There are two ways of spreading Light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. ~ Edith Wharton
Welcome to the second installment of my four-part holiday series, “Making Spirits Bright.”
Today I am hosting a Peace & Light workshop! Whether you celebrate Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or Ramadan this month, it is Light that is the commonality that connects our souls.
The great peacemaker Mahatma Gandhi once said: “There is no way to Peace. Peace is the way.”
Too many of us are feeling fearful, angry, powerless, uncertain that Peace will ever come. And while we may have given up hope on our family, our neighbors, and our politicians, let us not give up on ourselves.
By raising our vibrations of Light, each and every one of us has the power to drive away the darkness of negativity.
There are 8 journaling prompts and 2 meditations in this workshop. There is no time limit. Just go at your own pace and enjoy the experience.
Before we begin, let us first prepare a deLightful space…
Clear the energy with a bell, singing bowl, tuning fork or tingsha bells.
If you work with crystals, set up a special Peace & Light grid with Celestite, Rose Quartz, and Clear Quartz.
Surround yourself with items that bring you joy. This may include holiday decorations, trees, toys, food, and beverages like mulled wine or hot apple cider.
Play seasonal background music.
Create a potpourri or aromatherapy spray to inspire your creativity and lift your spirits.
As writers, we depend upon our senses to create the right location, scene or character, but one that is rarely discussed is the sense of smell.
One day I was inspired to create a scent memoir. Here is an excerpt:
Cedarwood: Love it! Love it! Cedarwood makes me feel grounded, nurtured, and clean. It conjures images of newly built wooden homes and cedar closets.
Cinnamon: This is a scent I know well, as cinnamon is my favorite cooking spice. Cinnamon is like a loving mother, offering an abundance of warmth, love, and security.
Frankincense: To me, this fragrance represents heaven on earth. I envision myself walking down a path through a damp, green forest. But I also see myself levitating way above the pews inside a beautiful high-ceiling cathedral with stained glass windows.
Orange: I feel immediately uplifted because it evokes happy memories of the childhood summers I spent riding my bicycle and slurping orange-flavored popsicles.
JOURNALING PROMPT: Create your own scent memoir that reminds you of happy times.
Music is one of the ways we may use to raise our vibrations and create more Peace.
The poet Oliver Wendell Holmes suggested that a music bath be taken once or twice a week for a few seasons because “it is to the soul what a water bath is to the body.”
Need some relaxing holiday music? Here is a playlist I curated from YouTube:
All is Bright (Tim Janis), Believe (Josh Groban), Carols from King’s, Christmas in New York, Christmas Time is Here (Josh Groban, Tony Bennett), The Christmas Waltz (Beegie Adair), A Country Christmas, Fading Sun (Terje Isungset), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (James Taylor), Huron Carol (Loreena McKennitt), Let There Be Peace on Earth (Harlem Boys Choir), Magic for Yule, Music Box Christmas, Music for Yule, New England Christmastide, O Holy Night (Josh Groban), O Little Town of Bethlehem (Beegie Adair), Once Upon December (Blackmore’s Night), Pat a Pan (Mannheim Steamroller), Silent Night (Johnny Mathis), Snow (Loreena McKennitt), Solstice Evergreen (Spiral Dance), Tu Scendi Dalle Stelle, Winter (Chip Wickham), Winter Night Jazz Music, Yule (Lisa Thiel), Yule Celebration Music.
One of the many joys of living in this world is the opportunity to experience the glorious gift of Color.
Color is everywhere around us. And like everything around us, Color is energy, which we can use to transform and center ourselves through our clear and powerful intentions.
Besides being a writer, I am a certified color therapist. Join me now for my Color for Peace meditation…
Tools needed: One white candle, one clear quartz crystal, one rose quartz, and one amethyst.
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write an affirmation that helps ease anxiety.
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write an inner Peace challenge for yourself.
JOURNALING PROMPT: Write a thank you letter to a person you view as a compassionate, Peaceful leader.
December 21 marks the first day of the Winter Solstice. “A Color and Light Meditation for the SOULstice” is the same meditation that I use in my own Solstice celebration. (Originally broadcast on Color Healing Radio in 2014.)
Celebrated throughout the world for thousands of years, the Winter Solstice welcomes the return of the sun, the return of hope, and the birth of Light.
This day also allows us the opportunity to receive the darker gifts of reflection, releasement, and Peace.
During this half hour, I invite you to leave all your worries behind, to be fully present, and to accept this magical offering of color and Light, which includes grounding, crystal releasement, candle lighting, fragrance journaling, and gratitude journaling.
I will ring a silver bell to introduce each segment, and I invite you to join me by ringing your own bell, which traditionally drives away the dark and the negative forces from the cold harsh winter.
Tools needed: One bell, one clear quartz crystal, one fresh orange, one cinnamon stick, four candles in the colors red, white, green, and gold with candle holders, one notebook, one writing pen, and (if you have one) a crystal singing bowl.
JOURNALING PROMPT: How does the fragrance of cinnamon make you feel?
JOURNALING PROMPT: How does the fragrance of orange make you feel?
JOURNALING PROMPT: What are all the things you can feel grateful about?
JOURNALING PROMPT: How may you invite more Light into your life?
Today you have welcomed the Light into your hearts and souls.
You may now choose to devote the rest of this day in love and friendship by feasting, singing carols, making special treats for the birds and squirrels, decorating a Yule log or a Yule tree.
You may wish to go out into nature, where you can collect holly and evergreen to bring into your home to help increase abundance. Another way to celebrate the darkest night is to build a blazing bonfire.
During this Winter Solstice, let us remember to raise our vibrations of Light by singing and laughing, being more generous and refusing to gossip and criticize. Let us purify our hearts and minds with only the most positive of intentions.
Let us become more caring and considerate of others.
Blessings,
Eleyne-Mari