Advent: Day 11

Advent: Day 10

ASK

Who? I asked

God! I replied 

God's plans are better than your dreams, but he loves that we tell him/her our heart's desires. This afternoon I hand-wrote four long pages of my dreams to God and prayed that he/she would give me the wisdom to surrender and advent his/her miracles with faith and love through this Advent Calendar days.

Prayer is the medium of miracles. It is a means of communication of the created with the Creator.  Through prayer love is received, and through miracles love is expressed.
-ACIM 

So let's pray and ask God for what we want this Advent. 

Today I went to a Christmas Breakfast. It was not just any breakfast, it was a soul-food gathering hosted by one of my dearest friends, a woman with a special sparkle in her eyes, a great professional, a great daughter and a loving soul. Her name is Elizabeth.

For years now she has been doing this friendly gathering where she invites her family and friends, and anyone her family and friends want to join. This was the first time she invited me because this has been the year we realized we REALLY enjoy to be closer friends than just acquaintances. Elizabeth outpoured love in every corner of her house,  cleaned it, decorated it, waters the plants and grooms her dogs waiting for our arrival. She bought eco-friendly plates and cutlery, cooked and had an awesome carols playlist. From the moment you got in the house the vibe of care made your soul feel cheerful. If you are thinking it sounds too good to be true... well let me tell you: it was! She even had a present for each one of us... real presents, the ones you search throughout the year and can not be bought at the Mall.

So, I asked my soul what made me most happy at the party, as always the soul sends an immediate thought which is right, but we insist to ask, after re-asking... the thought was confirmed by my guardian angels: - the Children's Table!

My friend and her mom had two short glass tables placed in the front garden where they set up a crafts workshop for the children to create Christmas decorations, there was no TV around or social media to post, just the sun shining and the hammocks swinging. There was glue, frost (escharcha) and glue and frost. The children spent about five minutes at the table (then went off to play with the dogs... and balloons... and boxes... and...), but the some of us the "adults" spent an hour creating beautiful tree decorations in blue, gold and silver for the Christmas Tree. We even whore aprons, which were useless of course, everyone knows frost goes wherever it wants...

The moment was magical as we let the frost lead the way and talked... like in the old days... not being able to google for things we do not remember due to our sticky fingers. The glue did not allow us to reach for the mobile. Then one of the "adults" swinging in a purple hammock said" - I think I haven't felt to present for months... I feel just happy I guess!

That is how children enjoy life and my goal is to at least enjoy Advent like that. So I urge you, invite you, advise and command to look for the Kid's table at every party to go... and if there is no kid's table MAKE IT! Let others feel the joy of being present, happy and in each other's true company. You might even find yourself finding some lost sparks!

When I got home I pulled out the card at the beginning of this post from the Daily Guidance from your Angels Oracle Cards from Doreen Virtue

Daily Guidance from Your Angels Oracle Cards is a beautiful deck filled with 365 channelled meditations, each card offers comforting and uplifting messages, to set a positive and healing tone for the day. This deck also functions as a divination tool, so you can ask a question and select a card at random to a message that gives you guidance and answers.  www.hayhouse.com 

All I could do was write, write down the bones! that is how I pray most of the time. Now I will finish this post and meditate. Praying is talking to God and Meditating is listening to God.

Hope you are enjoying this lovely sunny, windy and rainy afternoon. You are all in my prayers.

Con amor,

Paola

Advent: Day 9

I spent all day cleaning and writing. Even the dogs were groomed. Seems de-cluttering is an ongoing theme for me this Advent. What about you?

There are so many things I am thankful for today, they I've almost forgotten what was bothering me ... That is one of the best qualities of being Grateful, it instantly vanishes lack. I urge you to remember the thing you are most grateful about this Christmas and see how whatever is missing vanished instantly from your mind!

Most of my writing was for my book the Hen that Wanted to Fly, its moving along at God's pace, today God was happy to let me take a lot of hand notes and tomorrow will be a typing day. Will share some material tommorow so some of you can email me some comments (p.fonsecarojas@gmail.com)

As shared before, my long morning routine... (which I do love by the way....) includes the famous Julia Cameron's morning pages ... Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, ideally done first thing you do when you wake up. But before the morning pages start (which for the last year I've been mixing up with other journaling excersises), I read the A Course in Miracles daily lesson. Today's lesson belongs to Section 13, and it reads What is a Miracle? After re-reading it my letter to Baby Jesus was clear, this is what I want for Christmas 

Dear Baby Jesus

Thank you,
Paola

This is A Course in Miracles, Section 13

Section 13. What is a Miracle?

A miracle is a correction. It does not create, nor really change at all. It merely looks on devastation, and reminds the mind that what it sees is false. It undoes error, but does not attempt to go beyond perception, nor exceed the function of forgiveness. Thus it stays within time's limits. Yet it paves the way for the return of timelessness and love's awakening, for fear must slip away under the gentle remedy it brings.

A miracle contains the gift of grace, for it is given and received as one. And thus it illustrates the law of truth the world does not obey, because it fails entirely to understand its ways. A miracle inverts perception which was upside down before, and thus it ends the strange distortions that were manifest. Now is perception open to the truth. Now is forgiveness seen as justified.

Forgiveness is the home of miracles. The eyes of Christ deliver them to all they look upon in mercy and in love. Perception stands corrected in His sight, and what was meant to curse has come to bless. Each lily of forgiveness offers all the world the silent miracle of love. And each is laid before the Word of God, upon the universal altar to Creator and creation in the light of perfect purity and endless joy.

The miracle is taken first on faith, because to ask for it implies the mind has been made ready to conceive of what it cannot see and does not understand. Yet faith will bring its witnesses to show that what it rested on is really there. And thus the miracle will justify your faith in it, and show it rested on a world more real than what you saw before; a world redeemed from what you thought was there.

Miracles fall like drops of healing rain from Heaven on a dry and dusty world, where starved and thirsty creatures come to die. Now they have water. Now the world is green. And everywhere the signs of life spring up, to show that what is born can never die, for what has life has immortality.

On a final note! Last month I did a Hay House (www.hayhouse.com) Writers Workshop with Julia Cameron, she signed my copy of The Artis Way.... OMG! OMG! OMG ... http://juliacameronlive.com

Another thing to be grateful for!

Con amor,

Paola

Advent: Day 8

Tonight I am writing my letter to Baby Jesus.

When I was a little girl, children in Costa Rica used to write a letter to el Nino Jesus (Baby Jesus) not to Santa, since it was on Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) that we placed the little figure of Baby Jesus in the Portal before going to bed and waking up early to collect the gifts placed near the Portal.

Later... because of the movies and globalization, Costa Rican kids started writing to Santa and Parents woke up even earlier to place the gifts under a Canadian imported pine decorated with fake snowballs. Little-me decorated a different kind of Christmas Tree, a Cipres (Cypress) Tree!. Which reminds me...  Cypress the real smell of Chritmas in Costa Rica, not Ginger Cokkies, although we love eating them now...

Tonight I am watching a Chritsmas movie, writting my letter to Jesus, working on the Advent Calendar DIY and the Crown of Advent made of Cypress, on Sunday a special prayer will take place

It smells like my Christmas back in 1990 , so Little-me and me have a busy night ahead ...

Advent: Day 7

Oh, I wish I could write a Christmas Carol...

Today I went to the library & crafts store and got everything I need to create the DIY Advent Calendar, will post some pictures soon... but the real lesson was the drive... a long pathfinder type of drive along the streets packed with Christmas shopping wishes

As some of you may know, I have the honour of being part of a Woman's Anthology of Tales called Escritura Magica, which has tales from 29 woman authors, it is a blessing to be part of it. And being part of it means we have to promote the book, today's promotion was about reading some tales in a large bookstore in Alajuela, a province in Costa Rica where the Airport is located... so it was a long long drive... REPEAT... it was a looong drive

No one likes to be stuck in traffic, I personally think that it is because its a reminder of being stuck in life, but that's a whole different post, back to my car... I decided to practice kindness to myself in the car by listening to whatever I wanted in youtube.com. I often do this... I listen to Portuguese classes, motivational videos, study the faeries, angels, listen to updates about the new data protection rules, contract drafting techniques, the news, well basically anything... but I confess I usually restrict myself to a "useful" or "time saving" videos... BUT today I just searched and listened to all I wanted from the Spice Girs to Bruce Springsteen... until I remembered what I really wanted to listen was a Carols' playlist... so I did, I sang, I laughed I enjoyed Nat King Cole, Dean Martin and Sinatra singing along Mariah Carey and Elvis

Some of my favourites...

While singing I started thinking about all these great artists that have used their skills to embody the Holiday's Cheers and teach a lesson. Like when Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol, I LOVE the many and more versions of this book, the first time I visited London in December, my #1 tourist visit was to the Charles Dickens Museum where I bought a nice vintage-looking copy which is now on my desk, it always likes to come out of the bookshelf around Christmas.

And what about The Nutcracker two-act ballet, it was brilliant of Ruskies Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov to use Alexandre Dumas' story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King to "ballet shoes" to Tchaikovsky's immortal music.

WE CAN ALL SPREAD HOLIDAY SHEERS ANYWAY WE WANT 

... as long as we follow our heart!

My mom spreads the oy with her "portal", a very popular Latin American and Costa Rica custom during Christmas, which is a nativity scene constructed of figurines representing the birth of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus, the three wise men, the ox and mule and shepherds. San Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first nativity scene.

The local church spreads the joy with the "posadas", which take place during the nine days before Christmas. Originated in Spain and Mexico, the “posada” consists of a group of children and neighbours getting together at a different neighbour’s house each day to act out the pilgrimage of Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem, looking for a place to stay where Jesus could be born. This is accompanied by Christmas carols and prayers, and candies for the children at the end.

What talent do you have? I am still searching for mine... For now, I will start with the Advent Calendar and letting people laugh and pretend they are not looking at me while I sing at the top of my lungs in the car... I am still keeping the windows closed... but who knows maybe tomorrow I will open them and let Santa Claus come to town... 

Con amor,

Paola

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