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The more light you allow in…

“The more light you allow within you

the brighter the world you live in will be.”

– Shakti Gawain

Light Persists

Fire Nebula Copyright 2018 by R.A. Robbins – Original art available in Espirational Gallery.

“In the midst of darkness, light persists.”

– Mahatma Gandhi

Ideas for virtual holiday gatherings

I know people are wanting to get together with friends and family for the holidays. However COVID-19 has complicated things, hasn’t it?

The first thing we need to consider is how to celebrate safely. The lives and health of not only our friends, family, and neighbors but also those we may not even know are at stake.

There are ways we can revise our traditions or create new ones.

Do as much of your holiday shopping online as is possible.
Send out more Christmas cards either via the internet or via the old-fashioned snail mail.
Pick up the phone and call family, friends, and neighbors who may be experiencing isolation, especially ‘seniors.”

The pandemic has been showing us that even though we may be physically separated we can still come together in new ways. If you have at-risk people in your family or circle of friends the safest way to gather is virtual. Begin by getting acquainted with Zoom, Skype, etc. These make all kinds of virtual holiday gatherings possible. Including:

Reading a holiday story to your grandchildren.
Getting together with family to cook a holiday dinner.
Sharing family holiday stories and gratitude.
Hosting a holiday party
Attending religious services.

If you feel that you must gather in person please refer to the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control, These are very thorough and cover many aspects of holiday celebrations including travel and food.

Our holiday celebrations will by necessity look different, but they can be just as meaningful. If we believe if we cannot celebrate exactly as we have for years the holidays will be “ruined” we will create our own misery.

If you are a person who year after year has dreaded the holiday gathering this is your chance to do something different. You don’t have to sit home alone and be miserable either. Get creative, come up with your own unique virtual celebration, have fun and let your light shine.

I leave you with a few ideas for planning a virtual holiday party. Some of these are intended for office parties0 but may be modified for families.

How to Host a Virtual Party That Will Boost Your Mood

Virtual Holiday Party: Celebrating Together While We’re Apart

Ideas for Throwing A Virtual Holiday Party While on A Budget

https://www.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/christmas/how-to-celebrate-christmas-during-coronavirus

https://www.theworkathomewoman.com/virtual-holiday-party/

https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2020/thanksgiving-risks-coronavirus.htm

So if year after year you have dreaded the holiday gathering this is your chance to do something different. You don’t have to sit home alone and be miserable either. Get creative, come up with your own unique virtual celebration, have fun and let your light shine.

Peace on Earth

Come hear a message of peace in song.

Listen to the inner light

“Listen to the inner light; it will guide you.

Listen to the inner peace; it will feed you.

Listen to the inner love; it will transform you.”

–Sri Chinmoy

Bring the light

“Don’t fight darkness—bring the light, and darkness will disappear.”

– Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

It is possible to create light and encourage compassion

Fire Nebula Copyright 2018 by R.A. Robbins – Original art for sale in Espirational Gallery.

“I speak from experience that even in darkness, it is possible to create light and encourage compassion. There it is: I still believe in man in spite of man.”

― Elie Wiesel

The Season of Magic and Miracles

Genie’s Note: This was originally published on Dec. 11, 2016. Think it still applies? A few additions for 2020 have been added in italics.

Here we are in the middle of the holiday season, that magic, miraculous time of year. This is the season of miracles like the virgin birth of the Christ Child (Christmas) and lamps that burned well beyond the supply of oil (Hanukkah). Even the legends of Santa are full of magic, including flying reindeer and a rather rotund gentleman in a red fur-trimmed suit actually making it down chimney after chimney to deliver gifts.

This is a season full of belief and hope. Even if we are not sure we believe, we want to. We want to hope for better tomorrows.

As the very foundations of our country and our world are being shaken by the forces of darkness it is especially important for us to take time out to celebrate. Let’s look for the miracles that still surround us, and maybe even make a little magic ourselves. This is the season where we normally see people being a little nicer than usual, giving to those in need and even speaking to strangers. Let’s not stop that because we are still angry over an election or restrictions due to a pandemic.

If we “call off Christmas” (or whatever holiday you celebrate) because of the uncertainty of the world we live in then the darkness wins. Keep in mind that canceling large gatherings and some of our “traditional” celebrations does not “cancel” Christmas or the other December light holidays. I’m not talking about the Great Greed Festival some call Christmas. I’m talking about recognizing and celebrating the presence of something bigger than all of us still at work in our lives and in our world. Nothing can take that away from us.

Our outward celebrations will look different this year. It is important we keep the health, safety and welfare of not only ourselves, but others in mind as we wear masks, practice social distancing and stay away from large gatherings. The big gatherings and crowded stores do not serve us this year, but we can still celebrate, even if our celebrations do not look like they have in the past.

So go ahead and celebrate. Draw your loved ones close, if not in person then in whatever way possible through the technology we now have available. And finally, keep your eyes open — you don’t want to miss those miracles and the magic of the season.