December 26, 2023

Dear Friends,

For those who celebrate Christmas, the day after is a time to relax and enjoy gifts, and family. The time up until Christmas is hectic with the hustle bustle of gift buying, food and guest preparation, parties and get togethers. One hardly has time to think, unless you are one of those people who plan ahead and can cruise through the holiday period.

Here we are between Christmas and New Years. Some of you may be saying, ‘OK got to get in gear for New Years and do those crazy preparations all over again. ‘The “have to’s” start appearing in mind. I have to do this,

I have to do that. I have to Vision, I have to get a New Years list ready, I have to think about….. and the list goes on.

What if you didn’t!?

What if you gave your brain a rest? We often talk about how to stay healthy in body, mind and spirit and we focus more on the body. What if we focused on our brain? It too needs a rest. Thank God for sleep. We have a few hours a day to stop thinking. However our brains never truly stops, there are dreams that help us decode our day.

I just started reading a book, my daughter gave to me called Bored and Brilliant, by Manuosh Zomorodi, a TV host and editor of “Note to Self, the tech show about being human, from WNYC. She outlines the premise with facts how important it is to give your brain a rest. With all the stimulation from phones, computers, constant planning and going, the brain just stops being creative.

Manuosh says, ” There is a connection between a lack of stimulation -boredom- and a flourishing of creativity and drive. When our minds wander, we activate something called the ‘default mode,’ the mental place where we solve problems and generate our best ideas. When we let ourselves space out and our minds wander, we do our most original thinking and problem solving. Creativity no matter how you define or apply it, needs a push and boredom, which allows new and different connections to form in our brain. This is a most effect muse.”

For me, when I start thinking about writing a message for this newsletter, most of the time I have no idea what I am going to write. I say to God, “Ok God what shall I write? What do people need to hear?” That is when I sit in my meditation chair. Sometimes I put my feet up and lay prone quietly. I rest my mind by looking out at the sunrise and the beautiful hills and palm trees. Sometimes I get an idea right away, other times I feel the call to look in a certain book or spiritual writing. Sometimes ideas come while I am walking. The more I turn away “from the question,” and just relax, the faster ideas pour through me.

Allow your GOD MIND time to give you answers. Allow GOD to come in rather than squeezing IT out with a million thoughts. Remember Emmet Fox saying, “Turn Away From the Problem and Think About God.” Thinking about God is that meditative Alpha state where all is calm, quiet with No thought. That is the place where God resides waiting for the mind to have a blank screen so IT can bring forth something NEW and Wonderful.

This week STOP being so concerned with: What am I going to do in 2024?                      What ‘should” I do? (Please stop ‘shoulding’ yourself.)

Give it a rest…

SPACE OUT with:

Looking out your window to a tree or hill.
Sitting by a tree.
Smelling a beautiful flower.
Walking without thinking.
No computer for half a day or more.
No phone for half a day or more.
Laughter
Happiness
Gratitude
Just BEING You.

Spacing out,

Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,
This morning as I opened the blinds in my meditation area, I was in AWE of the brilliant sunrise happening. The LIGHT of day was beginning with the colors of gold, red, pink in a glorious blend. I found myself in a deep meditative state just looking at the sky and taking in the wonder and beauty of God as the sun rose and the day began.

During the months of November and December, many religious traditions honor the idea of LIGHT, celebrate it and are in awe of it.

“Hanukkah is called the “FESTIVAL of LIGHTS.” Hanukkah celebrates events from more than 2,000 years ago. First and foremost, it commemorates the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem after a successful revolt of the Jewish people led by Judah Maccabee against their Syrian-Greek oppressors, who had tried to assimilate the Jewish people and, in so doing, had desecrated the Temple. Hanukkah traditions include lighting the candles on a nine-branched menorah.”
https://www.britannica.com/story/hanukkah-the-festival-of-lights

“Diwali is the festive time of “Deepavali.” The Festival of Lights marks new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil, and light over darkness. Diwali coincides with harvest and new year celebrations. The word
Diwali comes from the Sanskrit word Deepavali, which means a row of lights. [Deep = light and avali = a row]. It is one of the most prominent festival in India and South-East Asia, celebrated with great warmth, joy, and shining grandeur, like Christmas is celebrated in many parts of the world.”

‘Deepavali’, The Festival of Lights

” Yule will be celebrated by Wiccans and many other Pagans in the Northern Hemisphere on Dec. 21, the day of the winter solstice. For Pagans, the shortest day of the year marks the end of the descent into darkness and the beginning of the return of the light as the days begin to get longer after the solstice.” https://www.mabonhouse.co/yule

We are also in the midst of the Christmas Holydays and we acknowledge Jesus the Christ as “The LIGHT of the World.” Why? Because He brought goodness, love, compassion, healing , a new way of thinking, and perspective of loving our fellow man and forgiving 7×70. In the Bible, John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of LIFE.” Jesus was referring to the Mighty I AM Spirit of God WITHIN himself which is the LIGHT, and can do ALL things. He also said what he did we can do also. WHY? Because the LIGHT of GOD is within us, always has been and always will be. Once we recognize the Truth of our being, we too can heal and do greater things than
he did. We celebrate the birth of a MASTER TEACHER of LIGHTED LIFE on
December 25.

BE the LIGHT in your World. Birth the Christ Consciousness within you.
Love one another. Be good and show compassion to all people. Forgive always, and remember who you are, God in form.

Being the Light,

Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

As I was sending out Christmas and Hanukkah cards to friends, I noticed PEACE was at the heart of all the messages. I received an email back from one of my Jewish friends who said, “I am praying for the miracle of PEACE in this week of recalling miraculous triumph.”

PEACE seems illusive to us in this world with wars, hatred, bigotry and intolerance heading the front covers of our newspapers, TV and other media. And yet, I believe that is just the wound that is being called to HEAL. Below the wound is peace, love, joy, harmony, wholeness in body, mind and spirit. We may be tossed like waves during a storm at sea, yet underneath is the calm presence of peace in the depth of the ocean.

I am here to remind you the depth of you is PEACE, harmony, love, and compassion, because that depth is GOD within you. God has given you the Gift of Peace so you can BE PEACE in your world. We know how wonderful it feels to be around people who are calm in the middle of an argument or strife. We feel good around those who carry a presence of goodness, peacefulness and compassion. They are expressing the Gift of Peace which is their true nature. We all have Peace as our true nature. GOD Is our true nature and all the qualities and virtues of GOD are ready to manifest in all situations.

Jesus the Christ was called the Prince of Peace. At Christmas, New Thought people celebrate the birth of Christ Consciousness within themselves. Christians believe Jesus was God walking the earth. And Yes, he was, and we are also God walking the earth. Jesus was the LIGHT bringing new thoughts and ideas to the people.

“I AM THE LIGHT. What I do you can do also,” he said.

He was opening the hearts and minds of the people to know their God Selves. The Light and Peace within him, is also in US.

Let us walk this earth as the LIGHT and the countenance of PEACE. We can radiate this energy wherever we go. As we do, others will feel the blessings of our consciousness. We can literally step into a room and the vibrations will change.

One of my favorite Christmas carols is “Oh Holy Night.” The third verse says:

“Truly He taught us to love one another;                                                                           His law is love and His Gospel is Peace                                                                       Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother                                                             And in His name, all oppression shall cease”

“What I do you can do also.” Time to believe and affirm this is true!

Truly He taught ME to love one another.                                                                         My Law is Love and My Gospel is Peace.                                                                    Chains shall I break, for everyone is my brother and sister                                    And in my Christ Consciousness, all oppressions shall cease.

Peacefully, Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

Like many of you, we are preparing for Christmas. We just had a beautiful “present” delivered. Our sweet new granddaughter Bailey arrived November 30th. Our excitement for her and our taking care of Peyton while mom, dad and sister are in the hospital was beautiful. It really reminded me how Spirit is in each one of us when we come into this earth dimension. That same Spirit was in Jesus the Christ as we celebrate his coming this month. Spirit, God, the Mighty I AM, however you wish to call our Source and Creator lives and reigns in everyone and all things. I believe this is so important to remember as we prepare for the holidays, which are really HOLY Days.

I tend to pursue these days boldly and actively, shopping for the “right” gifts for family and friends. I love the lights, I love the decorations. I can easily get caught up in the hustle bustle of the season. Then I read this message in an ANTN newsletter from a friend, Rev. Michele Whittington. She said ” What if we all slowed down a bit this December? What if we cut back on all the things we think we should do and only do those things that our hearts call us to do? What if we focused on what really matters, not what our programming (or the media) has told us matters?” Pondering her words, I realize that LOVE matters, family matters, good friends matter, people on the street matter, patients in hospitals matter and more….

The ‘Daily Word’ had a story about a minister, Rev. Bonte Colbert who was alone for Christmas during the COVID shutdown in 2020. She was feeling a bit sorry for herself, since she could not fly to be with family. Bonte then remembered years ago she was driving with her daughter to look at Christmas lights in neighborhoods. Her daughter said she wanted to go somewhere else and directed Rev. Bonte to a quiet, dark, parking lot outside a hospital. She said, “Mom, people need prayers tonight, let’s pray for them.” And they did. Bonte remembered that evening years ago, and decided to stop feeling sorry for herself. She drove to the nearest hospital and just prayed for the “well being, peace, joy and love” for all the people there. In fact that became a new tradition for her every year.

In this Holy time for those celebrating Christmas, take time to appreciate what you have, who you are as a God being, & how you serve as an emissary of God.

Take time to pray for those not as happy, healthy or fortunate as yourself.The world needs your words of love and blessings, Send them out daily.

Slowing Down and Praying for All,

Abigail and Steve