Preparing for the Light

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Hey Miracle-Maker, Welcome to Newsletter #8!
Spoiler alert: I’m pregnant—and so are you. Not with babies, but with the miraculous gestating within us. It’s the darkest time of the year, but you’ll be shining brightly after reading today’s newsletter. Let’s give birth to fresh inspiration!

IN TODAY’S EDITION

• Community Opportunity: Paid Board Member Position

• Holistic Spotlight: We’re all Pregnant: Preparing for the Light

• Offer of the Week: Vintage Wrapping Paper

• What's Happening This Week: Events to calm and nourish

• Referral Program: Help Our Audience Grow; Get a birthday shout-out

• Your Healing Minute: Preparing for the Miracle: A Personal Reflection

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HOLISTIC SPOTLIGHT

We are All Pregnant: Preparing for the Light

I had my ovaries removed several years ago when large, metastatic tumors grew on both of them. Yet here I am, pregnant with a miracle within me. And so are you.

It’s December. It’s cold. We’re quickly approaching the longest night of the year. Perhaps, like me, you have been experiencing a growing heaviness. One that settles in your core and whispers, “stay here in the dark.”

Advent is a season of waiting in the dark. Not with despair, not with resignation, but with intention and with our whole heart. It’s about preparing for the coming birth of Christ within us. The darkness, as uncomfortable as it can feel, is the substrate from which light is born.

I consider myself a bit of an expert on depression. I’m not a doctor or a therapist, but I have hosted my dark companion, intimately, for decades. Through battles that landed me in a psych-ward and white flags of exhausted surrender, I’ve come to see depression as a tight womb, a heavy fertile soil from which divine light eventually emerges.

Just as seeds require darkness and pressure to germinate, so too do the seeds of our inner potential. In the darkness, light is manifesting. New life is gestating. 

Deeper compassion

Radical self-understanding

Resilience beyond expectation

Spiritual awareness

Integrated shadow aspects

Authentic soul-aligned purpose

Advent asks us to wait. But it is not a passive waiting. Like in pregnancy, while we wait, we prepare, we protect, and we trust. 

You are the gardener. You cannot force the seed to sprout, but you can prepare the soil, remove the obstacles, and protect the emerging potential. 

But the actual miracle that is born? That's beyond your direct control. That belongs to an intelligent, creative life force some call God, others call Nature, others call Consciousness.

This Advent, I am waiting for the divine potential to be born within me, intentionally. In the dark. And I invite you to do the same.

WHAT’S HAPPENING THIS WEEK

Wellness Related Events Around Town

🫁 Healing Breathwork | Dec. 9 from 1 - 2:15 pm | Online over Zoom

Join us for a 75-minute online session of Soul Dimension Breathing, focused on addressing healing needs. With a deep focus on healing breathwork techniques, these sessions offer a powerful tool for healing and transformation at physical and emotional levels. You will learn how to use your breath to release emotional blocks, and accelerate the physical and emotional healing processes, and receive guidance to address your unique healing needs. More information and registration here.

🔔 Healing Sound Bath | Dec. 12 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm | Randallstown Community Center, Randallstown

Let the soothing sounds wash over your mind and body, providing a blissful escape from life's daily hustles and bustles. Immerse yourself in a harmonious atmosphere as expert sound healer Cinnamon Brown will guide you through a sonic journey, using various instruments and frequencies to help restore balance to your mind, body, and spirit. No prior experience is necessary – just bring yourself and an open mind. More information & registration here.

🥁 Healers in Playful Community | Dec. 13 from 2-4 pm | Patapsco Valley State Park - Hilton Area, Catonsville

Join us for a day of healing and fun at Patapsco Valley State Park. This in-person event is a great opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals and explore various healing practices. Whether you're a seasoned healer or just starting your journey, this event offers a safe and supportive space to connect, play, and grow. We'll be outside, rain or shine, so we can embrace nature and feel more connected. Shelter #245 (by the entrance to the camping area). More details & registration here.

🎄 Holiday Wellness Market and End of Year Celebration | Dec 14 from 9-11 am | The Collective, Annapolis

Celebrate with The Emotional Fitness Studio's end-of-year Event! Enjoy a holiday wellness market featuring local vendors, mental health resources, delicious food samples, a community meet-and-greet, and a raffle. Discover meaningful wellness gifts and connect with experts. Free admission, 9–11 AM. For questions, contact Maria at 703-338-0017. More details here.

🎨 Self-Care Through Art Exhibition Holiday Special | Dec. 15 from 2-7 pm | Harbor Place Pavilion 301, Baltimore

Experience a Two-Part Interactive Event/Exhibition: “Self-Care through Art” exhibition. It begins with sound meditation, followed by a keynote speaker and artists panel discussion on mental health awareness and the importance of self-care. After the discussion, participants will engage in a creative art activity to explore how art can heal the body and mind. A shuttle will then transport attendees to Little Italy for the exhibition, where they will interact with artists and enjoy dinner and wine. Don’t miss this opportunity to enhance your well-being through art and community! More information and registration here.

YOUR HEALING MINUTE

Preparing for the Miracle: A Personal Reflection

Take a quiet moment to reflect on this question:
What might be growing within me this season of darkness, even if I can’t see it yet?

Consider:

• What qualities—like compassion, resilience, or clarity—might be preparing to emerge in my life?

• How can I create space in my heart and mind to welcome this growth, even if I don’t fully understand it yet?

• What would it feel like to trust that the seeds planted in the dark will bloom in their own time?

Reply to this email and share your reflections with me and our community, if you feel inspired. I would love to read them! Let’s encourage each other to trust the mysterious, sacred process of transformation happening in the fertile soil of our lives.

That’s all for today’s newsletter. Be well!

Until next time,