As the holiday season approaches and the year comes to a close, what a great time to reflect on the year that has gone by, on the good and the bad, the happy the sad, and your journey ahead. Many have decorated their homes with holiday cheer early this year, no doubt as a reminder of the hope, the love and the joy that we all have and want to spread. But may I suggest one thing? Add a dash of mistletoe.
A staple in many homes during the winter months, mistletoe for centuries has been considered a beautiful plant with mystical powers capable of absorbing bad spirits in its surroundings and transforming them into joy and luck. As you plan for the arrival of your new baby or settle into life as a new parent, let me tell you this – the power of the mistletoe is in your hands. Just like the mistletoe does at this time of year, you can also sense what is not serving you and transform that into good energy for you, your family, and the world your children will grow up in.
So what is it that is coming to you this holiday season? What energy are you absorbing and sending out, what are you noticing around you, and how would you like to transform that? Be honest with yourself. The magic of the mistletoe lies in its power to transform the bad into good, but for us to do that, we must first open our hearts up to how we are truly feeling, even if it’s painful. After all, nothing can be transformed if we don’t know where we are starting from. If that means that you suddenly break down crying at 1pm in a shawarma restaurant, so be it (although as I write this I realize that this may be more common than not for our pregnant readers!)! Your heart and your soul will thank you for that release.
Slowly you will be able to find the sweet spot between pain and hope and the tipping point between hopelessness and power, fear and love, suffering and peace, depression and meaning. That is where your true power lies, the power of the mistletoe. In here, in that pain, lies your ability to transform. Not only that, but your power to truly live with purpose and to be a source of light, of inspiration and of joy to your family and your community is found there. It is within the pain that you can find the love that is so desperately needed.
From there, I challenge you to take a leap. Small or big, it doesn’t matter. Just do something that is line with your heart, with the love you want to spread and the world you want to create for your kids. Take them on an adventure, volunteer with them, start a group or a movement, take up a hobby, be honest about feelings you’ve been withholding from others, or just anything that makes you come alive. In this holiday season, I will be taking this leap myself. I invite you to join me in this journey, and to give yourself and your family the gift of YOU. Oh, and of course, remember to hang up that mistletoe!
Warmest wishes this holiday season,
Emma