It’s the last week of the year when many cultures and corporations are on holiday.

The frenetic energy of all the preparations to celebrate has passed. We’re floating in timelessness without any idea of what day it is, able to lounge in bed a bit longer without anything driving us to get on with our day. We get to relax into the softness of our slippers.

For those who are accustomed to the typical fast pace of life, this period of slowing down feels foreign and challenging. The mind is eternally grasping for something to “do”. Meanwhile, the body is exhaling a long awaited out-breath to settle into an essential time of rejuvenation prior to beginning a new year.

Several times I considered initiating one of my projects thinking this would be a good time to move forward. But my motivation was waning. Instead, I fixed a cup of tea and picked up a book to read. But moments later I set it aside because my mind wasn’t able to concentrate on the words.

I finally sat down with my journal which is where I ask my most pressing questions. Today’s question was: “What is the best thing I can be doing in this moment?”

The answer was very clear:

“Nothing! You have been given the gift of disengaging from the daily chatter of your mind. This quiet time is an opportunity for you to bypass the mind’s constant directives and flow with the innate Wisdom of your Soul. The longer you maintain this time of stillness, the more easily you can hear the whispers of your Soul, until they become the mainstay of your life. Rather than the antiquated directives of the mind which have become the driving force of a life cluttered with edicts that are no longer in service to you. No longer in service to the new YOU that you are becoming.”

So I’ve settled into one of my favorite pastimes, forest gazing. With a pot of tea at hand, I relax in my rocking chair facing my French doors and softly gaze out into the forest. At first my mind wanders here, there, and everywhere. But the longer I relax, the more quiet it becomes.

I sync into the gentle motion that’s happening beyond the mind, much like the motion of the forest. The reflection of the sun is dancing through the trees that are swaying in the breeze, as a soft mist weaves its way hither and thither, without the directive of a mind. Simply responding to the flow of the moment.

Herein is the gift of this final week of the year, if you choose to accept it:

Push the pause button, allowing your body and mind to relax into bypassing the mind. This creates an opening for the passion and wisdom of your Soul to filter into your life, fostering a new way of being in flow with All-That-Is, while birthing a New You.

~Sharon Lyn Shepard~

artwork by helena nelson reed

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