TERSUS ANIMUS | CLEAN SPIRIT

This year, I am proud to say I actually did take a mental break from work for the holidays. Though the days leading up to Yule and Christmas were full of appointments, meetings and things to do, from the 24th till today I didn't open my laptop. (Even though I still checked emails coming through on my BlackBerry and still taught an Empower Thyself Workshop on December 26th & 27th — does that still count as work?)

This season is special on many levels. The holy days of various traditions that mark this time of year are a reminder to me of unity, that we are all one. Despite what we see as differences, the themes of a pagan Yule and a Christian Christmas are ultimately the same — I won't get into the history of how Christians adopted this time of year as Christ's birthday ... in the end, it doesn't matter because the message is the same: A time of anticipation of the return of the Sun and birth of the Son. A time when the world awaits with humble hearts the glory that the Sun/Son brings us. The promise of everlasting life, that after every winter there is spring, that death doesn't really exist, that like the cycles of the sun, moon and earth we are reborn. For this we have faith, we have hope and we have peace in hearts. In this we find joy and from this joy we wish everyone Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Just as this time marks a new cycle, a new year (albeit calendar new year) and a new beginning, I step into this coming year with much excitment for all that is to come! Time to get back to work now, over the next few days I will be updating the calendar with some amazing events for January and February 2010. Keep posted!