Merry Day of Thanks from The United States!
I have been up for a few hours now and already started cooking for the days ahead. I have some chicken in the oven, cranberries simmering, and soon will be baking a “processed free” pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, not because of the history of the holiday, but because it is a time to come together and express gratitude. Earlier this year, I began expressing gratitude in several ways and it has truly changed my life.
Around that time Rabbit started showing up in my dreams and as I began to get to know Rabbit, it showed me the beauty of those dark holes and listening to my inner knowledge. I found that as I explored the “rabbit holes” of my life, areas that were ready to be let go of had light shined on them, especially during the full moon. We are currently in a full moon and so much has had it’s light shined on these past few weeks. I know that as we move from autumn into winter it is the time to let those things die off and make way for the new. The full moon is a great time for those types of clearings and it is exceptional that this year Thanksgiving falls on the Mourning Moon. I invite you to take some time to consider what is ready to die off in your life. Are you able to thank it for it’s service and let it go? Can you welcome in the mourning period this winter? I have found that finding the peace to let things go that no longer serve or align with you is the bedrock of creating joy and abundance in your life. Additionally, expressing gratitude solidifies the experience by taking you deeper into connection with yourself and the magic of the universe.
Here are some ways you can express gratitude this holiday season:
1.) Create a gratitude jar or journal. It doesn’t take much, but all you do is get a container (I used a clay jar from Mexico which was a gift from my “Aunt” Tracy) or a blank journal and put what you are grateful for on a piece of paper. For example, “I am grateful for when we sat around the fireplace talking about our deepest desires” or “the woman who let me go ahead of her in line” or “that _______ I had been wishing for.” I invite you to give it a try and see what magic comes of it!
2.) Hand written letters. I started a practice of giving random cards of kindness and hand written letters to loved ones to express gratitude and reconnect. It creates ritual in your life around maintaining those deep connections through shared experience.
3.) Letting go of thing that no longer serve you.This way of expressing gratitude may be a bit more subtle, however it can create spaciousness in your life and really honor what you have received in the past. I have found through sorting books and purging my closet of anything that didn’t feel good that we hold onto things because they used to be aligned with a role or phase of our lives. Oftentimes, we hold onto those things for much longer than they really apply. At some point, they stopped aligning with our lives, but we felt compelled to hold on. I’m telling you it can feel SO GOOD to let it go. The way I practice this, is by thanking the item for serving me during __________ period of my life or for ______ role and letting it know that it no longer aligns with my life and so I am sending it to a new forever home. You do not need to know why you held onto it or even how it had served you, but just acknowledging it honor it. I then collect all the items and take them to a donation spot that helps charities or even the people I serve in the non-profit I work for.
4.) Give yourself permission to not be involved in dysfunctional family dynamics. When you choose not to numb in the face of fear of not having the “perfect” family holiday experience it can be truly freeing. In addition, it is a way to express gratitude to yourself for choosing not to abandon your authentic self and accepting your loved ones in all their glory and messiness. This one is probably the most difficult because it often times involves unraveling from years of shared family agreements, but I will tell you it is possible. Anytime you begin to sense that “craziness” rise up from the stress of family dynamics, ask yourself how you can step back and witness instead of control, distract, isolate, and please (inspired by Warrior Goddess Training by HeatherAsh Amara). If you find yourself setting those clear boundaries even when scared to death, thank yourself for staying true and having courage.
My wish to you is that you can find peace and joy this holiday season.
With sparkles and light,
Sarina