Don't Look Away

The sun shining against the recent fallen snow is blinding. As I scan the landscape, I need to squint. When I close my eyes, brilliant orbs of light dance behind my eyelids; reminders of the brightness that I have just witnessed. The flash of a sunbeam passing through an icicle catches my eye. I cannot look away.

The brilliance of the sun dancing over the microscopic ice crystal snowflakes that one by one have magically fallen from the sky above to land softly at my feet and pile inch upon inch astounds me. Something so delicate and small creating such grand splendor. I cannot look away.

Winter's light is so unlike that of summer. There is no haze to distort. There are few clouds in the blue sky above to blanket the ground below. There is tremendous stillness as the trees have shed their leaves and all that remains are skeleton arms reaching up to the birds to invite them to rest. I cannot look away.

Few shadows form in the sun of winter. There is a rawness to the exposure. There is a relief in the openness and an awareness in the exposure. My soul has stepped out into this light to be seen. My soul has entered into the rays of light to be illuminated and healed. The stark brightness is blinding. And I cannot look away.

Do you see yourself differently in your season of winter? Do you find that your light shines and radiates in ways that are less shrouded? Do you allow your vulnerability to be exposed instead of seeking cover from the possible burning rays? Don't look away. Find how your soul stands in the light of your winter. Learn how she shines. Learn how she dances. Learn how she feels to be so exposed to the element of your winter. Don't look away.

Blessings, Lisa

The Gift of Slowing Down

I live in Connecticut and we are on the back end of the big storm, Blizzard of 2015. While it did not impact us as badly as the weather people had forecast we surely got our share of snow, at least a foot or more, and the high winds that howled through the night.

Upon waking this morning, the beauty that awaited me outside was breathtaking. And my soul soared at the thought of a unquestionable slow day. Obviously Mother Nature had gifted me with this delight. With no cars allowed on Connecticut roads, the driveway with drifts rising to three feet and the snow still coming down I headed back to the warmth of a hot cup of coffee and got ready to settle in.

Most days, life is full and busy. While I pay close attention to the natural rhythms of my day and my life, there is a certain outer influence that is dictated by schedules, clients, calendars and the like. But today, all that is placed aside.

Today will be a day of a long walk in the silence that freshly fallen snow brings. Today will be the chance to sit by the fire, favorite book in hand and cat curled at my feet. Today will be hot soup for lunch with fresh corn bread from the oven.

Today will also be a day of reflection. A beautiful opportunity to bring my focus on the moment. To bring deliberate intention to what I am engaged in this winter season. It will be a day to pause and really appreciate the abundance in my life, the beauty that surrounds me and to bring calming energies to my intentions and dreams.

Blessings, Lisa

All It Takes Is One Small Step At A Time

One small step is progress. It is moving forward, changing the perspective, the energies and our options. We have to remember to not always get too focused on the big picture. Living that way can often cause overwhelm. It can often be discouraging. And we can lose our motivation, our connection to inspiration and our awareness of the smaller lessons and gifts along the way.

Each day we are given possibilities that can impact our soul's journey. We are given opportunities to engage with new energies. We meet new people. We have fresh moments of pause for reflection, rest and regeneration. Each day we are afforded twenty four hours to dream, to re-invent, to negotiate and to discard what is no longer needed or not the right fit. Our life unfolds, day by day, moment by moment. And yet time seems to fly by.

So many times we get caught up with the big picture, the ultimate goal, the grand scheme and by doing so we lose so much. There are moments of wonder woven into the fabric of each day. There are tremendous lessons that will save us the waste of time, energy and more. There are people who are crossing our path that are meant to inspire us, support us and celebrate us. There are gifts the Universe has planted along the way, waiting for our discovery and appreciation. But if our vision is only set on the far distant horizon, we become unaware of these special moments.

If we keep a story in our mind that there is tremendous work ahead of us, we grow weary. If all we tell ourselves of all the years of effort, tremendous lengthy strategies and required stages before we can have what we hope for, to achieve what we long for, or to reach this projected destination on our path, we lose our energetic commitment. Instead, we can chose to focus on just one small step at a time.

Each step we take is of value and can carry great intention. Each step can be celebrated and honored. Showing up in our life with this perspective keeps us engaged with the energies of the present moment; our now. We embrace the gifts that come our way, we value the lessons that will save us as we move forward and we cherish the relationships that inspire us.

Being present and appreciating the importance of every single step we take allows us to make the most of this beautiful gift of life, instead of forever focusing on the some day in the future. After all, life is meant for living, not waiting for.

Blessings, Lisa

The Sacred Ritual

As a ritualist I often will turn to my practice to bring alignment to my needs with my hopes, to highlight intention in my actions, or to shed awareness to my words. Doing so establishes an honor to my efforts and an energy to them as well.

Rituals can be found in many spiritual books and websites. My most favorite and often most effective are those though that come from my own being as they have my breath in them, my heart and passion and my longings and awareness. Some rituals have many layers to them and can be quite deep in process and ceremony, while others gain tremendous power from their simplicity.

Rituals can be done to honor seasonal intentions, life's rites of passage, healing opportunities and more. They can be done at specific times of the day, phases of the moon or during significant life stages. I think that rituals can be as unique and splendid as the person acting upon them.

For some, the word ritual creates a snag, yet we are surrounded by them in our day to day lives. Many have rituals that they perform around the holidays, for example. Take the kissing beneath the mistletoe or the breaking of a turkey's wishbone, these are rituals. Rituals can be done at life events such as the tossing of the bride's bouquet at a wedding or the showering of a mother to be at a baby shower. Rituals also can be quite sacred and based on a person's spiritual practice, such as the various rituals we perform at the time of a loved one's death.

The next time you are facing a major life event, try creating a ritual that can honor this passage. Bring to the ritual specific intentions, honor from where you have come and to where you are going on your life's path, or choose symbolism that helps embody the essence of this time for you.

Perhaps a ritual can be created to honor an intention you are setting for yourself. Where do you want to focus your energies? Are there colors that, for you, create powerful meaning about this? If so use them. Is there an action that you can do that embodies this intention that you can incorporate into your ritual?

Bringing your creative self to your ritual planning allows you to incorporate so many different things that can have great meaning to you; music, family artifacts, images, colors, flowers, crystals, food and more.

Bring your playful soul out and allow it to dance with the sacredness of your ritual. See what comes to mind, what awakens and what longs to be honored. Whether it be small and private or more festive and community based is up to you, but the sacred act of bringing ritual to your practice can create a tremendous amount of power, healing, beauty and celebration to your moment of recognition. It will most certainly create a memory making event out of it so that you can often recall the intent of the moment, the special role it played in your life and the way in which your brought your soul's energies to your spiritual practice and life event.

Blessings, Lisa