December 4, 2016 - Daily Notes, From the Editor

December arrived strange and transitory this year. Uncertainty reigns in the news and resistance rules social media. Concerned warriors gear for battle just as the season encourages reflection and rest.

I am remembering the power in stillness. I am seeing blue everywhere.

My niece who is nearly three would not let her mother leave the store last week without a blue solar-powered yard ornament that consists of one oversized Christmas lightbulb at the end of a long black stick. Most children want toys. She wanted something different.

"My beautiful wand," she whispered.

The first of December had been a tough day, everyone was tired after a sleepless night, and so her mother gave in and bought the strange thing. Blue has always been (my niece) Faye's favorite color.

It was not until nap time that she realized her blue wand is lit from within. At first, her mother said "no" to bringing the glass thing to bed. Tears erupted, a small battle was won, and the blue wand was brought.

"She was speechless," my sister texted about the moment Faye saw her wand glowing in the darkness of the nursery with the shades drawn. The tired and cranky little girl promptly curled up under her pillow to gaze at the glowing blue light, soothed, quiet, peaceful, and calm.

Later that evening, a shamanic practitioner I follow shared a message in support of the water protectors at Standing Rock. His emphasis on a blue shape filled with beautiful golden light caught my heart. He wrote:

"There is a simple but very effective shamanic technique that anyone can do. Visualize the area of protest at Standing Rock, the land there, the Missouri River that faces having a pipeline drilled underneath it. Now visualize a giant octahedron over and under the entire region. It is a four-sided pyramid pointing up and another pyramid pointing down with their bases together about ground level. Visualize it outlined in electric blue color and filled with beautiful golden light of the highest frequency. This is highly stabilizing and calming to the entire region and all the living beings there. It can only greatly help."

As we move into the darkest month of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, those of us who live here tend toward coming inside. I do not mean indoors, necessarily. Pacific Northwesterners are mostly hardy types, and the weather here is mild. What I mean is that we tend toward coming inside ourselves. We come for deep rest, for quiet calm, for peace. 

Here in this strange and transitory December, warm inner lights glow true.

I walked the forest and water loop at Seward Park today, seeking sanctuary and fresh air. The sunshine was blindingly bright, the sky brilliantly blue. Only in December does the light in Seattle glow this particular way. We hurtle toward solstice and the sun at its zenith is less than 45 degrees from the horizon, so noon shadows are long and reflections become vivid. 

I thought about the quiet sanctuary of "inside" where world peace actually begins. It starts in the inner places, where we can hear our own hearts and sense their glow.

May be remember there is power in stillness.

May we remember there is light inside.

May we remember to rest, listen, and breathe.

May we act only when we can do so from the strength of our own peaceful center. 

May we watch for the golden blue light.

May we find it in December.

xo
laura
P.S. Inspired by the importance of sanctuary during these times, I am working on a new creative offering for January called "Sanctuary of Home." My hope is to connect with more of you directly in a way that both inspires and enlightens the beginning of 2017 for all of us. More details to come in late December, if I can get my work done. Watch this space. xo -laura

Laura Lowery is the founder, editor and publisher of Lucia. She does her best to lead a creative life. Whether triumphant or stumbling, Laura shares daily notes (that are often weekly) here on luciajournal, including stories, behind-the-scenes happenings, little doses of inspiration, and large quantities of curiosity and heart. She is pleased to meet you.