This time of year takes me far off my path.  It’s inevitable.  However much I’d like to focus on peace, family joy and my writing, I find my focus instead on shopping, decorating and preparing.  I can’t fight it.  My best option is to go with the flow.  That said, I have found support this year by practicing mindfulness.  When things get chaotic and frustrating,I take a moment to re-center myself.  It has made all the difference.  I thought I’d share a few quick ideas that you can try as you finish your lists, check them twice and tie those beautiful bows on your packages.

1. “I Am Here, I Am Here, I Am Here” Over the last year I have been reading the channeled texts of Paul Selig.  These texts, which in reviews have been equated to the Gnostic Gospels in more approachable language, are insights into who we are and what we are capable of as humans.  These texts actually attune us to higher vibrations of experience.  As you read them you can actually feel the energy shifting in your body – no joke!  They aren’t quick reads.  Reading these messages is a process, meant to be absorbed one step at a time.  Last week, I had the rare privilege of attending an evening with Paul Selig.  The evening closed with each of us reciting “I am here, I am here, I am here.”  A simple phrase with profound implications.  These words have the vibrational power to take us out of the future and past and return us to the present moment.  They also remind us that we are worthy and an aspect of God simply because we are here.  So the next time you feel like you can’t wait in one more line and start to feel your tension rising, say these words.  Out loud if you can, but silently if you must.  Watch as your focus shifts back to the present moment and you find your patience.
2. Look Deeply Into Your Eyes Have you ever spent a few minutes really looking into your eyes?  There’s magic in there.  The irises (the colored parts) look eerily similar to the cosmos.  We are not the bodies that we wear, but souls experiencing life through our bodies.  Our eyes provide the lenses through which we see our world.  They also provide us with a glimpse of the greater universe if you look closely.  When we focus intently on our eyes, we reconnect to what is within us.  Make this something you do to reconnect with your true self when you start spinning out of control.  Do this at a red light or in the bathroom as you wash your hands.  I find that I immediately feel centered and grounded when I do.
3. “I Am Word Through All That I See Before Me” This is more wisdom from Paul Selig’s channelings.  The wisdom of this message is in recognizing the divine worth of all whom we encounter.  I use this phrase every day as I meet friends and strangers and share experiences.  It is a way for me to remember that I am no better and no worse than anyone else.  It also reminds me that no one needs to be fixed and that everyone is expressing themselves in divine perfection at this moment.  As I wait in exorbitantly long lines at Dicks or Walmart (a place that historically sucks the ‘presence’ right out of me), I observe the people around me and I say this, quietly, regarding all who I see.  Interestingly, just after I wrote this post,  I went back to Walmart, yet again, this time in search of my son’s last gift (NHL 15 for Xbox).  Target was out of it and told me ‘good luck’.  At Walmart I headed right to electronics and saw one copy.  The associate I found told me he would be with me right after he helped another woman.  As luck had it, she took the last NHL 15 game. She looked at me, unsympathetically and rather smugly, and skirted away.  I said “I am word through this woman.”  I did not judge her and, instead, I felt the lesson that she had for me that if I was meant to have the game, I would.  I happened to follow this woman to another area of the store as I looked for gift tags. When she saw me, she took the NHL game from the regular part of her carriage and tucked it under her purse in the top of the carriage.  I realized that she thought I might try to steal it!  This was one of those moments where I could have thought ‘nothing works out for me’ or ‘she certainly is a prize’, but I didn’t. I decided to recognize the perfection in her. These words helped me to remember that we are all perfect souls playing a part in this great dance.  I headed over to Gamestop with little hope that they would have my elusive prize. To my delight, Gamestop not only had the game but also on sale for $20 less 🙂 Lesson learned: I kept my energy at the right level and the Universe delivered to me what I requested.  Thank you Universe!

There are many quick tools you can use to re-center yourself.  Five minute meditations, breathing essential oils, and a good cup of tea can all help.  Maybe we can’t escape the frenetic pace but we can certainly be more present in it.

Wishing you presence in your holiday season so that you get done all that you desire (and require) and embrace the moments of joy and connection that this time of year is meant to provide.

P.S. I’d love to read your tips for staying present too.  Please post them in the comments section!