Fifth Day of Christmas

This is the fifth day of the twelve-day festal tide - a sacred, festive season. I'm in Sabbath mode, spending these Twelve Days doing as little work as possible, resting, reflecting, and finding peace within.

Today we have our grandsons for half the day, so - an active retreat!

Agenda today:

1. Kwanzaa principles

2

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Light a candle for simplicity

3. Read "SoulSpace"

4. Soyal retreat practices for simplicity

5. Creative visualization

6. Simplicity brainstorm

7. Plan New Year's resolutions

1. Kwanzaa principles:

The fourth day of Kwanzaa is dedicated to the principle of ujamaa (oo-JAH-maah), cooperative economics - the idea that when we work together, we all profit. Cooperative economics encourages us to meet our common needs by chipping in together. Imagine a world where everyone shares their wealth (even our government) and uses our economic strengths to make the world a better place!

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Light a candle for simplicity:

At Soyal, I review the Divine Laws, as I see them, meditate and write about my priorities, and make plans for the coming year based on guidance from the Spirits. 

Today I am giving attention to

 my testimony of Simplicity: Use only my share of the earth’s resources; r

eleasing everything that is not to the purpose of my life, so that my outward life fully reflects my inward life.

Today I light a beeswax candle for simplicity, and ask the Spirits to bring the rain of loving care down upon the whole world. I ask:

Do I order my life to nourish my spirit, and center myself in the awareness of God?  

How can I best uncluttered my life, and avoid commitments beyond my strength and light? 

What physical clutter am I more than ready to let go of? What clutter am I clinging to? How do I balance simplicity and order in my home with abundance and creativity? 

3. Read 

"SoulSpace":

I'm just beginning this little book I bought, by Xorin Balbes (2011), with the subtitle "Transform Your Home, Transform Your Life". The introduction is The Eight SoulSpace Stages. He says to start with an affirmation, but I will set this intention:

I intend to bring order and simplicity to my home, bit my bit, and finish the things I start. I will take the time to truly see the places I am stuck and the emotional connections I have to this place and it's trappings. I will heal my home and myself from the haphazard, disrespectful, way we have been treated and release the regrets and clutter that hold us back, because it is time for me to show the world who I really am.

 

Part One is Knowing the Past, and the first stage is Assessment: Open Your Eyes and See What is Truly There. in this phase I will do detective work: "Use your beginner's mind to take a fresh look at what you've become immune to seeing; appraise what is there on a physical and emotional level, learn to appreciate the best of what exists, and begin to recognize what no longer serves your life."

This chapter includes descriptions of other homes and assessments, and ends with queries for each room. Next week I will begin with one room and take a month to assess. 

4. Soyal retreat practices for simplicity:

This Christmas I am using the Soyal Way of Being as a guide for my days; that is, I'm keeping Mother Earth in my thoughts as I move quietly and respectfully about my days, in order to establish the right mood for the coming year, and reach a unity of everything in the universe. Each day I will fit in some reading and writing, some focused walking, and some order-creation. At the end of the day I will brainstorm some goals and resolutions for 2026, based on guidance from God.

My practices today are:

1. Reorder paperwork in my in-basket. 
2. Waltz Walk to town (using the mantra Guide-ing-Light), and use movement and mindfulness to connect to creative energy and my guiding light.
3. Grub just a bit to gently connect to Mother Nature; clean the duck yard.

5. Creative Visualization:

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Every month, at the waxing gibbous moon (my last push for action), I call on the practice of visualization to help me to see the next steps towards bringing my goals to fruition.

Today I shine a light on our whole home and yard.

Creative visualization is a technique that uses my imagination to create change. (Because of my visual and auditory sensitivity, this is the best process for knowing what I'm feeling.) It has these steps:

• First, set an intention: Say, "Today I call on the Spirit of Love to bring me clarity and open my eyes to a vision of our home and yard, a pleasing mixture of ship-shape and wildly natural." 

• Center and relax each part of my body: With each breath, allow my awareness to deepen and become softer. No stress. No rush. I walk or float in an imaginary void. Open a connection to Spirit. Feel a soft warmth begin to grow and spread through me, until I am radiating quiet energy.

• Create a clear, detailed picture in my mind, as though the objective has been reached. Paint a vivid mental image of moving through our yard and home, with clean and tidy spaces, many intriguing details, some areas of openness and some creative clutter, and wild sanctuary for nature and children (the image is Natural Order); put as much positive energy into the images as possible. 

• Lastly, affirm that this is what I want with a short positive phrase in the present tense: "Today I will take the next steps towards manifesting Nature Order in my home and yard."

• Give thanks and return: Saying thanks out loud is how I acknowledge the reality of the gift of my vision.

The thought-image is like a signal-flare that guides the physical thing or deed to manifest in my life (and it's a good way to keep my intentions in my mind). I will carry the vision of the completed goal with me, and focus on it often during the day, in a gentle manner.

6. Simplicity brainstorm:

Simplicity includes using only my share of the earth’s resources, living within my means, preserving time for my priorities, maintaining a spirit of humility, and speaking clearly and directly without exaggeration.

My ideas for simplicity so far:

• First, focus on releasing the things we don't need, including extra furniture, books, knick-knacks. We simply don't have room for everything and need to simplify as we wind down our lives.I intend to remove one box or bag each week.
• Next, assess each room with beginner's mind; learn to appreciate the best of what exists, and recognize what no longer serves my life. Plan where I will tolerate chaos, and where I want order.
• Then create oasis's of calm, and finish the finishing touches: Refinish my desk, add trim in the kitchen, replace the kitchen counters and so on. 

7. Plan New Year's resolutions:

I've got lots of missions and goals, but resolutions are a little different; they usually involve self-improvement, or correcting chronic behaviors. Still, I want my New Year's resolutions to speak to my purpose in life. Looking back to my plans for renewal, quite a few pop out as possible resolutions. Today I'll take some time to write about possible resolutions.

Tips: 

• Start early: If I wait until the last minute, my resolutions will be based only on my mind-set that particular day. 
• Be realistic. Set small, clearly defined goals that will be possible to accomplish. 
• Also, limit the number to two or three at the most.
• Make a plan: Consider how I will stick to it. Experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit, and 6 months for it to become part of my personality.
• Talk about it: Don't keep my resolutions a secret. Tell at least a couple people what I am planning, and ask if they will check up on my progress.
• Write about my motivations: A few weeks in to the New Year it will be very helpful to read and remember why I thought these resolutions were such a good idea.