This article first appeared in my newsletter December 22, 2016.  Click here to sign up to receive my online newsletter.

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An early morning vision

At this season which is sacred in many traditions, we sometimes yearn for peace.
On this day, just past the winter solstice, we can celebrate the return of the light.
These two conditions remind me of one of my favorite visualizations – building bridges of light.

In LaUna Huffines’ book called Bridge of Light: Tools of Light for Spiritual Transformation, she describes this visualization, which I have used over and over since I first read it a few decades ago. It always lifts my spirit and calms my energy.

1. Sit in a comfortable position, relax and take a few deep breaths. Close your eyes, drop your shoulders, relax your jaw.
2. Think of a kind of energy you would like to feel right now – peace, love, joy, courage, compassion – whatever you would most like to experience in this moment.
3. Imagine that you are looking out into space, and you can see the place, somewhere in the cosmos, where the source of that energy lives.
4. Imagine that rays of light are coming from the source of that energy, right into your heart. Imagine those rays continuing to come into your heart until you have created a bridge of light between the source of that energy and your heart.
5. Imagine that your heart, and then your entire body and mind are flooded with that energy.
6. Now imagine that you walk across the bridge into the source of that energy, and are immersed in it.
7. Imagine that you come back to your heart, your body, your mind and the physical space that you are now in, and you bring back that energy so you can radiate it wherever you go on this day.
8. Take a few more deep breaths, smile, open your eyes and enjoy whatever comes next.

With love to you and yours in this holiday season.