This Christmas marked the first Christmas full moon in 38 years, and it brought with it heightened intuition and emotion. In other words, if you were having major #feels on Friday, the lunar cycle may be partially responsible (read more in this article). In addition to this, the weather has been kind of crazy (it's really warm here, which is really weird, but it's supposed to get seasonal soon), and there were even some big storms in the southern and central U.S. that led to losses. I'm sending the force to everyone there (and anywhere else in the world) who experienced any suffering in recent days <3. The holidays are about togetherness and oneness, and we need to extend our support to those who need it most as we head towards 2016.
Someone captured the moon with Christmas lights!
On a personal note, I'm still sort of pretending Christmas is still going on. I know technically the 25th is over, but I just love the comforting music and the presence of my little faux tree and all the pretty twinkling lights so much that I don't want to move on from the season. Fortunately, the Twelve Days of Christmas technically start the day after Christmas, so it's okay that I still have Darlene Love ad Bruce Springsteen playing on repeat....
Merry Christmas Eve, darlings! Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope today is a merry, bright one and that you are able to be with people you love. With that in mind, I'm sharing some thoughts today about loving-kindness and the importance of seeing things from a loving perspective. The year will be over by the end of next week (crazy, right?), and it's important that we try to end 2015 and begin 2016 on a positive note. Love is at the root of all good things in the world, and to perpetuate these good things, we should focus on and act with love whenever possible.
Today, then, how can you act with love?
Also, in the spirit of the season, here's a little music:
Happy Saturday, darlings. We are deep into the holiday season now, and, while it has brought with it many happy things like twinkly lights and candles, there is also a lot of sadness in the world. Combined with the stress of the holidays (trying to live up to expectations, etc.), this sadness can be overwhelming, but what I've come to find is that, if we want things to get better, we must go to a place of love as opposed to a place of fear or worry. I know--it seems so obvious, doesn't it? Almost too obvious to be realistic? But it isn't. Love--love for yourself, love for those around you, love for Earth--is really a powerful tool that can be harnessed to do great things.
Today's playlist is a bit random, with everything from edgy songstress Lorde to 1970s pop group ABBA, but these are the songs that have come to mind in the midst of my mid-terms studying. I'm sending love for everyone's day! We're closer to tomorrow and the winter holidays.
Hi, everyone! Happy Tuesday wishes for all of you. We're just about halfway into December now, so we're approaching next year rather quickly. It's crazy, isn't it? But it's so warm here that it doesn't feel like winter at all. It's odd to think that it's really the holiday season already and that 2016 will be here before we know it.
I've always been interested in intuitive healing and positive energy, and I saw a little post about the energy shift that is going on right now cosmically and how we can attune ourselves to it to make positive changes in our lives. I know cosmic intuition-related things aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I find the positive messages inspiring and enlightening :). This comes from Christine Clemmer. I found it on the FB page for "Just Channeling."
Cosmic Consciousness December 14 - 20, 2015 After last week’s Ophiuchan New Moon conjunct Ixion, we now have direct access to our soul’s divine blueprint, and have begun planting seeds for THE greatest manifestation that will occur all through next year. The end of this week marks the start of a whole Mercury retrograde Cycle that promises unprecedented shifts and leaps in consciousness that our minds can’t begin to comprehend yet, but we will by the end of January. For now, we are undergoing some powerful new alignments regarding the Mind/Body connection. Last week, Mars (the physical body) connected with the Uranus/Pluto square, and this week Mercury (the higher mind) makes a similar connection, sparking a huge upgrade to our operating system. Because Quaoar is still involved (the higher octave of Mercury), we’re sure to experience some super high frequency downloads that will awaken us to the highest truth of who we are, and lead us to that full deliverance here on Earth. When the mind aligns with the soul’s higher purpose, we can gain a clear perspective of how every event manifesting in the physical world serves as an opportunity to support our original blueprint. Because the physical realm is literally the densest, heaviest manifestation and reflection of every thought, belief, reaction, and karmic pattern, it can serve as a powerful feedback mechanism of where we’ve been and what we’ve been focusing on. We are currently receiving the upgrade we’ll need to turn all that information into a new way of living. The powerful relationship between the mind and body is all about communication and feedback. We’ve all learned so much about the power and potential of the Mind/Body connection, and there are amazing examples and studies that prove the mind’s capacity to transform and heal the physical body. Mercury represents the higher mind, and he is the Great Messenger. The physical body is a highly sophisticated feedback mechanism, and when we use our higher minds to communicate in a healthy relationship with the messages sent from the body, any physical condition, event, or relationship becomes a teacher and an awakener of higher consciousness. If we judge or fear the messages coming from the body, we can’t attune to the highest frequency of consciousness that’s possible. Everything has the potential to bring us back to our soul’s higher blueprint. Every moment serves as an awakening from our Higher Selves. When we allow ourselves to fully receive, honor, and integrate the higher truth of any messages coming from the body, then the body can let go of the old fear based pattern. Once the message is received, the old vibrational pattern of the story shifts and dismantles. The physical body will always provide a snapshot of neutral, honest feedback of what’s occurring holistically in this moment…the body never lies. Oftentimes, we don’t like the feedback, and we desire to change it, so we may try to affirm something different and use our ego will to force a different outcome, out of resistance to what we don’t like. However that creates more karma. The way to clear the body and manifest something new is to allow the old karmic residue to come completely up to the surface and out, to purge and release, without judgment, and actually receive the message of that energy pattern. Most karmic debris is stagnant emotional residue held within the cellular memory of the physical body. If we react to the clearing by getting tripped up even more into the old patterns, then we’re repeating that karmic wheel of manifestation. So often, we get distracted by the temporary discomfort of the karmic clearing, that we begin to focus even more of our attention on those scenarios by incessantly worrying, fearing, and dreading the experience of the purge. Whatever we place our attention on is what we’re choosing to value in the moment…and that’s what we create more of. Every moment, we’re manifesting from our current state of mind. When the current state of mind is at one with Source, in the highest possible observer’s perch of Oneness, that’s where we see the potential, remember our limitlessness, and begin anew, as empowered visionaries and creators. On December 19th and 20th, Mars conjuncts Haumea, Mercury connects with the Uranus/Pluto stepping stone, AND the Sun conjuncts Ixion and then Quaoar and the Galactic Center, preparing to hit the World Axis on the Solstice on the 21st. This makes for a HUGE weekend of planetary awakening and evolution. The Mind/Body connection is very personal, and also global, as our physical evolution is mirrored in the Earth, and vice versa. Mars conjunct Haumea is the reflection of the wholeness of the physical body and the entire physical realm, and the divine perfection of each moment as it is, serving as the feedback messenger for evolution. We came here to evolve, and so everything in this physical realm is a holistic reflection of our consciousness, providing us a multidimensional view from our higher minds’ perspective of the ways in which we fragment from Source, and revealing the way back to Source, through defragmentation and reunification. There’s really nothing to do, other than shift our perspective and elevate our consciousness. Everything is already done. Our origin is Love, Unity, and Light, and whatever we’re experiencing here that’s NOT that is the manifestation of separation consciousness. When we remember that we are still home, we are all always connected to Source, in Love, and as Light, we can experience a whole new world here on Earth. We’re at the tipping point of shifting our collective consciousness, and it requires discipline to keep our minds focused on our divine blueprint as we witness and participate in the awakening, transmutation and resurrection of the planet. "I AM the resurrection and the Light" is a fantastic mantra to practice daily this week as we focus our minds on the complete and total transmutation that is occurring within us and everywhere on the planet.
I have always loved crows. They hold a somewhat spiritually significant place in my heart, and whenever I see them, I think of my grandmother. When my mum found this story, then, I was incredibly moved by it. Eight year-old Gabi Mann lives in Seattle and used to drop food on the ground when she was little, which drew the attention of local crows. Noticing this, she eventually began leaving food intentionally, and over time she developed a relationship with the birds. They even started giving her gifts! Anyone who knows about crows knows that they cherish all the little trinkets they collect, so the fact that they've started sharing with Gabi is amazingly sweet, and so far they've given her everything from beads to bolts. It's adorable that they have this friendship. Reading about it is a good way to start a Friday. For more, see this BBC article.
We recently got a project at school in which we have to pick topic that we find to be incredibly interesting and meaningful and do research on it as a sort of "PhD." AT first, I wasn't entirely sure what to do, but then one day while I was reading an article in Well Being Journal, I looked up and saw my copy of Jane Eyre and realized that the overlap between holistic healing and the arts is something that I'm really interested in. Books and dance helped me cope with losing my grandmother, who I was very, very close to, and I've seen the ways other forms of art have helped other people, and I think that this is something I want to incorporate into my career (scary word, LOL) because it genuinely intrigues me. Anyway, I was sharing this because I may update this blog with info about the research I'm doing if I stumble upon anything particularly noteworthy or anything that may help people. Struggles are real and hard times are often upon us, but finding ways to ease pain holistically and healthily can make a big difference, and I think that, for some, art isn't so much a means of expression as it is a way to survive. You can find more info at moth-birdproject.weebly.com.
With all that said, here's a song that my grandmother used to love that never fails to make everything feel better--even when the world seems like a difficult place in general.
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"
I know breakfast smoothies are more of a summer thing than a winter one, but I was tempted to try one this morning anyway, and it was really quite an exciting venture! Usually, I love having rice cereal, but it's good to have variety sometimes, and it's easier to have vegetables (I'm trying to have more for my skin) as a part of a shake than it is to put them into porridge.
Ingredients (for one tall serving)
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 other fruit (banana, raspberries, etc.)
2 tablespoons pumpkin seed butter (or another nut butter)
2 scoops protein powder (brown rice, pea protein...all work!)
1+ handful(s) spinach and/or other green vegetable
You can also add flax seeds, carob powder, soy lecithin, or soy milk :)
Insructions
Put ingredients in a blender.
Blend everything together, add toppings, sip, and feel happy!
The great thing about this (and other breakfast beverages like it) is that every single ingredient has health benefits, so there are no "empty" ingredients. It's nutritionally dense! The blueberries are powerful antioxidants that help your skin and your immune system, the nut butter has healthy fats, the protein powder is a protein boost, the spinach is full of nutrients like calcium and Vitamin A, and flax seeds help with digestion and add Omega-3's. Plus, you can edit the ratios of ingredients to change flavor, etc. Just make sure that, if you're having this as your breakfast meal, you add fats and protein. You won't really feel satisifed without them because fruit and vegetables on their own are awesome but not meal-worthy. #superherobreakfast
There was a layer of frost all over everything yesterday morning, and we put our little Christmas tree up. She's the same one we've had every year, and we haven't gotten around to decorating her yet, but it's fun to see all her little twinkly lights and listen to the sweet holiday songs that always remind me of building giant snow caterpillars (yes, caterpillars) when I was little.
Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson: "Winter Song"
Hi, darlings! I wanted to put a quick post up this morning about a cruelty-free beauty product I've recently discovered: the Hard Candy Foiled Again Metallic Shadow Stick! I don't use makeup products that hurt our animal friends, and I was excited to find this shadow stick because a) Hard Candy doesn't test on animals and b) it's very easy to use and gives glimmer without being over-the-top. My favorite shade is Celestine, which is white with a bit of sparkle to it, and it glides on my eyelids without being irritating or chalky.
<3 Frances
"Boho" seems to go so well with summertime that it's hard to imagine it fitting at any other time of the year. But, when paired with winter, the bohemian vibe actually works rather magically. I mean, what other time of year allows you to wear the endless layers of sweaters that everyone's inner bohemian is so entirely drawn to?
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