New Year, New You Meditation

Have you taken time this year to ask your heart what it wants you to know?  With the renewal of the new year, we get to change how we think and feel.  We get to shed the old and step into the new.  We get to create habits we choose, let go of things that don’t serve us, and release any hold the past has on us.  The global energy at this time of year is one of renewal and regeneration; of new beginnings and fresh starts.

It is time to check in with your heart and seek your heart’s wishes, and that which is calling you.  It is time to say yes to the future you want to claim.

We may be holding onto past baggage or have unresolved trauma that keeps showing up, causing us to be trapped in the past.  Release this old baggage to create space for a deeper connection to Source. A pastel background in shades of blue, pin and purple. On it, a rainbow colored heart with the words, ' What does your heart want" inside it. Close your eyes.  Ground yourself by taking a few deep breaths.  Now spend some time on you.  Start by asking yourself these questions and listening to the first answer that comes to you. 

 What are the first 3 thoughts that come to me about myself?   What am I holding onto that no longer serves me? What can I do to release this?  What do I want more of in my life?  What can I do to bring that into my life?  Do I believe this is possible for me – why or why not? What does my heart want me to know in this moment?  It may be easy for you, or you may find that nothing comes to you at first.  Write down the answers you get.  These first answers are our current beliefs about ourselves and our lives at this moment.  They are not necessarily true, but on some level we believe them to be true, and so live accordingly.

Now connect to  Source/God/Goddess/Universe in whatever way is right for you – it may be prayer, meditation, stroking your cat, hugging your little one, or any other means that allows you to connect.  When you begin to feel that connection, ask yourself these questions again. 

Are the answers different? As you do this for the second time, you may find other questions coming to you, or answers to questions you have not yet asked yourself.  Our connection opens us up to possibility and shines a light on that which we currently view in darkness. 

Using the method of creating stillness within brings clarity.  We are no longer listening to our current programming that has developed through life experiences – instead, we are tapping into our Divine Guidance.  This allows us to release anything that has been holding us back. 

No matter what you have been through up to this moment, every new moment is a chance to shift where you will be at this time tomorrow.    Every day is a new day, a fresh start to be kinder to yourself, to love and forgive yourself, and to embrace your right to a fulfilling life.

We all deserve to live in joy and freedom, to feel thrilled about every new dawn, and to feel gratitude as we close our eyes to sleep.  Living this life of possibility does not need to be earned – just being alive makes joy your birthright.  Claim it today by waking each day and choosing you. Reinforce it every night with a gratitude practice as you drift off to sleep.    

What does your heart want you to know about yourself?    Come explore in community! 

Many Blessings
Santa

RUNNING THROUGH DARKNESS
MEMOIR OF A SPIRITUAL WARRIOR

BY SANTA MOLINA-MARSHALL ‧ RELEASE DATE: MAY 3, 2022

This debut memoir chronicles a woman’s spiritual exploration and growth as she overcame a disturbing childhood and helped others heal.

Brought to America from the Dominican Republic as a youngster, Molina-Marshall should have led a happy life. Her father was a diligent worker, and his large family wanted for nothing. But the author recounts that her dad had a drinking problem and was a serial philanderer. Molina-Marshall’s long-suffering mother left him for a woman. Then it was all downhill for the bright, 12-year-old girl, who was shuttled between foster care and relatives. According to the author, she was sexually abused by the husband of one of her siblings. This resulted in Molina-Marshall becoming alienated and moody. By 15, she simply tried to survive. In her favor were grit and a restless intelligence. She quit school, rented a room, and found a factory job. Time went by, and for a while she was happily married. Yet when her husband left her, her life truly began. She turned to religion for answers but decided that blaming God for her woes was a cop-out. 

In this absorbing and moving memoir, Molina-Marshall’s vivid storytelling is fearless. She frankly discusses the truths she discovered and the indignities she suffered. These admissions are disclosed with a touch of resignation and plenty of bite. However painful, everything she experienced was a lesson, and she bravely realized that she was part of the problem: “The fear of being hurt, rejected, or abused often led to me feeling lonely and misunderstood. No one knew the agonizing pain I felt being trapped in my thoughts and anger. I was becoming my biggest threat.” 

The author skillfully recounts her intricate spiritual journey. To deal with her psychic wounds, she searched for an inspirational system. Her open-mindedness led her to the interfaith concept—cherry-picking from various religions and spiritual movements, yoga, and Indigenous beliefs as a way of finding peace. Along with her female partner, she built a therapy practice, making use of every spiritual element that aided her and others. The road was bumpy, and she found that women of color in same-sex relationships were not welcomed everywhere. To do good works—and finally live on her own terms—she effectively overcame bigotry.

An engrossing, cathartic account of empathy and success through determination and confidence.

Pub Date: May 3, 2022   |    ISBN: 978-0-578-38315-6  |   Page Count: 264    | Publisher: From Trauma to Triumph  |   Review Posted Online: June 13, 2022