You still have the power

At this time of year we tend to have more awareness and focus as there is an energy of joy, hope and excitement surrounding Christmas and the holiday season.   There is almost a sense of buoyancy and lightness.

Conversely, if you are going through a hard time right now, you may be feeling the extreme opposite.  Yes, this year has been crazy, and yes, no doubt in one way or another, we are all going though struggles right now. 

Wherever you are right now, whatever you are feeling at this time, you still have the power to create your own world.

We may not be able to choose our circumstance at this moment, or our external environment, but we can choose how we feel, what we are allowing within our sphere, who we will spend time with, and what we are open to perceiving.  We can make the decision to live according our own expectations, creating the traditions we love, spending time with the people we want around us, and sharing this time in a way that fits our being.Love and gratitude

  • Today, you are a living, breathing person and you didn’t have to do anything to make that happen. 
  • You have the gift of a beautiful mind and an active, functioning brain. 
  • You get to choose the thoughts you think. 
  • You get to decide who is welcome in your space. 
  • You get to choose what matters to you and what makes you happy.  
  • Show love and kindness to yourself. We have been taught to treat others as we would like to be treated, but we also need to treat ourselves as we would treat others too.

This world needs you, your gifts, your talents, and your voice.  You don’t need to do, or need to have done, anything special to make an impact on someone’s life.   Just a smile, a kind word, being patient and showing care can have a huge impact on another.   In turn, do the same for yourself.  You are worthy, important, and play a vital role in this world just by being you.  Though you may never know the impact you have had on another, someone somewhere is better for knowing you, spending time with you, maybe even learning from you.

The practice of gratitude is a wonderful tool to help you recalibrate your emotional state, whatever it may be.  When you are feeling good, you get more excited about life.  But when you are feeling low, this exercise can help to lift your spirits and help you shift to a better state of mind.

Every day, either first thing in the morning, or just before you sleep (or both), write down at least 5 things you are grateful for.  The mind is such that when we point it in a direction, it will keep seeking more of the same.  As you start thinking of things you are grateful for, each thought will help you reach the next, until feelings of gratitude simply flow.

For those days when you don’t feel like you have much to put in your journal, start with something simple. 

  • Feel gratitude for your heartbeat – it beats without you having to do anything
  • Feel gratitude for your lungs – you breathe without having to direct this
  • Feel gratitude for the birdsong or the feeling of your pet in your arms
  • Feel gratitude for your being – you are unique and your very presence is a gift to the world.  You came for a purpose and whether you have found it, or are still searching, your value to every being you encounter is priceless.  

This festive season, I wish you a joyous, beautiful celebration of you and your life.  My wish for you is to create a life that lights you up, a life spent with people you choose, doing things you love and creating days that make you feel excited and blessed. 

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