Artwork: Olafur Eliasson
Good morning beautiful people,
Last newsletter of the year, and what a year 2019 has been.
First of all, thank you for taking the time to read those weekly messages. They have showed up in your inbox on a Friday morning for the past seven months, and though there were punctuation and spelling mistakes, only one of you ever called them out:)
Some messages were better than others, written in different geographical locations (the most exotic one being Hawaii) but all had the same intention: to stay connected and share the work I try to come back to, daily. I say try, because applying the principles of mindfulness ain’t an easy task for most of us. We tend to multitask, when its about being present to one thing at a time; some of us are way to hard on ourselves, when its about befriending the parts we like the least and practicing self- compassion. And our ego telling us that we are constantly right, when its about practicing a beginners mind and softening our heart. I guess sharing this, is my way of telling you that we are all in it together, and as the late spiritual teacher Ram Dass said: “The heart surrenders everything to the moment, the mind judges and holds back.”
I am going to invite you to pause, and literally take this in.
“The heart surrenders everything to the moment, the mind judges and holds back.” Does this resonate for you?
Well it definitely does for me.
On another note, I have avoided commenting on the movement of the moon for the past seven months, yet I feel called to share today that astrologically, we went through a shift yesterday with a very powerful new moon in Capricorn and an Eclipse. Whereas the new moon is usually about setting an intention for a new cycle, this one is truly about shining the light on what no longer serves us: the stories we keep buying into that are long overdue, the blame we put on others when all of the barriers are on our side, the judgements we carry that are weighing us down. May this new year be about getting lighter, brighter, stronger and clearer.
In case you would like to join a group meditation, the next one in Brussels will be on January 21st. The magical Paulina Gonzalez from Guadalajara, Mexico, will sing and play live music. You can find out more in the events page.
If you happen to live in London town, the group sessions will resume on Wednesday January 15th and though Paulina won’t be with us, it will be magical too, we may have to find a local musician for this year. More details on the events page.
Lastly, I have not recorded a guided meditation this week, due to a few technicalities, and I apologise for that but there are many in the meditation section.
In the meantime, may 2020 be a year full of health, love, wisdom, community, passion and attention to all that requires it.
May we make new connections, create deeper bonds and do our best, one day at a time.
With Love, as always,
Vanessa
