Even if it's just yourself.
Wednesday, December 27, 2023
Full Moon
The older I get, the more differently I see the holidays. While I truly enjoy the festivities and the food, I take the Christinas season much less literally than I once did. I used to be that Christian who would affirm that "Jesus is the reason for the season," but as I grow older and realize that just about everyone, including Atheists, celebrate Christmas, I realize that the holiday season is so much more than Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa, and which one you celebrate.
We place these holidays during this season because the season itself represents something. For those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the cold time of the year, where we bundle up, snuggle together, make warm beverages to keep ourselves toasty and comforted.
This is a time when the leaves have fallen, and many animals move into warmer climates or caves. As the temperature drops, everything seems to slow down. We have more time to spend time together and to reflect on the year gone by.
We have more time to think about spiritual things, about God, the nature of life, what we are doing with our lives. We have more time to think about what we believe in, where we put our faith.
As many people move away from organized religion, I always wonder what people believe in. If it's not God, then what? Do you believe in your family? Do you believe in the government? Do you believe in yourself?
Sadly, I find that many don't believe in anything at all. Having gone on an epic spiritual journey exploring many traditions, I find it essential to believe in something, even if it's not God. Having a strong belief, even if some may want to call it a placebo effect, is enough to get us from vision to a business. Belief can give us enough hope to hold on during tough times, knowing that with a little faith things will get better.
But without belief in anything at all, hope begins to fade. The hard times feel harder. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, only perpetual darkness. No wonder, so many people give up the ghost around the holidays. They lose hope.
If I have learned anything from building Liveology® Yoga Studios, it is simply that if you can't believe in anything or anyone else, you can at least believe in yourself. Be the light in the darkness, yourself. Be the one you can count on, yourself. Believe with your whole heart that you can do anything you put your mind to, if you do not give up.
While believing in God might just take prayer, believing in yourself requires taking bold action. Taking care of yourself as you would take care of a small child. Taking lovingly to yourself. Following through on your promises to yourself.
Somehow, it may actually be harder to believe in yourself than to believe in God because believing in yourself requires a great deal of action. But somehow, to me the two are connected. Belief in God is what made me belief in myself. Believing in myself and accomplishing amazing things makes me realize how much God has given me and empowered me and strengthened me.
So this holiday season, my call to everyone is simply to believe. I can't tell you what to believe in. What you believe will likely change over the course of your lifetime as you grow, question, and evolve. But believe with your whole heart in something, even if it's just yourself.
Peace,
Christina
P.S. Today, as many celebrate Kwanzaa, the day is Kujichagulia | Self-Determination. Learn more about Kwanzaa and the Nguzo Saba at "What Does Habari Gani Mean?" below.
Christina V. Mills is the creator of Liveology® Yoga Studios & Magazine. She is a lifelong spiritual seeker, writer, and yoga teacher. Follow her on Instagram @morelifemoreyoga.
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Peace & Pineapples!
