Winter Solstice.

What a beautifully perfect day. Not only is it Sunday, the official start to a fresh new week that just happens to hold within it Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day, today is also the new moon AND it's Winter Solstice too! The shortest day, longest night of the year. If we can endure tonight's darkness, tomorrow the light begins to seep back in. I just love that.

I think I dig the Winter Solstice more than Christmas, because I am an introvert and this day gives permission to go within, to reflect on our lives if you will and ya'll know how much I love my reflections.

I feel so fortunate to be living here on the Northwest coast of Canada, yet I often feel alien here. I don't feel I belong here so I know this isn't permanent. 

Still what is? The only real constant is change, we are ever-evolving and seeking and growing. The trick is, are we looking within for true guidance? Or are we being pulled along by circumstance? Are we living conditionally or unconditionally? And by that I don't mean unconditionally as in the sense of unconditional love that we might be used to hearing about -- "that person annoys the shit out of me, but I am going to do my damnedest to love them anyway! Grrrrrrr."

No. I mean making the choice to be happy, to choose love over fear, to think in a positive manner, no matter what life throws at us. To choose to feel good and feel well even though our circumstances might be a bit on the crap side. I mean who among us doesn't have something to complain about, something we wish were different, something we long to do better or be more successful at? Sure. We all do. But it's how we approach those challenges that matter at the end of the day. Rather than complain about what isn't working, we can choose to focus on what is working, there-by picking happiness over sadness etc.

I love to read the New Moon report from The Cosmic Path. Something that I read there today struck a chord:

The darkness of the new Moon matches the darkness of the day, of the invitation to go within and soak up the healing qualities of peace and quiet. Pluto in Capricorn, conjunct Venus, invites deep reflection. What is it that you truly wish to do with your time here?

Be gentle with yourself over these next couple of months. Acknowledge the seed of light that is growing brighter and also allow yourself to go deeper into rest when you can. The growing light over the next several months will wake you when it is time to emerge more fully. If a year were a day, this time might be thought of as predawn – when you can see the light but know you have a few more hours to luxuriate; to sleep, dream, to be cozy and warm....

The new Moon invites you to look within at dynamics that empower and those that don’t, to take responsibility for your actions and to live with authenticity. Many shifts have already taken place and another clearing will take place before more new people, ideas, and opportunities arise. There is a continuous sifting process occurring, a discarding of what is inessential, a shedding of old skins, layer after layer.

When I reflect on what it means to be free, I realize freedom isn’t about total separation and autonomy. My first instinct in thinking about freedom is to focus on ‘me’ as separate from everything else. But we are never truly separate. The wave never separates from the sea. We are part of nature. So it feels to me like freedom is about being as in harmony as possible with that which I am, and less identified with that which I am not. Harmonizing with nature, love, the stars, and with each other feels like freedom. With that freedom comes relaxation and the ability to express my unique essence as an expression of nature.

When I remember I am connected to everything around me, I feel a sudden great relief, realizing I don’t have to be working so hard to hold myself up as separate.  Like the trees, we have interconnected roots and hold each upright. The more any of us strengthens our foundation, the more we all benefit.


Isn't there just something about this day, this time of year that makes you want to take a look at where you've come from and set your sights on the horizon of where you want to go? Use these extra hours of darkness to turn inward, to listen to that quiet still voice within that holds the wisdom of the ages and see what answers emerge in the dawn.

Happy Winter Solstice, happy holidays, may you feel the deluge of a tidal wave of blessing and good fortune in this coming new year.

Oh yes, and PS, if any of you are doing Tracy Anderson's live stream class, please let me know how it goes.

Big hugs,
Shan


 

Holiday Treat - Repost

Hello Darlings -

I have a little treat in store for you this week. In my renewed commitment to be sugar-free-abstemious, I was reminded of a delicious holiday treat that I made a few Christmases ago during a holiday bake-a-thon on a trip home to be with the fam.

In order to get through the hols with my sanity and waist-line in tact, I had a few sweet treats in my arsenal that completely saved me, and this was one of my faves... You can read the old post HERE.

Chocolate Date Truffle

2 cups pecans toasted

1 cup dates pitted (12-14)

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/3 cup cocoa powder

½ cup coconut lightly toasted

 

In food processor, blend all ingredients but coconut, until mixture is smooth.

Add more coconut oil if mixture appears too dry to roll into balls.

Take generous teaspoonfuls and roll into balls, then roll in coconut.

 

Store in tightly covered container in fridge. To serve bring to room temp.

Makes about 16 (I put mine in little cupcake paper thingies for safe storage)

 

 

Each one 121 calories, 2 g protein, 10 g fat, 8 g carbs, 5 g sugar (naturally occurring not added) and 2 g fiber.

 

I hope this offers a little comfort and joy and helps get you through the season without breaking the caloric bank!

 

All my best,

Shan

 

 

 

 

December's Virtue

So here's a fun fact (not really fun, I just like the expression) a week ago today, November 23rd was the two-year anniversary of my mom's accident. To catch you up, she was at a soccer game and fainted on the cement floor, putting a five-and-a-half inch fracture into the back of her head. Remarkably she's made a near full recovery. Am so thankful for all of the thoughts and prayers that so many people had sent.

It was around that time or shortly after that I'd gotten back into meditation. The stress of the situation among other things drove me to need some sort of momentary reprieve. Since then I've been going steady and I make it to the meditation cushion almost nightly. It folds in nicely to the monthly virtues that I try to practice each month.

As I've been busy knocking myself out trying to break into television, I'd been trying to work out virtues that might compliment that work. For example in October I'd practiced "Good Timing" as my virtue, closely followed by "Authenticity" in November. So when it came to choosing the virtue for December, I wanted to keep it in a similar bent but found myself stuck for what might work.

And then I read this quote by Oscar Wilde: "An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all." I liked that. 

Then He Who Shall Not Be Named shared a quote with me by Ellen Johnson Sirleaf that said: "If your dreams don't scare you, they aren't big enough." Hmm, that's some food for thought right there.

Dangerous ideas, big dreams, a career in Film and Television - there's a connection in there somewhere I'm sure of it. As mentioned in my previous, rather political Thanksgiving post, I have an idea for a show that is going to be an extremely hard sell because it's going to rock the boat and nice girls shouldn't rock the boat. 

So do I pick Courage or Fearlessness as the virtue? Been there, done that. I wondered if "to dream" was a virtue, but even if it was it feels a little too passive. I am tired of dreaming. I want my dreams to be my reality.

Because we're talking about quotes, this one by Emily Dickinson came up: "Dwell in possibility." I like it, it feels stronger than 'to dream'. There is so much power in an idea. So I dug a little further and came across a webpage that had a list of great quotes about strong ideas.

"If at first an idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it." Albert Einstein.

"An idea is salvation by imagination." Frank Lloyd Wright.

Actually check out the page HERE.

Then I stumbled across this gem by the great leader, Nelson Mandela: "It always seems impossible until it's done."

That's it right there. Today's stretch is tomorrow's yawn. We are infinitely capable of anything. So I think Emily Dickinson has it.

December's virtue is an action virtue and the action will be to "Dwell in possibility."

I wish not only for each and every one of you to carry the light of a dream in your hearts, I wish for you to find the path to that dream's realization!

Happy December, lovelies.
Shan