Third Sunday of Advent

We made it through the second week of advent. It was a pretty calm and enjoyable time with the grandkids: We made fudge, set up the snow scene, and made a piñata together. This next week will be more of the same - cookie making, a gingerbread house, and building excitement for a piñata party! (A-1 is really liking the wooden calendar with doors - he finally understands the count down of days.) 

Agenda:

1. Read "The Art of Simple Living"

2. Ducks in a Row calendar

3. Plan activities for family fun

4. Advent wreath ceremony

Retreat for Hope

Today I have some time alone, and I want to give attention to what it means to have hope. I woke up with new ideas or my book project, and at the top was a section on hope for our earth.

We all know in our hearts that we are living on borrowed time - the worst is yet to come. But none of us know what the future holds - what movements might rise up; what a big corporation may suddenly decide to do; what planetary shifts might still occur.

In "Hope in the Dark; Untold Histories, Wild Possibilities" (2016), Rebecca Solnit writes, "Hope is a gift you don't have to surrender, a power you don't have to throw away. And though hope can be an act of defiance, defiance isn't enough reason to hope."

She writes about the realities of economic inequality, attacks on civil liberties, cyber-surveillance, and climate change. "Hope doesn't mean denying these realities. It means facing them and addressing them by remembering what else the twenty-first century has brought ...This has been a truly remarkable decade for movement building, social change, and deep, profound shifts in ideas, perspective, and frameworks..."

So one part of building hope is to remember the good stuff that has happened. Another part is to shift your perspective - open your mind to the possibility that things can get better. Life is full of uncertainties- why not hope for the best? Broad perspectives and possibilities invite an opening to action. 

"Hope locates itself in the premises that we don't know what will happen and that in the spaciousness of uncertainty is room to act. ... It's the belief that what we do matters even though how or when it may matter, who and what it may impact, are not things we can know beforehand."

Agenda:

1. Read "Perspective"

2. Make hope plans

3. Make peanut brittle

Lussi Night and Luciadagen

Tonight is Lussi Night in Norway and in Sweden, and tomorrow is Luciadagen (pronounced LOO-sha-da-gen), or St. Lucia’s Day, or St. Lucy’s Day.

It's hard to sort out all the Lucys: We have St. Lucia, a Sicilian woman in the reign of Diocletian who became a Christian martyr. Because her name means light, she was appointed to be the patron saint for the eyes.

We also have the older Roman goddess Lucina, also the goddess of light, and of childbirth- bringing children to light.

And in Scandinavia, we have Lussi, a female demon or witch accompanied by an entourage of gnomes and spirits called Lussiferda.

Agenda:

1. Full effort for gift-making

2. Preschool plans

3. Set out more candles

4. Make Lussekatt (St. Lucia buns)

5. Lusse-vigil

Third Quarter Moon of Advent, for Inner Peace

Today is the third Quarter moon. This waning moon energy is yin - quiet, internal, heart-driven, intentional Being-ness. At this phase we can ease off a bit on actively pursuing goals, slow down, go within, and attend to inner work, renewal, and self-care. This isn’t a moment for starting new projects but for finishing up old ones, making peace with the past, and preparing for a fresh start at the next new moon.

This week of advent my theme is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world". One way I do that is to create and retain inner peace. Right about now, as the holiday energy builds and social demands increase, I need to review practices that help me to maintain an even-temper, patience, and grounded-ness.

Agenda:

1. Prayer for the light

2. Read "Perspective" 

3. Inner peace practice

4. Ritual for Release and Realignment

5. Meditation and Evaluation Journal

6. Monthly journal brainstorm

Human Rights Day

Today is Human Rights Day: The United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on this day in 1948.

This year’s Human Rights Day Theme – Human Rights, Our Everyday Essentials: "In this period of turbulence and unpredictability, where many feel a growing sense of insecurity, disaffection and alienation, the theme of Human Rights Day is to reaffirm the values of human rights and show that they remain a winning proposition for humanity."

"When we protect the most vulnerable, when we refuse to look away, when we speak up for the institutions that speak up for us, we keep human rights alive." ~António Guterres

Agenda:

1. Journal queries

2. Choose next steps

3. Proaction and reciprocity plans

4. Take the human rights pledge

Christmas in Bethlehem

My theme for this week of Advent is "Striving to find unity and peace with all the people of the world".

One way I love to do that is by learning about the traditions and beliefs of people throughout the world. In years past I've studied Ireland, Germany and Switzerland, the Netherlands, Norway, Italy, and Mexico.

This year I've decided to look at Bethlehem, birthplace of Jesus.

Agenda:

1- Read "Present Moment Awareness"

2- Research Bethlehem

3- A Prayer for Peace and Forgiveness

5- Make soft Irish ginger cookies
6- Make a piñata for Las Posadas