Like life, each journey that you take is a unique experience. And the Holy Nights of the Soul is a journey to your Inner Self. The only right way for you to do it is YOUR WAY!
The following general guidelines are just to give you some ideas. When you integrate these ideas with your personal preferences, and the needs of your body, mind, and soul, you will have a rich and nurturing experience unique to you, and that is the intent of this Soulwork – to celebrate the uniqueness of YOU!
SACRED SPACE: Create a Sanctuary for your Soulwork
Dedicate a quiet space at home where you will not be disturbed by other people or loud noises, and make sure your place is comfortable, cozy, and warm. You may wish to create a small altar, where you will keep your journal, your dream crystals, other meaningful objects, and possibly photos of your ancestors and descendants.
Decorate it according to your sense of beauty: you may want to use apples and nuts, mistletoe, holly & ivy, pine boughs and cones, crystals, bells and chimes, and small cakes with various symbols of the cycle of life. Incense may include rosemary, pine, and cedar, and anything else you like. Decide ahead of time if you’re going to use music or do your Soulwork in silence.
Before beginning your Soulwork, you may wish to create an intentional Sacred Space – a safe container in which to do your Inner work. You can simply call on the four directions – great pillars of light, Mother Earth, and the Great Spirit. You can open Sacred Space on December 24th and close it on January 6.
You may wish to offer a prayer to your Higher Self and Spirit Guides with a request for power, guidance, and protection. Also, tune into the group energy to synchronize your intents and prayers – when we establish a conscious connection with the Spirit world and each other, our Inner work is much more powerful and insightful.
SACRED TIME: Create a Rhythm for your Soulwork
Rhythm is one of the basic pleasures of life, and our mind and body respond with delight to it. I would suggest reading the message for the day first thing in the morning, contemplating it through the day, and then creating a ritual in the evening where you read the message again, work with your altar, use your journal to write or make art, work with your dream crystals, and then simply relax your body for the shamanic work. In a few days, this rhythm will feel “natural”.
Make sure you have your journal and a pen with you during the day to keep records of your visions, feelings, synchronicities, dreams, and discoveries. If you’re artistically inclined, draw, paint or collage your visions.
BODY TEMPLE: Nurture the temple of your Soul by engaging 4 elements of earth, water, fire, and air
EARTH: this Soulwork will make you high – in a good way – so it’s important to stay grounded. The simplest way to do so is to stand on the Earth barefoot, but during this time of the year, it could be quite uncomfortable, unless you’re a Polar Bear ;). What works for me is to simply carry the crystal with me throughout the day. You may also try visualizing that you have roots coming out of your feet and going deep into the Earth, or use any other method of grounding or earthing yourself.
WATER: for your body to take in this Soulwork more deeply, it needs water. Make sure you drink a glass of water before you start, and have a glass of water next to you to sip during the process.
FIRE: during this darkest time of the year we need warmth and light; I suggest you work with the living light of pure beeswax candles. (Please be mindful around the fire and extinguish all open flames before shamanic clearing).
AIR: it’s great to walk, dance, sing, or do breathing exercises right before Soulwork – it will help you oxygenate your body and keep your mind awake and alert. Deep breathing will help you center yourself and bring your attention to the present moment.
FORMAT OF THE DAILY WORK
The soulwork this year will be two-fold:
- To explore the I AM aspects of your Soul, to find if any of them are blocked from an expression using your body as a template, and bring healing to these areas during shamanic clearings.
- To explore and infuse your upcoming year with visions based on your core values, using crystals as the seeds of dreams you wish to plant next year.
MORNING RITUAL: Dreams are an ancient form of divination, of accessing the Divine Will and receiving advice and guidance. One ancient belief is that dreams during the Holy Nights predict the events in one’s life for the coming year. As soon as you wake up, please record any dreams, insights, feelings, or impressions of the night. Here are a few suggestions to dive deeper into the Dreamwork.
INSPIRATIONS AND REFLECTIONS: In your daily email you will be inspired to focus on one facet of your Soul’s expression, reflect on how you embody it in your daily life, and create a bold and courageous vision of your future year based on your values. What types of dream seeds would you wish to plant to have an abundant harvest of your visions?
Slowly tune into your Inner Wisdom. What would it feel like to embody that vision in a real way? What would your life look like? How would it affect those around you? How would it affect the world?
I invite you to write your daily vision in the present tense as if you’re living it already. There are no right or wrong answers; there are only your answers. I encourage you to engage your Inner Child – make a collage, write a poem, draw or paint your vision! Play, explore, and enjoy the process!
Later at night, you will use your breath to infuse your crystal with your vision.
When you finish your Soulwork on January 6, you will have 12 dream seeds to plant and a wonderful journal filled with creative, intimate, juicy dreams of your Becoming that will you can draw upon during the upcoming year.
SELF-CARE GIFT: The tradition of gift-giving goes back to ancient times when gifts were exchanged throughout the Winter Festivals, so each day I will ask you to give YOURSELF a gift of self-nurturing. I will have some fun suggestions for you to choose from, however, feel free to gift yourself whatever YOU desire.
EVENING RITUAL: Light one pure beeswax candle each night, placing it on your altar as you go in a clockwise direction, so on the morning of Epiphany you will have a full circle of 12 candles with one in the middle.
THE BACKWARD YEAR REVIEW: Each day you will review one month at a time, in backward order. Start with the current month of December, then November, then October, and so on. This practice will allow you to explore your activities, feelings, and thoughts during the year and reveal to you hidden patterns in your life. Then you can lovingly release the habits and behaviors that do not serve you any longer.
THE FORWARD PREVIEW: Each day you will preview (dream ahead) the same month of the upcoming year, starting with December and ending with January. This practice will help you develop mindfulness of your expectations and sensitivity to Divine guidance. It would be fun to refer to your records as the year unfolds to see how much attuned you are to the guidance of your Inner Wisdom.
SEEDS OF DREAMS: You will be working consciously with dream crystals by using your breath to anchor your visions: tune into your vision and blow your intent into your dream crystal three times, then tuck it under your pillow. Each night you will work with a different crystal and at the end of the Soulwork, you will gather them in a bag or a bowl and place them near or under your bed to continue infusing them with your dreams. You will then “plant” all 12 crystals in the ground after the beginning of Spring (February 3), symbolically planting the seeds of your dreams.
SHAMANIC ENERGY CLEARING: Each night I will be doing a remote group shamanic energy clearing at 7 pm PT – 10 pm EST to dissolve the blocks to your dreams.
Ideally, you should be relaxed, hydrated, and warm. However, I understand that you could be celebrating, traveling, or otherwise engaged; don’t worry, you will still receive the full benefits of the clearing.
You may wish to write your prayers for the energy clearing on small pieces of paper and add them to your altar. When we are done, you may wish to have a small fire ceremony and surrender all the prayers to the fire.
DURING THE HOLY NIGHTS: Be an explorer – stay open and receptive, and allow your Soulwork to simply unfold without editing or figuring things out. The time to make sense of it will come later. Right now, just gather insights and experiences. Know that EVERYTHING you perceive during the Soulwork is a part of the message. Don’t discard anything just because it doesn’t make any sense to you now. Record all that you experienced – insights, thoughts, feelings, symbols, and messages.
CELEBRATE YOUR BEING
Without your loving attention and your child-like curiosity, none of the beauty and richness of Self can be experienced. I congratulate your courageous choice to make a commitment to your Spiritual development during the Holy Nights of the Soul! YOU ARE WORTH the time, the focus, and the dedication.
Have a magical experience!
In the Spirit of Love and Freedom,
