What are you waiting for?

Advent and the Winter Solstice are times of waiting. Is there an invitation to allow?

But first, a little gift for you!

I have filled all the orders from my Holiday Shop and dropped off stacks of packages to the USPS. A few of the packages appear to be taking the scenic route to their destination (!?!) so I may consider different delivery options for my next sale event. A special thank you to all of you who purchased my artwork! I was doing happy dances with each sale!

And for those of you who didn’t unsubscribe in spite of my barrage of emails, I have a special gift! I’ve created a downloadable pdf for you with all the steps to create your own Celtic knot design. Just click the button below. I may be a bit obsessed with this geometric way of creating, so I want to entice some of you to join me! A couple of years ago, I taught how to create Celtic knots in my Gathering of Celtic Spirits. This knot, Fish Entrails, is my favorite, even with the icky name!

Of course, you can choose to use any color combination you like! It doesn’t show up in the image above, but the original version has a golden line running along the outer edge. I do love golden Posca paint pens. So fancy!

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Advent… Winter solstice… Waiting… Allowing?

Photo by Jake Blucker on Unsplash

What are you waiting for at this time of year? Are you waiting for your packages to arrive from online shops? Are you waiting for family members to arrive and open the presents under the tree? Are you waiting for the warmer weather and longer days to return? On a personal note, I’m waiting for my new hip to be installed and my healing journey to begin.

As I wait for all of these things, I am feeling an invitation to be at peace with all that is. Instead of waiting and wishing for reality to be different, I’m hearing an invitation to “allow.” 

I am getting better at accepting the cold and the darkness. I’ve learned to see it as a quiet time to turn inward. I am choosing to take a few deep breaths and read (a book, not the news) instead of anxiously checking when my packages will arrive.

With all the turmoil and fighting in the world, it may be more important than ever to find a way to be at peace with what is. I’m aware that I am speaking from a place of privilege because I’m safe and warm right now. Perhaps the invitation for me, and for you too, is to choose inner peace so that we can send more peace out into the world. 

Choosing inner peace may require you to use Tara Brach’s phrase shared by my wise friend: “this, too, belongs.” I find power and agency in this phrase. The more familiar saying is “this, too, shall pass.” But those words make me feel like I need to hold my breath and tighten my grip until the situation/feeling/thing passes. But the wise words, “this, too, belongs,” invite a different approach - they require an opening and expansion of our hearts, and a drawing nearer to this situation/feeling/thing, giving it an opportunity to be heard, a seat at the table, and perhaps a cup of tea.

Where is the power in “this, too, belongs?” 

• By allowing the situation to belong, especially something we would prefer to ignore or avoid, we get to choose how to respond. Choosing how to respond gives us agency, and that is a reclamation of our power.

• By allowing the thing to belong, we conserve the energy that is wasted when we fight against reality. Resisting reality creates even more suffering. Your energy can be better used to create something life-giving. I chose to stop hating on institutional religion, a giant energy drain for me, and put my energy in to creating a loving community of wise souls. And painting, too. Where do you want to put your energy? You get to choose!

• By allowing the feeling to belong, we make room for all the parts of us, the happy parts, the sad parts, the parts that do things correctly and on time, and the parts that make a mess. No part is left out. No part is repressed. All of the parts inside belong.

This, too, belongs. Try using that phrase and see what opens up for you.

Photo by Olena Bohovyk on Unsplash

For now, light a candle to dispel the darkness. In the glow of the candle, may you find peace within yourself, and offer it to your family, and all those in your midst. It will make a difference!

Blessings for a peaceful Advent and Winter Solstice!

PS: The Fall session of the Wise Soul Circle wrapped up last night with a review of all the rich sharing and solidarity that blossomed during our session. We start again on February 12, 2024 and meet on the second and fourth Monday evenings for seven sessions. You are most welcome to join us!

Let me know in the comments how you find inner peace in the midst of so much despair. Can you allow what you would prefer to ignore?

How does the phrase “this, too, belongs” affect you?