"The Holidays"

We all know that the holidays allow us to have the extra time out of our busy schedules to spend cherished moments with our families and friends. This makes it the perfect occasion to reconnect and enjoy just being together. With these special people in mind it gives us a chance to make plans and prepare for the events, finding ways to express our creativity. It is during this time that we often forget that not only are we looking for the ingredients to mix up in our favorite recipes but we are also going to be mixing all different kinds of energies together making for a shift in the energy frequencies around us.

Sure, Aunt Harriet makes us crazy by placing items from around the house in her bra and Uncle Henry will be telling stories that are inappropriate for the kids. Not to mention that grandma pushes food on everyone making sure no one leaves the house without partaking of at least three helpings of her dressing that she copied out of a holiday magazine leaving out some of the key ingredients. Looking back maybe the six egg cake exploding in the oven prior to cooking the turkey should have been a precursor to what was to come. In some of those moments we may find that we had forgotten, until surrounded in the chaos, that it was what had triggered our last mental breakdown as we tried our best to make everything work without pulling out our hair and hiding in the closet.

I guess what I am trying to say is that with all the shenanigans and crazy stories that we have to tell after the events of the holiday seasons it is a time that we can look back on and see that what we have with each other is a true treasure. It is the people in our lives who make our lives interesting. The one thing to remember is that when we find ourselves preparing for the holidays it is a good time to take a few moments to allow yourself to breath, recognizing that the energies that will be coming together is not about you but to each their own.

Most important is to practice centering the energy fields within the heart chakra in holding a space while being aware when someone else is having a moment. This exercise is crucial in learning to be healthy and bringing balance within the energy fields while maneuvering through certain situations in finding a sense of calm to enjoy those precious times we have with each other. In the end it is about knowing that we all have a place and even though we are all connected we can hold a sacred space for ourselves while still being in the diverse energies of those we love.

Photographs by Steve Noyce