“You don't have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you're holding.”
Cheryl Strayed
Hey there friends,
It’s been quite the week…
Take a deep breath for yourself, for others, for our world.
Wherever you are on this planet and on whatever side of the spectrum your values, beliefs, and opinions land on, we’ve all felt the wave of these election results. Not wanting to let Lumen Letters get all political, I’m refraining from making any one-sided statements. At the end of the day, we’re all human beings…let us not forget that in the days to come.
Tonight, I encourage you to look up, both physically and psychologically. Take a moment (or many) to gaze at the vast grandeur of the supermoon that will be gracing her presence in the night’s sky. This sight is a particularly unique and powerful one, not to be experienced again until 2034. Use these quiet moments to sit with, reflect on, and let go of whatever is weighing down your heart – a little moon meditation, if you will. We can’t take action, make true change, and lift each other up with the burden of heavy hearts and crowded minds keeping us down.
Lighten things up for yourself tonight.
After this past week, you owe yourself that much.
MIND
Science and spirituality – two worlds that I find myself walking between more often these days. Spiritual by nature, scientific by reason, I’m always seeking a way to bridge the gap between these two seemingly differing perspectives. This podcast on The Science of the Spiritual with Dr. Dan Siegel gave me profound hope for this dance between these two worlds to become actualized, integrated, and rooted in reality.
Swishing coconut oil in your mouth for 20 minutes a day sounds a little daunting, and possibly gross. I have to admit, when I first tried oil pulling, I was pretty grossed out by it and decided it wasn’t for me. Fast forward two years and five small cavities later, it’s now becoming a crucial part of my daily routine as I’m in the process of healing my cavities naturally by remineralizing my teeth and healing my oral microbiome. To make this part of my day a little easier, more effective, and quite honestly, a little more fun, I made these coconut oil pulling chews. Store in the fridge, pop one in your mouth, chew until liquid, then swish away! My favorite times to oil pull are while I’m showering and getting ready for bed, while watching my fav Netflix or HBO shows (except American Horror Story, because I might scream and spit it all out!), or while writing…like right now. It seemed appropriate
SPIRIT
Right now, it’s easy to get sucked into the fear, the hopelessness, the negativity. And while there’s value in the power behind those emotions, you cannot let them win. Spiraling down won’t do any good right now. We all need to spiral upwards, uplift and empower one another. A simple way to shift the direction of this spiraling is through a practice of gratitude. Whenever I’ve found myself going down the deep end, this practice of gratitude has always supported a healthy redirection of my negative feelings. Gratitude lists are a great tool – here are three variations of this tool that I’ve personally found helpful in cultivating my gratitude practice:
No. 1 Mentally listing and envisioning what you’re grateful for in your mind’s eye, taking a few deep breaths into those expressions of gratitude – this can literally be done anytime, anywhere.
No. 2 Old-fashioned pen and paper – write (or draw, doodle) your list, fold it up, tuck it away, and carry it with you to look back on throughout the day.
No. 3 For the more modern, on the go approach…of course, there’s an app for that.
I cannot let this letter go without acknowledging the loss of the great Leonard Cohen – his impassioned live performance of Hallelujah can do wonders for the soul right now.
Embody your peaceful warrior.
Stay strong, & don’t give in.
Allow yourself to feel, fully;
The full moon supports us in this process.
Then, transform that fear, anger, resentment, hopelessness,
Whatever you’re feeling.
Use that power behind your emotions,
To fuel a fire deep within you –
One that’s yearning to continue to fight for what’s right.
