Holidays | 5 Tips for Spiritually Thriving During Holidays

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Earth surrounded by symbols of different religions — Holidays Are Celebrated by Many Religions

How was this message received?

The following message is from a group of entities who refer to themselves as my Council of 12. It was communicated to me using automatic writing, which is a form of channeling. The Council of 12 guide my work as a spiritual teacher and provide information that is useful to humanity.

NOTE: If you are NOT familiar with channeling, I recommend the following article: What Is Channeling and Are There Different Types of Channeling?

Channeled message from Dr. Anne’s Council of 12

Greetings!

We are Anne’s Council of 12, and we are a group of non-physical entities that work with Anne.

Today, we would like to provide several concrete suggestions regarding how to not just survive during holidays but thrive.

Although we understand that holidays are often stressful times, it is our hope that one or more of the following recommendations will help you put the “spirit” back into any holiday season.

RECOMMENDATION #1 – Use your breath

The word “spirit” comes from the Latin word “spiritus,” which means breath. Therefore, our first piece of advice is to remember to BREATHE.

This is such a simple but easily forgotten action. It takes just a few seconds. Whenever you think of it, here are two different breathing techniques that you might want to try:

TECHNIQUE #1: Take a deep breath into your belly and then slowly exhale through your open mouth, as if you are blowing out a candle.
- NOTE: If you can, have you tongue gently touching the roof of your mouth to help connect all of your chakras.
TECHNIQUE #2: You can breathe in for a count of 5 and breathe out for a count of 5. This will synchronize your heart to the pulse of the Universe and the Divine.

Even taking one deep breath every few hours will (a) help you feel more relaxed and (b) support you in effectively dealing with whatever comes up.

RECOMMENDATION #2 – Seek inspiration

The word “spirit” can also be interpreted to mean to be “inspired” or to be “in spirit.” Make sure you include a few activities that connect you with the sacredness of any holiday.

Different holidays are associated with different activities, and each family has different preferences. We aren’t here to recommend any specific activity. Anything is fine! Here are a few possible ideas:

Attending a service at your church.
Making cookies for distant relatives and friends.
Volunteering at the local homeless shelter or rescue mission.
Making home-made decorations with your kids.
At Christmas time, it might be walking through a neighborhood well-lit with Christmas lights.

What you choose to do doesn’t need to be complicated or even out of your ordinary holiday activities. Just make sure that you shift your focus from something that you “have” to do to something that reminds you that life is sacred and that in some way connects you with the Divine.

RECOMMENDATION #3 – Prioritize your activities

Many of you have “To-do Lists” that are several pages long. We suggest that you take 10 minutes to do the following.

NOTES: (a) Yes, we realize that 10 minutes might feel like at lot if you are feeling overwhelmed, but it will save you time in the long run. (b) This exercise is better completed on a computer so you can move items around (i.e., cut and paste).

STEP #1: Quickly (and briefly) type out all the major tasks you need or want to do during this holiday. The descriptions can be very brief (e.g., call Uncle Ted, make decorations with kids). As long as you know what the item means, that’s all that matters.
STEP #2: Now comes the hard part. Rank-order all the items on the list. Force yourself to only put 1 item in each position. At the top will be those tasks that you LOVE doing, WANT to do, and feel INSPIRED to do. Toward the bottom will be those tasks that you don’t really want to do, feel obligated to do, and/or only do because it’s “tradition.” This exercise can be both difficult and enlightening. You may find that what you thought would be at the top of the list is at the bottom, or vice versa.
- A TRICK: Some of the things on your list will be “have to’s,” such as attending the holiday show at your children’s school. With tasks like this, we recommend that you re-frame them to “want to’s” or “get to’s.” For example, you may feel that you “have to” attend the school event and would rather be using that time in other ways. However, you probably “want to” see your children smile when they see you in the audience, and you probably will be filled with joy when you “get to” let your child know that he or she is loved beyond measure.
STEP #3: Next, take your rank-ordered list and start assigning items to certain days. Again, this could be hard to do. It’s very important to be realistic about how many items you assign per day. If you run out of days, then the items at the bottom of the list shouldn’t be assigned.
- NOTE: The items that were not assigned can always be added to your schedule, but ONLY if you happen to have some extra time.

RECOMMENDATION #4 – Explore you family’s expectations

Within every family, certain holidays carry higher expectations than others. For example, in some families, the 4th of July is when EVERYONE in the family is expected to get together at Aunt Maria’s house in Tennessee. Or it could be that Christmas or Hanukkah has a list of “traditional” and expected activities.

Overall, these expectations are usually based on family history and/or images based on the media of what “should” happen. However, sometimes you do something to please someone that you care about. This can be rewarding, but there are times when these behaviors continue long after the person is no longer alive and the action no longer carries much meaning.

If you find expected activities enjoyable, then GREAT . . . carry on! However, if your family has these types of holiday-based expectations that no longer bring you joy, it may be time to call a “family meeting” and have an open dialogue. Be honest about how you are feeling, but also remain open to hearing how others feel.

Yes, some may resist some of your ideas, and there is the possibility that nothing will change. You always have the choice to not participate. But if you do take part, then use some of our other recommendations to shift your perspective.

There is also the possibility that some family members are totally on board but were afraid to say something. You may become the “family hero.”

RECOMMENDATION #5 – Have fun!

Our final piece of advice is to remember to have FUN! Even if you chose to do something that would be considered a “have to” or a “should,” be sure to set the intention to have fun.

Here’s a trick: Before the event, envision how you want the event to go. Play it out in your mind’s eye. Have everything go exactly as you would want it to go. How does it start; what happens during the event; how does it end? While doing this, make sure (a) you see yourself enjoying the event and (b) see yourself leaving the experience feeling fulfilled, joyful, and “inspired.” This is a technique that Abraham-Hicks calls “Pre-Paving.” People are often surprised that what they envision actually comes to pass (or at least good portions of it).

In conclusion

We hope at least some of our recommendations are helpful. Regardless of which holiday you will be celebrating, we hope it will be spirit-filled.

We send you our love!

The Council of 12

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By Anne Reith, Ph.D.

How to Spiritually Thrive During Any Holiday – A Channeled Message