Hello Everyone,
We're sending this a little early this month so we could wish you Happy Holidays close to when they're actually happening. We meant to send this Christmas Eve but, oops!, no Internet connection, so we wrote it then and sent it today. Life in the Arizona desert has been a bit more disrupting than expected. We're still connected, still in business, but still in process with the transitions and changes we've been needing to make.
Seems like a lot of people are going through personal challenges right now but the Winter Solstice / Christmas / New Year's transition is a good time to be doing this kind of work. The dark time of the year--the time when many woodland animals retreat to their dens to sleep out the winter--is the traditional time reserved for inner contemplation, quiet, letting go of the past (death of the old vegetation), and making plans and new resolutions for the futures we want to bring forth. This year, more than anything else, most of us are looking at the events of this previous year and thinking about the next with a combination of awe (our first Black president was elected to office) and fear (worldwide economic shakedown). A challenging time, a time to go forward with deep resolve.
The two of us have temporarily moved to a place where we are literally surrounded by miles of juniper trees in every direction. That's what grows out here and very little of anything else (besides a few grasses and an occasional cactus). But the juniper trees are abundant and, being very interested in flower essences and aromatherapy, Sheryl was recently compelled to look into what juniper trees are good for.
Juniper trees have many medicinal and spiritual uses but, most significantly, the essential oil is a very effective tool for uplifting the spirits in the most challenging situations. Juniper berry oil powerfully dispels negativity, so much so that the local native tribes used to carry the berries in medicine pouches to provide protection whenever they went on a difficult journey. The tree is also, in some cases, the perfect image of a full and bushy Christmas Tree. Evergreen and loaded with berries they attract and provide sustenance for winter birds while the local rabbits, antelope and desert packrats find shelter underneath. It provides sanctuary -- the only sanctuary for wildlife-- in the high Arizona desert and is a lovely example of why the evergreen tree is to this day the most beloved of Christmas symbols.
We can't send you all a package of juniper berries to warm your spirits in the new year but we do send you the gift of one of Paul's photos of a bell in the junipers here instead. Imagine it ringing with thoughts of good cheer and best wishes for our collective well-being in the coming year.
Love,
Sheryl and Paul
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THE SOLSTICE EVERGREEN
Sheryl's first book, The Solstice Evergreen, about the origin, history and folklore of the Christmas Tree, is still available via her author website at http://www.sherylkaras.com . A little late for this Christmas but still a good read any time of year.
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MANIFESTING LIFE PURPOSE, ABUNDANT PROSPERITY, AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER GOOD THINGS
We'd love to help you with all these things through a series of spiritual counseling and healing sessions with us... 5 sessions for $400 (that's one session for free). Pay through the Donate Now button at the bottom of the page at http://www.healingcommunication.com and let us know when you'd like your sessions to be.
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SESSIONS IN SEDONA
We'll be in Sedona for a few days starting January 3rd. If anyone on this list plans to be in the area or has friends there, we'll be available for sessions while we're there and would welcome opportunities to meet with people who could introduce us to the local scene.
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SESSIONS BY TELEPHONE
Until we get our Internet woes worked out (our local hosts are on a very slow and sometimes undependable dial-up) we'll need an extra day or two to work out times for sessions but we're still doing them via telephone (we call you after a time and payment via our website is arranged).
Sessions cost $100 an hour, $150 for an hour and a half, or 5 1-hour sessions for $400
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