I cannot lie–every January it seems impossible to escape the overload of magazine headlines promoting health and fitness goals that will undoubtedly produce youthfulness, strength and longevity–and what’s not to love about all that–right? In contrast, we seldom hear of people setting spiritual fitness goals–to engage in practices that strengthen the soul–in the knowledge, wisdom and fullness of Spirit. Caring for our mind, body and soul honours the One who created us in all our wonderful complexity.
As my spiritual enlightenment continues to evolve beyond my strict religious upbringing, I feel I am not alone, no matter what time of year, I have a desire to continue learning other options I/we have for coming closer to the Divine (which includes ourselves) or our divine selves.
The divine self is our inner life force, our true motivation for living. The divine self is what powers us and makes us wonder. It is the soul light at our core that was chosen to be present at this point in time.
The weeks surrounding the Holidays can be a very powerful time for both reflection and healing. Being in the company of our family of origin can bring unresolved issues to the surface and allows us to identify the pain and wounds of the past that still holds energy. We may think an old issue doesn’t affect us an more, but if it got triggered, it still carries energy. Irregardless of the energies you are discovering, formulating a plan for further reflection and healing can prove powerful and helpful.
I found the following enlightened resolutions by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat (the authors of Spiritual Literacy) to be very timely for myself and I’m hopeful it will be for you as well:
1. I will live in the present moment. I will not obsess about the past or worry about the future.
2. I will cultivate the art of making connections. I will pay attention to how my life is intimately related to all life on the planet.
3. I will be thankful for all the blessings in my life. I will spell out my days with a grammar of gratitude.
4. I will practice hospitality in a world where too often strangers are feared, enemies are hated, and the “other” is shunned. I will welcome guests and alien ideas with graciousness.
5. I will seek liberty and justice for all. I will work for a free and a fair world.
6. I will add to the planet’s fund of good will by practicing little acts of kindness, brief words of encouragement, and manifold expressions of courtesy.
7. I will cultivate the skill of deep listening. I will remember that all things in the world want to be heard, as do the many voices inside me.
8. I will practice reverence for life by seeing the sacred in, with, and under all things of the world.
9. I will give up trying to hide, deny, or escape from my imperfections. I will listen to what my shadow side has to say to me.
10. I will be willing to learn from the spiritual teachers all around me, however unlikely or unlike me they may be.
A New Year’s blessing:
Bless this year with faith and sight.
Bless this year with love and light, Bless this year with grace and ease, Bless this year With joy and peace.
A Little New Years Humor:
A New Year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
If your born in September, its pretty safe to assume your parents started out the New Year with a Bang!
Every year I make a resolution to change myself–this year making a resolution to be myself!
I raised my left leg before the ball dropped so I could start the New Year off on the right foot.
Make it a blessed one Warriors!