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My grandson's first St. Nicholas Day, 2020! |
The modern way of observing the winter holidays supports an increase in waste; one statistic says that Americans throw away 25% more trash – an additional 5 million tons – between Thanksgiving and New Year's Eve. A fun holiday season doesn't have to be a wasteful one!
Agenda Today:
1. Advent Prayer
2. Love meditation
1. Advent Prayer
2. Love meditation
3. Journal queries
4. Read "Perspective"
5. Decorate our outdoor tree
4. Read "Perspective"
5. Decorate our outdoor tree
O Saint of love,be a guide for us in our lives, we pray,that we may create joy for each other,as you have done for so many.
From St. Nikola an der Donau, Austria
2. Love Meditation:
Every month after the full moon, in the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon, I practice a love meditation that progresses from receptivity, to gratitude, to generosity:
Day 1: Practice a love meditation, and open to receive blessings - send a prayer to the universe asking to be showered with love, kindness, health, and happiness.
- 1 minute - Relax your body, and focus on the tender emotion of generous love. Allow a smile to settle on your face and in your heart.
- 1 minute - Visualize love as soft, tingly, warm, pink light, and see it move from your heart to every part of your body so that every cell is glowing and vibrating.
- 1 minute - Now see the pink light of love radiating to fill the whole room, then the whole city, and the whole planet earth.1 minute - See that all people, plants, and animals feel warm and happy.
- 1 minute - Send an extra dose of love light to those people you want to have a better connection to.
O Saint of love,be a guide for us in our lives, we pray,that we may create joy for each other,as you have done for so many.
From St. Nikola an der Donau, Austria
2. Love Meditation:
Every month after the full moon, in the quiet-energy yin time of the waning moon, I practice a love meditation that progresses from receptivity, to gratitude, to generosity:Day 1: Practice a love meditation, and open to receive blessings - send a prayer to the universe asking to be showered with love, kindness, health, and happiness.
- 1 minute - Relax your body, and focus on the tender emotion of generous love. Allow a smile to settle on your face and in your heart.
- 1 minute - Visualize love as soft, tingly, warm, pink light, and see it move from your heart to every part of your body so that every cell is glowing and vibrating.
- 1 minute - Now see the pink light of love radiating to fill the whole room, then the whole city, and the whole planet earth.1 minute - See that all people, plants, and animals feel warm and happy.
- 1 minute - Send an extra dose of love light to those people you want to have a better connection to.
3. Journal queries:What are the most wasteful things I do at advent?
What can I change to show solidarity with the poor, respect for the earth, and a desire to live more simply?
Tips for a Simple Holiday:
- Simplify your expectations. Think about which traditions are most important to you. Find meaning and fulfillment in spirituality, and your relationships with family and friends.
- Be frugal and spend less money; reduce your purchasing of wants.
- Make your own gifts or buy simple, durable gifts; avoid the latest fad; buy gifts made locally and made from recycled materials. Buy used books!
- Use cloth napkins and reusable plates and cups for holiday parties, and your own reusable, fabric gift bags. (Buying at crafts markets and locally reduces the waste from packaging.)
What can I change to show solidarity with the poor, respect for the earth, and a desire to live more simply?
- Simplify your expectations. Think about which traditions are most important to you. Find meaning and fulfillment in spirituality, and your relationships with family and friends.
- Be frugal and spend less money; reduce your purchasing of wants.
- Make your own gifts or buy simple, durable gifts; avoid the latest fad; buy gifts made locally and made from recycled materials. Buy used books!
- Use cloth napkins and reusable plates and cups for holiday parties, and your own reusable, fabric gift bags. (Buying at crafts markets and locally reduces the waste from packaging.)
4. Read " Perspective":
Today I am reading this new book by Meridith Elliot Powell, subtitled Reignite, Reinvent, Reframe (2025). This is the work I am dedicating myself to this advent - the Grace of keeping a positive and broad perspective, because when I open my heart to the grace and transformation of the season, and my connection to the universal Spirit, I honor All of Creation.
Chapter one is When the World Shifts. She is talking about the great changes we are facing - it's a reality: Everything that used to feel stable is now uncertain. We can't out-plan it, but we can re-frame it. "Because when the world shifts you don't need perfect conditions. You need a stronger lens." If you can reframe the challenge - step back, assess the situation, and find a more useful reality - you can respond with creativity, curiosity, and hope.
5. Decorate our outdoor tree:
One major way we have simplified our Christmas is by not cutting down a Christmas tree each year. But we do have a small outdoor Christmas tree that we bought at the start of the pandemic, and we have planted it in our front Sanctuary Garden.
Each year during the first week of Advent we wrap it in lights and hang small ornaments on it.
4. Read " Perspective":
Chapter one is When the World Shifts. She is talking about the great changes we are facing - it's a reality: Everything that used to feel stable is now uncertain. We can't out-plan it, but we can re-frame it. "Because when the world shifts you don't need perfect conditions. You need a stronger lens." If you can reframe the challenge - step back, assess the situation, and find a more useful reality - you can respond with creativity, curiosity, and hope.
5. Decorate our outdoor tree:
Each year during the first week of Advent we wrap it in lights and hang small ornaments on it.
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