Welcome to a World of Spiritual Harmony

One thing to be thankful is our continued incredible weather - days and days in November of beautiful sunny and dry weather in the 60s. The best Thanksgiving weather I ever remember - definitely one of the short term benefits of global warming - wonderful and relaxing nonetheless.

It is great that we have a national day dedicated to thinking about being thankful - certainly a healthy practice, and one that keeps us focused on the positive. That in itself, as many of us know, brings in the positive, as focusing on fear brings in more of that.

Gratitude is also good for the body. Take a minute now to feel grateful for your own gift of drawing breath, being held in a web of love by family and friends, having not just enough to eat but plenty to eat. Now shift your attention to your body and how it feels after your grateful focus. Likely your breathing is deeper and slower. Your face muscles are relaxed into a smile, your fingers are unclenched and spread out. How about your shoulders? If you’re like most of us, they are tight a lot of the time. Do they feel differently now? Perhaps just a bit.

As you go through this day, this week, the run up to Christmas - consider using Gratitude as your relaxer. It’ll get you through with a smile on your face, and has no known side effects - except more relaxation!

John Fitzgerald Kennedy for me is / was the quintessential leader. He was a life long learner, always curious, ready to look at a situation through someone else’s eyes. True leaders are always first of all learners. JFK read widely, asked questions widely, gave his opinions and listened to the answers. He was an innovative thinker, synthesizing all the information he gathered into new possibilities. He was a consultor, presenting his ideas and enjoying the process of explanation, defense and rebuttal. There were no yes men in the Kennedy cabinet.

He also understood both the process and products of government at many levels, and only put his foot wrong early on in his administration, by listening just to the military about the Bay of Pigs disaster. Jack would not have proudly called himself The Decider, though he was always willing to take the responsibility. He was proud of being the leader of a team the likes of which we have not seen for many years. And it was his leadership and courage that made it so.

And that made us proud of our country, and willing to sacrifice on its behalf.

Happy Celtic New Year! That’s what these few days are in the ancient tradition. The closing in of the dark, the thinning of the veil between the worlds, an introspective time of looking at past and future and choosing the path, direction and goals for the coming year.

I love to spend more time than usual meditating this time of year. Just dreaming, seeing in the dark, sensing my way toward new-ness. Easier to do than at the busy holiday season coming up.

I also love the dressing up of Halloween, changing masks from moment to moment, trying out new facets of myself. The fun of it all, the colors - and always the dark. It’s there that we find chaos and also truth. Creativity emerges out of that cave. Having faced our own darkness, we can risk everything to make our dreams come true. Power is to be found in the dark, and peace as well.

Good thoughts for the first day of winter - as November 1 was in the olden days - which explains why the Winter Solstice on December 21 was called Mid-Winter. Enjoy the dark!

I’ve been thinking about the Western Caribbean Sea Angels Cruise, where we spent last week in real heat and humidity, while all my Cincinnati friends were spending a chilly week here.

My number one favorite part was the Mayan sweat lodge that several of us participated in in Cozumel. The presenter, Moises, was both a gifted student of Mayan culture and a talented leader in guiding us through the four phases of the sweat. We finished by jumping into a cenote - the bottomless pools that exist throughout the Yucatan peninsula. (Okay, I didn’t really jump - I climbed down the ladder. It was still a fabulous experience!) And I am now the Yellow Lunar Warrior, according to the Mayan calendar.

My second favorite part was floating down the Martha Brae River in Jamaica, particularly after being driven over an hour on Jamaican roads to get there. Best not to look out at the traffic is my advice. The river made up for everything.

Coming into one-ness while experiencing the Alexander Technique with Vivien and Neil Schapera was an incredible moment, as was dousing for ghosts at Rose Hall Great House. Lots of other great times, as well, especially teaching Reiki to so many great people on the days we were at sea. A yummy experience altogether!