“Open up your heart, let your body find
Freedom in your stride, love, peace of mind
One more time and we got to say…” Earth, Wind & Fire
This morning Jasmine seduced me. Reminded me of the sweet nectar right at my doorstep, directly in front of me. Literally. Just outside my new home there are rows of jasmine bush; their heady fragrance so divine, so alluring, so succulent, so intoxicatingly euphoric.
I can’t not stop and smell these luscious flowers; shining, beckoning, dancing in their white dresses, bright and captivating in the sun. And each time I do, I am pulled precisely to a place beyond my senses, into the present. Time stops. Light erupts in and from my heart in all directions and I feel SO THANKFUL to be alive and receive the sweetness of nature, of that moment, in all Her brilliance.
Peace prevails. Breath moves deeper into all the curves of my body, smile swells, heart leads me forward into balmy summer starry nights, full and lingering in possibility.
In this space of the year especially, can you be grateful and present with what is happening now?
We all know gratitude is good for your health and wellbeing, and for those around you. One of my favourite traditions in giving thanks is to write out a love letter in gratitude ~ list all the things this year that I’m deeply thankful for. I go through each month, the people and experiences that filled it and with all my heart appreciate not just those things, people, events that felt incredibly joyous, but also those that were challenging and the wisdom I was able to gleam from being present (or not) to what was. And THEN I get into an even greater grateful state imagineering in possibility and feeling all I want to experience as if it has already arrived! Presents. Presence.
I invite you to do the same as this festive season hurtles toward us. Slow down. Let your body find and smell the jasmine, the roses, the flowers, the nectar right in front of you. Feel more. Listen to the language of your body, let this be your guide in this moment. Choose to feel grateful, to be present, to take in and delight in all your senses, write a gratitude love letter, let your imagination lead you to the place of all possibility.
And above all share your luminous essence; that freedom you feel in giving love and telling those you love how much you appreciate them. As Chris McCandless wrote after all his discovery in his final pages in Into the Wild, “happiness is only real when shared.” Find your happiness with those you love; the moment is NOW.
Wherever in the world you are, be willing to open your heart a little bit more.
You are made of regal stuff. Give permission for your Star heritage, your light, your brilliance to dance infinite thank yous this season and welcome more to be thankful for!
In oceans of gratitude and love,
