to read these incredible and touching words by Brother David Steindl-Rast on gratefulness. They are inspiring and uplifting! May we all take one moment to stop and be grateful for this one special day that we have been given as a gift. “You think this is just another day in your life. It’s not just another day. It’s the one day that is given to you. Today. It’s a gift. It’s the only gift that you have right now. And the only appropriate response is gratefulness. If you learn to respond as if it were the first day in your life and the very last day, then you will have spent this day very well.  Begin by opening your eyes and be surprised that you have eyes you can open. That incredible array of colors that is constantly offered to us… for pure enjoyment. Look at the sky. We so rarely look at the sky. We so rarely note how different it is from moment to moment with clouds coming and going. Open your eyes. Look at that.  Look at the faces of people whom you meet. Each one has an incredible story behind their face. Not only their own story, but the story of their ancestors. All that life from generations and from so many places all over the world…. flows together and meets you here. Like life-giving water if you only open your heart and drink.  Open your heart to the incredible gifts that civilization gives to us. You flip a switch and there is electric light. You turn a faucet and there is warm water and cold water. And drinkable water! A gift that millions and millions in the world will never experience. So, I wish you that you would open your heart to all of these blessings and let them flow through you. That everyone whom you will meet on this day will be blessed by you. Just by your presence. Let the gratefulness overflow into blessing all around you. Then, it will really be a good day! "  Watch a video with the above words spoken by Brother David Steindl-Rast here.
I invite you to take a quiet moment right now. Pause, look around, and identify 5 things that you can be grateful for right now in your life. Hold that feeling of gratitude for the great gifts that you’ve been given. Then step back into your day carrying with you that deep feeling of gratefulness. Try this at least one time each day. A pause for a moment of gratefulness. And see what happens! Interested in more? I invite you to become of member of my Free Healing Library and gain access to many audio recordings and guidance for how you can be empowered to manifest your best self in your life today. Click here to become a member. |
About JeannineI was born in London, England, educated in Switzerland, and am fluent in English, German, Spanish, and French. I hold a Doctorate in Ministry Degree and Masters Degrees in Counseling Psychology and Education. Also, I am an accomplished artist and educator. I use all of this and much more when helping others heal their souls. Archives
December 2019
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