Advent: Day 6

The Real Santa is You

Yes, you... isn't that the greatest superpower we get around Christmas time? So please grow a long white beard in your heart and give the light away. 

It does not matter if they are good or bad… but you can be good for goodness sake

The first real trick to develop this superpower is to do something.... anything... and let Santa Claus come to town, especially your town, there are more people and animals around that need you than you think

You can help others grow a happy belly by joining a shelter to serve food, but what about taking it up one notch and offering people a bit of your light and kindness, I mean not just give something away but to give yourself away. You can give a bit of you by listening, talking or writing to someone with a sincere heart, letting them know you really care, letting them know this season is a reminder of the re-birth of our best Christ-Consciousness qualities. Giving is receiving.

Gladly there are no rules for being the Real Santa and there is no defined time or defined anything... you can be Santa Baby and enjoy a nice sexy night with your significant other... you can be an Elf and like a child bake the must awfully delicious cake... you can be Santa's Wife and listen to your work colleague (or even better "colleagues") ... you can be a Santa's Reindeer and go outside and play with your dog and help bring home the Christmas Tree 

The list goes on... donate online, join Soup Kitchen or buy a present for yourself. Yes... you read it right, buy a present for you or take yourself our on a date to do what you want, all you might want for Christmas is you ;) and that is also perfectly fine.

So comes along the second real trick to develop this superpower, whatever you do WHATEVER you do... do it with LOVE, love is never wrong, just put the love where it is needed, maybe it is you who needs a bit extra love this Christmas.

In case you want a biblical explanation to buy you that gift that will fill your heart with joy

The Greatest Commandment 

Matthew 30-31

Jesus replied, … and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself. No other commandment is greater than these.”

Love your neighbour as yourself, if you do not love yourself how will you have a truly joyful heart to love your neighbour?

Tomorrow I get to love one of my greatest neighbours, the heroes that pick up the garbage two times a week. These men (I've only seen men so far...) ride in the back of an energy transmutation truck, which people usually call the Garbage Truck, they pick up what we do not need anymore and help us keep our streets clean... they are the ultimate urban magicians... and If I may say so a Real Santa all year long... their gift to us is greater than we think, they keep our health and beautify our neighborhoods.

Today I opened my apartment door, I was balancing myself in between my high heels and laptop purse when I noticed the administrators of the building glued this yellow envelope so we can put in some cash as a Christmas Gift for these Urban Heroes... so tomorrow I am happily going to the ATM to love my neighbors and later I will have an Ice Cream... FYI: Ice Cream loves me and I love Ice Cream and if I am lucky enough, maybe one of the Urban Heroes will have one with me.

In case you want to know more about the Vintage Santa tradition...

Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, or  Santa is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian Culture who is said to bring gifts to the homes of well-behaved ("good" or "nice") children on 24 December and the early morning hours of 25 December. The modern Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding the historical Saint Nicholas a fourth-century Greek bishop and gift-giver of Myra, the British figure of Father Christmas and the Dutch figure of Sinterklaas (himself also based on Saint Nicholas). Some maintain Santa Claus also absorbed elements of the Germanic god Wodan who was associated with the pagan midwinter event of Yule and led the Wild Hunt ghostly procession through the sky.

Santa Claus is generally depicted as a portly, joyous, white-bearded man—sometimes with spectacles—wearing a red coat with white fur collar and cuffs, white-fur-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots and who carries a bag full of gifts for children. This image became popular in the United States and Canada in the 19th century due to the significant influence of the 1823 poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas"  and of caricaturist and political cartoonist Thomas Nast

This image has been maintained and reinforced through song, radio, television, children's books, films, and advertising.

https://www.dosomething.org/us/campaigns/soup-something

Advent: Day Five

Baking our way to Surrender to God's Will

Extract from the Hen that Wanted to Fly

Dear Isabella,

Learning a lesson is like baking a new recipe, consciously or subconsciously, we choose what we crave, we crave the art we want to master. Sometimes we are willing to go into the kitchen by ourselves, others times life has a way of kicking us into the mixer and throwing in all the ingredients. In some cases, we get a written recipe, in others we figure it out a few seconds before the show begins. We pour ourselves into the pan, close the oven door and pray that what comes out is a better version of us. Some of us are tempted to open the door sooner to escape the lesson. I sure have tried to escape in many ways: glasses of red wine and sleeping pills are quite effective, even eating industrial amounts of ice to just brain freeze my thoughts would do. But God can melt even the thickest ice. Isabella, it is God who melts the ingredients to bake us, so we can jump from the tree and fly. Dominga’s secret ingredient for baking life was this: Praying – it’s how we ask God to bake for us, instead of trying to bake ourselves into the unknown

Con amor,

Arabella Gallina

Advent: Day Four

Now I am getting worried... its day number four, Monday and I can't figure out how to carve out some time to make the Advent Calendar.  Maybe I should have bought the one in AmazonSmile... (Note to myself: go to smile.amazon.com)

I keep trying to embrace the moment, feel the peace of God and surrender the outcome so I can share something useful in this post, but I insist on not honouring what I feel, so I am hoping my vibes will speak louder than my words and share with you my favourite prayers...

I am giving you two options:

• the original Lords' Prayer (Padre Nuestro) en Armeo and the perfect soundtrack to the words by Pope John Paul II ... you should really hear this audio. If you close your eyes... and play it really loud like I do... you can float straight to heaven  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orbPz_DimTM 

• Prayer of St Francis: I buy little cards of this prayer everywhere I go, but I have 2 special ones: one in Spanish I bought to a nice lady while I was having Coca Tea at Cerro Monserrate over watching the beautiful city of Bogota www.cerromonserrate.com and another I got  while attending mass at Gatwick Airport Chaplaincy 

...I  know what you are thinking... who attends mass at the Airport... well I do and highly recommend it, in case you want to book your flight and attend... gatwickairportchapel.org !!!

Abwûn O cosmic Birther, from whom the breath of life comes,
d'bwaschmâja who fills all realms of sound, light and vibration.
Nethkâdasch schmach May Your light be experienced in my utmost holiest.
Têtê malkuthach. Your Heavenly Domain approaches.
Nehwê tzevjânach aikâna d'bwaschmâja af b'arha. Let Your will come true in the universe (all that vibrates) just as on earth (that is material and dense).
Hawvlân lachma d'sûnkanân jaomâna. Give us wisdom (understanding, assistance) for our daily need,
Waschboklân chaubên wachtahên aikâna daf chnân schwoken l'chaijabên. detach the fetters of faults that bind us, (karma) like we let go the guilt of others.
Wela tachlân l'nesjuna Let us not be lost in superficial things (materialism, common temptations),
ela patzân min bischa. but let us be freed from that what keeps us off from our true purpose.
Metol dilachie malkutha wahaila wateschbuchta l'ahlâm almîn. From You comes the all-working will, the lively strength to act, the song that beautifies all and renews itself from age to age.
Amên. Sealed in trust, faith and truth. (I confirm with my entire being)

Con amor,

Pao

Advent: Day 3

We can only save each other with each other prayers... 

Nice superpower to have right...

Today was busy, but a joyful day... today I humbly tried to give jars and bags of love, light and good intentions to honour the light Christmas brings around this time of the year. It might sound crazy... but crazy gifts are definitely more fun!

It's 11:45 pm right now and I've just finished watering the plants. I guess the plants could have survived the night, but after a full day of trying to surrender, I treated myself to at least one of my "old habits" and everything had to be ready before I sat down and write in the blog (LOL!)...

I am tired ... but this post is going out today. Note to me: Just keep typing and if you want to go to bed... type some more, after all the plants are watered and you've already washed your teeth 

There was no time today for the DoItYourself Advent Calendar, but I will worry about that tomorrow.

Tonight, I start by asking myself, What did Spirit teach me on Advent Day 3? But the question should not be what did I learn, it should be What did I remember... for what is real can only be remembered. God allows us to experience love, which is our true heritage. If we give love and light, we give the only real gift there is.

So what did I remembered? too many answers come to mind, the power of friendship, the courageous women I can call my friends, the amazing teachers that are always there to help me... system overload, there is so much to be thankful for... 

The day started around 6:30 am with a migraine and a trip to the airport, then I had breakfast with my migraine and started the trip to the first pre-Christmas gathering of the day, my friends and I looked into each other's eyes, ate and meditated with barbarawilder.com,  an amazing teacher about Money is Love,  as mentioned by Barbara in her book "money is energy, and according to quantum physics the universe is made up of energy, which becomes matter only when information is focused on it". If everything is a form of energy and the only real energy is the Love, so Money is another form God uses to love us and help us love others.

The migraine did not want the have lunch, so it left and let me enjoy a nurturing conversation that lasted until I was late for the second pre-Christmas celebration of the day, traffic was epic and I arrived unfashionably late. It did not matter my friends multiplied the time to compensate for my late arrival, that is what real friends do, they multiply you instead of dividing you.

So what did Advent Day 3 reminded me? light is the only gift that matters to share this Christmas, Love and Light were the gifts Jesus gave us, it is what Saint Francis of Assisi beautifully wrote about...

For days now... I had been creating some spiritual party bags...

- what is a spiritual party bag? the reader asked...
- its a bag full of reminders, I replied

So what type of reminders where on the bag

• a white stone: we all have something we've been carrying during 2017 and want to let go. My advice was to throw the f**** d**** stone as hard and far as you can... let go of that s***
• a notepad: what do you really want, write it down, when we are clear what we want to ask the universe, the universe will stop guessing and get it wrong... and send you what you really want in the most unexpected way
• rose petals: as mentioned before, every day for 2017 I've done the ACIM lessons, so ... it's my way of sending them my daily prayers for them... crazy me has been drying up the flower petals in my prayer altar... 
• amethyst: see below
• almost imperceptible sprinkles of light 

Con amor,

Pao

Advent: Day Two

Today I tried making the Advent Calendar, googled some great DoItYourself ideas, but life got in the way of doing it my way... (Thank God it did... if not what would I be writing about right now!)

Actually, being raw honest... I first tried to buy one... but seems they are not easy to get in Costa Rica and it will take AmazonSmile 5-7 days to ship the one I liked to San Jose. Although they say lawyers are not good at math, I think 24 days to Christmas minus 7 waiting days is not a good result to invest in my kindness goals. So... I still don't have a "physical" Advent Calendar... which is allowing me to let it grow in my heart. Doing it my way is not the way of today or so God keeps whispering.

Woke up early and the morning routine started (thanking God, the morning pages, a Money is Love meditation, the Yoga-Padma Sadhana routine, a couple of running blocks), naturally I was exhausted before 8 am and ready to hit the road to buy the Do-It-Yourself Advent Calendar materials. But I was hungry... of course!, and stopped to enjoy breakfast in my kitchen with my friend Marbely. Marbely is a warm soul that helps me tidy the house every Saturday while we talk about life and pray for our life-challenges. She is leaving for Nicaragua for a month to enjoy Christmas with her family and (since I was winning about how much I would miss her) she suggested that today would be a good opportunity to declutter, clean, let go... to do a deep house cleaning, making space for what matters! so we zipped our coffee and opened the closets...

- can decluttering be fun? the mind asked

- let's start with why... the heart replied   

First I tried meditating on it, some answers came along, the most important being whatever I let go ... someone else can enjoy! that can be my kindness to me and others today, I thought. Then I tried to write down an infinite list of why for this post until I asked Marbely for her opinion and she said:
- "para que inventar el agua tibia" (why re-invent warm water), can't you find that in one of your books? Marbely is a bit hunted by the monstrous bookcase in the middle of my home office.

Eventually asked my dear friend Google for some assistance... this was by far the most simple and complete link I found https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-17427/why-decluttering-your-entire-life-will-bring-you-abundance.html 

Extract...

Declutter Your Physical Environment

This applies to the physical space you spend your time in on a day-to-day basis: your home, workspace and even your car. Aside from getting rid of the things you don't use anymore, you should also eliminate the items that are not invited into the next phase of your life with you.

When you physically remove these things, you create space for new, improved items. Recently I spent a lot of time decluttering my bathroom of old makeup and half-used lotions or soaps, and the next day a gift from a friend showed up on my doorstep full of chemical-free, mostly organic self-care goodies. Clear that space so the abundance can come in.

Declutter Your Emotional Baggage

Practice forgiveness — forgiving yourself and others.

Get rid of the fear that lives in your head. This fear will confuse you, keep you playing small, and get in the way of your success.

Stop procrastinating and prioritize. Delegate and eliminate all of it so you aren't drowning in overwhelm.

Allow yourself to see past the things that have hurt or disappointed you and visualize them as stepping stones and lessons to be learned from.

Release your frustration. This is a must if you want life in the present and not the past.

Everyone has emotional clutter. It's natural. The important thing is to recognize and declutter your emotional baggage so that it doesn't prevent you from seeing and taking the opportunities that are right in front of us. When you can release the painful baggage you've been hanging onto, great transformation is possible.

Seems my mess was my opportunity to make space for what matters, Marbely will take some of the energy stuck in the closet so someone can give it a new life in Nicaragua and I will enjoy a nice afternoon wrapping up gits s... tomorrow the first two pre-Christmas parties will officially kick off the Christ-Welcoming Celebrations

Oh... the Nutcracker Ballet was great! it is always great as long as Tchaikovsky's immortal music embodies the dancers

Let the gift wrapping being...

Con amor,
Paola

Advent: Day One

I've been procrastinating for a long time to write on my blog again. I closed it, changed its name, "redecorated it", posted, deleted... need I go on?...

- Why? the reader asked

- Fear!  I replied

Fast-forward to December 1st, 2017, it is almost New Year and revising my New Year's goals…I think I've done pretty well (I guess...), but when I inhale deeply and exhale profoundly ... that post it reminder haunts my heart. In yellow colour and pretending to be nice it has been repeating since January:

New Year's Goal 7

- Re-Start the Blog cest-la-vie-signorina.blogspot.com, now called thehenthatwantedtofly.blogspot.com, which is the title of the book I am writing The Hen that Wanted to Fly, will share more about the book later...

It was impossible to ignore it today again, that tricky yellow post-it glued to my computer monitor decided to team up with a flawless sunny-December afternoon in the San Jose Valley, framed by the white edge of the window, while my dogs enjoyed a cold breeze in the balcony. And so…

-       what is missing? the mind asked

-     an action! the heart replied

The moment took over and I started typing and re-writing many intros in English and Spanish, doubting, waiting… had a large cup of coffee and two small cups of Earl Grey tea, until I stopped completely. Fear was standing at my left-hand side, so close I could almost see it with the corner of my eye. I asked Fear to leave, it refused to listen, that was not new, it was the same attitude it had that one Monday morning in January, a Tuesday night in February, Wednesday afternoon in May, Thursday evening in June, Friday early morning in August and that rainy and cosy Sunday in October.

Then I thought, I am not alone, why do I insist on forgetting. Looked again through the window, the sun blinded my eyes ... and the moment was so quiet I could hear myself inhale and exhale. I wanted some help, so I asked. Honestly, I was expecting God would make some space within the clouds and in a Charlton Heston voice in the Ten Commandments send a rainbow-like ray that would type effortlessly this post. And it did… sort of… God made me pay attention to the heart’s reply …  in the most special Christmas way…

Love and do as you will

- St. Augustine

Today is December 1st... Twenty-Five days until Christmas, the commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  That's it! even if we insist Jesus loving-reminder of the Christ-Consciousness should come up wrapped in a golden box with a red bow.

Fast-forward again... it’s now 6pm, almost time to get ready to go enjoy the Nutcracker Ballet Opening and although I want to prove fear right: - I can't!... something has changed I prayed and listened.

This year I've been doing the daily lessons from A Course in Miracles (ACIM), many of you know about the famous blue book, but for those of you new to ACIM it is a self-study curriculum to help us achieve spiritual transformation and embrace love. Well, it’s SO much more than that, but I let’s wait a while before getting too emotional.

- What did you pray for? the reader asked

- Love! I replied 

For Love is the answer to all prayers, and as written in ACIM: teaching the meaning of love, is beyond what can be taught, however, we can aim to remove the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is our natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite.

So, I will blog for the next twenty-five days until Christmas, with hope and faith this Advent Season will remind me I am never alone and I merely need to trust that if I love, that Love will shine its light over fear.  I will welcome the re-birth of Jesus with a conscious awareness of this ever-loving, ever-lasting presence by giving… giving any form of kindness the day brings… for when we are kind we are Love’s hand and feet to do what Love needs us to do…

Anyway,... who said kindness can't be fun? JOY IS THE ULTIMATE CREATOR, so I am celebrating Advent with a Kindness Advent Calendar, I will commit myself to a small gift-teaching daily and share the story of how life humbles, teaches and loves me during the day.

The term Advent is a version of the Latin word meaning "coming", an  Advent Calendar is a special calendar used to count the days of Avent until Christmas, it is very popular in many western traditions and you can buy one or do it yourself

So, by publishing this today I will start, today is day one of twenty-five days of kindness…even If I do not have an advent calendar yet... I have Love and Love will lead the way…

Con cariño,

Paola