We’ve gotten into a habit of cultivating chaos where peace should live. Especially, this time of year. Holidays are hard on people. For those of us who live in a consumerism culture, we feel pressure to give gifts beyond our means. We feel obligation to give beyond our ability. We’re engulfed in a constant barrage of unnecessary over the top sales pitches that split our brains between the joy of the season and the stress of the season.
We don’t always know how to turn the world off in order to simply savor the sweet sounds of peace, joy, comfort or love. We have difficulty saying no, or feel the pressure to say yes to everything thrown at us. Give to this charity. Donate to that one. Become involved in this fund raiser. Endorse that good cause.
Cultivation of peace
Sometimes, we become Scrooge because we just can’t handle how far off track the message the season is. Sometimes, we shut ourselves in as we witness the insanity of the overstimulation of our fast and furious race to be bigger than we really are.
There is a time and a season, a message and a reason for all things. When we pull back the veil of our external truth; just underneath the surface, we have witness to the childlike innocence of what we wish we had rather than what we want.
Glory, Grace and Grit
In a daily practice of meditation, I feel connected to our universal consciousness that allows me the freedom to explore the meaning of the season. I feel the grace of a loving self. I feel the presence of a determined grit to live in such a fast paced world.
When we cultivate kindness and co-create peace, we center ourselves in a higher frequency that allows us to grow into the more vivid energy that humans have the potential to be. As a Reiki Master, I have spent the past year pulling my own consciousness out of a darkness with the power of focus on cultivating kindness, peace, and joy.
Cultivation of Kindness
When I have tilled my metaphorical garden with kindness, I’ve been able to grow more loving thoughts toward others. I’ve been able to find forgiveness for others. I’ve been more generous with my benevolence toward the greater good.
When we spend our time washing away that which does not serve that higher energy, we allow ourselves to step into both grit and grace at the same time. I’ve learned that Maslow’s Hierarchy is not an absolute, but instead an invitation to step gracefully toward enlightenment, while also having the tenacity to move away from one stage of life toward another.
By cultivating a daily practice of love for love’s sake, I’ve found peace and in that peace, there is only glory for what is. Darkness can not live in a place filled with so much light.
Peace!
Karen
About the Author: Karen Henry [Daly], MA CRM owns Henry Healing as a holistic well-being practitioner and writer. She’s a former university professor and current scholar practicing the infusion of positive, existential and community psychology.