⏰ Time is ticking! Take the choice of Rebirth
Hola Beloved Friend,
What better day to drop into your inbox than today, December 21, the day of the Solstice. Although today is not my usual newsletter day (which is Tuesday), I took the chance to break out of the norm on purpose; keep reading, and you will know why.
While many in the Northern Hemisphere will be observing the Winter Solstice, the Southern Hemisphere is in the midst of its Summer Solstice, making this day a Holy Day and celebration of new beginnings.
The Holy Days ✨ of December symbolize a time of spiritual rebirth with a focus on renewal, hope, and new beginnings. Yet, to many, integrating this concept into modern life is met with challenges due to scepticism, materialism, and an almost non-existent room for introspection.
The Holy Days of December symbolize a time of spiritual rebirth with a focus on renewal, hope, and new beginnings.
I want to share with you my take on the interconnected nature of rebirthing across different faiths and belief systems. I will be using the words rebirthing and new beginning interchangeably with the hope that by the end of this blog, you will have a highlighted view of the potential mental and emotional health benefits that come from embracing these ways of celebrating your Holy Days and brand-new year.
Rebirthing during a Christmas party:
Isabel, a dear friend of mine who's in her late thirties, shared with me her epiphany moment about rebirthing and new beginners that can illustrate the unusual and settled ways of realizing that spiritual rebirthing can support the pursuit of happiness and harmony in life.
She was invited to the Christmas party that her office was hosting. Isabel was not a stranger to feeling out of place during work activities, especially during the year-end celebrations where people bring their spouses; she has recently separated from a long marriage and is 👑 re-learning to fly solo again.
Despite all the festive and cheerfulness of the occasion, she still felt like something was missing. “That is when I remembered what you said about taking a breath to gather myself to experience the situation as it is, in the moment. I knew that I was in a safe place with co-workers that I had known for years, so I decided to mingle within the group,” she said.
To give you a bit of context, many, if not all, of Isabel's co-workers had different backgrounds than hers, and at some point during the conversation, the subject of rebirthing came up. As she listened to their stories of multiple ways to spiritual renewal, forgiveness, and self-discovery, Isabel felt that, finally, something had spoken to her, and that made sense to her and what she was going through. This experience opened up a whole new-old for her and inspired her to explore (most like remember) the benefits of rebirthing and forgiveness from a different mindset. She knew deep down in her inter-being that this way of releasing the old to face the new was not only going to help her navigate the complexities of life but she was given that priceless gift of rebirth.
🛑 Challenges in Modern Society:
It's not surprising to point out that we live in a time where science and rational thought dominate our way of thinking. This can often lead to scepticism towards spiritual practices such as rebirthing. Our busy lifestyles attached to technological distractions and cultural disconnection can make it challenging to engage in traditional or esoteric spiritual practices.
Our busy lifestyles attached to technological distractions and cultural disconnection can make it challenging to engage in traditional or esoteric spiritual practices.
The culture of immediate gratification and the focus on tangible results can limit us from experiencing deeper, contemplative processes. However, embracing these traditional or esoteric practices – lots of them learned from family and elders - can help us find meaning and purpose in a world that can often feel chaotic and overwhelming.
But did you know that the principles of rebirthing are present in different faiths across the world? Sí, my friend, it's true! The beauty in this resides in the interconnection of rebirthing and new beginnings across faiths that cultivates a shared understanding that fosters unity and empathy to promote tolerance and bridge cultural divides.
From Christianity and Buddhism to Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Nature-Based traditions (mistakenly called Folk traditions 🙈), this concept transcends cultural and religious boundaries. Each faith offers its unique perspective on spiritual renewal, emphasizing transformative experiences, the pursuit of enlightenment, salvation, liberation, repentance, or connection with nature.
The collective wisdom from different faiths offers a rich array of approaches to mental and emotional well-being that serve as a holistic guide for people like you, me, and my friend Isabel to navigate life.
In a nutshell, this shared knowledge encourages mutual respect, resilience, and a sense of interconnectedness, nurturing a more harmonious and compassionate global society. Isn’t this the world we dream about?
‼️But there is more! When we practice or engage in practices that guide us to new beginnings, they trigger positive changes in our brains and develop feelings of joy and well-being. This process may also activate the part of our brains that enhances cognitive flexibility and decision-making. Pretty cool, right?
So, rebirthing offers profound mental and emotional health benefits. From the Christian sense of salvation to the Buddhist pursuit of Nirvana and the Hindu journey toward moksha, each tradition fosters emotional well-being through practices of forgiveness, inner peace, and connection with a higher power or the natural world.
There are multiple ways to practice rebirthing and new beginnings, and here I leave you with my top 3 easy and effective ways to do it:
✴️ 1) Practice being Mindful: Integrate mindfulness into daily routines through meditation, concentration, prayer and devotion, deep breathing, and movement (dancing, yoga, art expression, tai chi, etc.) for self-reflection and emotional well-being.
✳️ 2) Community Engagement: Join diverse, supportive communities or attend gatherings that explore spiritual practices, fostering connections and shared wisdom; something like church groups and spiritual communities are great alternatives.
✴️ 3) Explore Nature Connection: Embrace the healing power of nature - like today and the Solistes - Spend time outdoors, whether in parks or natural settings, promoting a sense of renewal and interconnectedness with the world.
Ok, my beloved friend, As the Holy Days come and go and a brand-new year is upon us, how about if you envision them as the perfect opportunity for rebirth and new beginnings? Yes! Why not embrace the festive spirit to renew your spirit?
There is not a perfect formula or one solution to fit us all, and if you ask me where to start, I would suggest relying on the traditional or esoteric spiritual practices that you know provide loving refuge and solace, maybe the ones that were passed down to you by elders in the family, after all, to rebirth is sort of breaking away from conditioning and recovering your ✨spiritual DNA.🧬
This time may be your time to release the old and welcome what comes your way with open arms. Let the Holy Days mark the start of your transformative journey.
🙋🏻♀️ If you enjoyed this week's content, please like, share, and comment, letting me know how this article helped you.
May your Holy Days be merry and warm,
Lorena
🌎 Ingresa al Podcast Weaving Healing donde obtendrás recursos, reflexiones y más.