It’s been a while. Again. There’s been a lot going on around the old homestead that has us in a heightened state of stress since the end of August – and with my stress level already at ‘screaming into the void’ because of politics and Covid-19, you can imagine how the past weeks have been.

How have I managed not to run screaming into the night? First and foremost, an elderly horse. A fellow Browncoat, Diane, has two horses, one who is 29 (I had NO idea horses live that long, and he’s a mini, so could potentially make it to 45 or 50!) and has health problems. I’ve sent light to him in the past, and Diane asked me to help again at the beginning of October. Honestly, her feedback that he’s growing stronger and has more of his frisky attitude makes my day, and the plan to send him light in the mornings so he has an easier day is the main reason I don’t hermit and stay in bed til noon to avoid the endless circus of stress monkeys in my head.

Second, something I read in a Llewellyn yearly almanac a few years ago popped into my head. An author, Dallas Jennifer Cobb, had “practices gratitude magic” in her bio, and the phrase stuck with me, but faded into the background over time. I don’t know why it decided to pop up its head last week, but it did, and I sat down and asked myself how one would do that, what would make that a particular thing?

I’ve come up with 4 items so far, one is to “give thanks for unknown blessings already on the way” within context of lighting candles, making that a part of the intention/request so that it’s not a plea, so to speak, but an act of acknowledgement that the Universe is on the job. I’m not describing this correctly…it’s not about directing the Universe, but letting it do what needs to be done and giving thanks that it will be what is needed. So I might light a candle and say, “Thank you for helping us get through this stressful time with our sanity intact” and not ask for a specific way for that to happen, or “Thank you for sending the perfect person to help with ____, they made the entire situation so much easier!” and stepping back and letting that person show up. Something like that. I know this is far from new, but for some reason it’s what I need now.

How are you dealing with the world these days? Has anything helpful pinged on your radar? What is it, and how are you incorporating it into your life? Comment and let us know!

With hope,

Pip 🙂

PS: One particular item I wrote down was that is is not all about positivity. Everything is not light and sunny and unicorns farting rainbows, and to ignore the shadow side of life is like trying to ignore that the sun goes down everyday. It doesn’t work.

©Pip Miller – October 2020