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| Greetings, | January 2008 |
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Happy New Year!
------------------------- As the story goes, she first appeared to him on December 9, during his 15 mile daily walk to mass. He described her as a young woman with black hair and dark skin. (This accounts for "la virgen morena" – the brown-skinned Virgin - which appears in art forms across Mexico.) She told Juan Diego to go to the local Bishop to request that a church be built on that very hill, so he did as he was told. However, the Bishop was skeptical of his vision, and asked for a heavenly sign to prove the apparition. -------------------------
Our trip was filled with many other events, for instance we visited a banana plantation, a most humble salt "factory" (more like a shack really), a hacienda, a museum and art gallery, a sea turtle sanctuary, learned about the famous Colima dogs (found real or as pottery buried in Mayan tombs with their owners or kings), went to Comala for lunch and listened to three Mariachi bands compete (at once!), and fun adventures included snorkeling, kayaking, and a boat trip. But by far, the highlight was to be present during the traditional Christmas festivities, and to appreciate a culture that seems to put the importance of their spirituality over the commercialism that seems to be so ever predominant in our own North American culture. A message, I think, that is worth passing on.
FEATURE ARTICLE That's right...not resolution, but evolution.
While "resolution" means a firm decision, it also means the act of solving a problem. That nuance implies that whatever type of resolution we may have, we had or have a "problem" that needs to be fixed. In other words, there is something that we "should" have done, or "should" be doing differently. (i.e. I should get lean and trim, I should get more organized, etc.) The interesting thing about "should" statements is that they are inevitably laced with guilt. This negative and even fearful thinking can leave a subconscious imprint of negatives, which inevitably leads to unintentional self-sabotage of positive transformation. Meeting our resolution, in that case, can be a little intimidating. The pressure and idealistic expectation we place on ourselves, for starters simply because the month is January, can be a tad overwhelming, which is why so many resolutions go unresolved, or if met in the short-term, once met than may then boomerang back to where they were at the onset. Continuing to give credence to old problems can keep the negative aspects and energy of those issues at the forefront of our minds, hearts, and spirits. Then, heaven forbid, if for some reason we don't meet our resolution as quickly as we'd like, differently than we'd hoped, or not at all, our self-esteem may be lowered in the process, and/or we may lose momentum on achieving those and future desires. While evolution may not sound like the wham bam, instant effect and gratification that we hope will occur with resolution, it promises steady forward movement, growth, and a creative force to be reckoned with. Rather than concentrating on resolving what was, or what should be, we mentally wipe the slate clean. With that freshness of mind, we also release corresponding negative emotions (i.e. guilt, fear, or regret), and instead open our awareness to all that is right in our world, all that we are grateful for, and all the good that we are. We focus, with positive intention, on all that we are creating and becoming... in the now. And we let go of rushing and being outcome focused, and instead become satisfied with the journey and our evolutionary process, however long and in what ever shape and manner that needs to unfold. We welcome the miracle of external synchronicity that follows internal synchronicity. It is that outcome, that in itself becomes empowering and accelerates our own evolution, perhaps by quantum leaps. So with that, I wish you a Happy New Year's Evolution! May your year unfold in such a way that you believe, without question, that the great Spiritual force outside of you is working right along with the great spiritual force inside of you.
This month I chose a card from Cheryl Richardson's "Self-Care Cards". (On the link provided, 12 of her gorgeous 52 cards are available to send as e-postcards at no cost.) Card Name: "Time"
Back of the Card: You deserve time for your life.
This month's audio message: Exclusive access to subscribers only - please subscribe here!
Thanks to Keith from Australia for recommending this one! Want to find out more about yourself with numerology? Try: Interested in the Law of Attraction, Positive Thinking, Creating, Faith and more? I stumbled onto this unbelievable gold mine of a site awhile back, where there are over 100 e-books... at no cost!! This includes such greats as: Bob Proctor's "You Were Born Rich", James Allen's "As A Man Thinketh", Khalil Gibran's "The Propher", Ernest Holmes "The Science of Mind", Mark Victor Hansen's "The Miracle of Tithing", Brian Tracy's "Success Through Goal Setting", Dan Brown's "Davinci Code", Napoleon Hill's "The Laws of Success", and on and on the list goes! This should keep us busy all year! www.universallawstoday.com/ebooklists.html
Please visit my website to see my current schedule. Please note that my workshops have been temporarily reduced as I finish my book.
If you have a question that relates to personal or professional development (internal, external, or spiritual), life coaching, employment counseling, my book (see About the Book web page), the website, or topics you'd like to see covered in upcoming editions, please send me an email.
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Thank you so much everyone for the very meaningful holiday wishes you sent!
Thank you for reading and listening everyone! Feel free to drop me a line at: brenda@brendablackburn.com. I look forward to your comments! You're my inspiration! 'Till next month....
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In This Issue • Podcast Brenda's Blog Brenda's Book Brenda's book is due to be released in the New Year! Stay tuned to her website and this newsletter for new information and events! Contest Every month a new subscriber will be chosen to win a signed edition of Brenda's new book when released! |
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During December, my husband and I took a wonderful trip to 
I enjoy learning about various spiritual practices, and was thrilled to be in Mexico during December to experience the culturally significant Festival of Guadalupe (the Virgin Mary). This celebration commemorates the account of the Virgin Mary's appearances to Juan Diego, an Indian shepherd, on the hill of Tepeyac (former sanctuary of an Aztec goddess), near what is now known as Mexico City, on December 9-12, 1531.
On December 12, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac, where Mary appeared to him once more. She told him to collect flowers from the top of the dry and barren hill, where nothing grew but cactus. But when he arrived, he was surprised to find beautiful Castilian roses. As instructed, he gathered them in his cloak and brought them to the Bishop.
When we arrived in old downtown, they were in the midst of preparation for the main event day (December 12), putting up brightly colored piñatas and streamers throughout the town, as well as preparing huge amounts of food, right in the streets and on the side roads, for the upcoming feast. There were shrines to the Virgin Mary everywhere; on street corners, alleyways, in the market, or at the bottom of the many staircases that climb the hills to residences. From elaborate decorations including artwork or statues of the Blessed Mother, along with offerings of flowers or food, to pictures with simple Christmas decorations in the windows of the most modest and impoverished of homes.
Later that week, we ventured with a tour guide to the state capital city of Colima (same name as the state). In contrast to Manzanillo, Colima appeared to be quite prosperous, pristine, and rich with beautiful architecture. As soon as we began our departure from a parking lot, we were ecstatic to have walked right up to the beginning of a processional parade of bishops, alter boys, and what appeared to be seminary students around the jardin (garden square) in front of the 
Nativity scenes were scattered throughout the town, with the largest we saw being almost life size (photo here), in front of the Government Palace (which we toured and was beautiful) beside the Basilica. Our tour guide asked if we noticed anything unusual about them, and on first glance we didn't. He asked us to go closer and pointed out that there was no baby in the manger! (Interestingly, we later looked at the nativity scene our resort had put up the night before, and sure enough... no baby!) As it turns out, in Mexico, Baby Jesus does not get placed into the manger early, because he wasn't born yet! Makes sense doesn't it?! After Posadas (the reenactment in the streets of Mary and Joseph's search for shelter in Bethlehem - Dec. 16-24th), it is a sacred tradition that throughout Mexico, Baby Jesus is placed in the manger on Christmas Eve, the shepherd in the days to follow, and on January 5th the wise men are added. 
I have a bit of a different spin on New Year's "resolutions". It's not that I don't think they're important, or that I don't appreciate their validity – I do. However, the fact of the matter is that I think that the word "resolution" has a very subtle and subliminal undertone of negative resonance.
This month's chosen web submission comes from Keith, Career Journeys Australia, from Melbourne, Australia, a fellow Employment Counselor touching base from down under! Our emails have been going back and forth, so there are too many details to simplify here, but I chose his submission this month because I always enjoy networking with other industry professionals and welcome your questions and emails! Keep them coming!
THANK YOU!
