Candles are often lit during the Christmas season, both in our homes and churches. The warm flicker of the flame is fascinating to watch. Many people describe a sense of peace, calm or sanctuary in watching candle light. The light also gives us a sense of connection to each other and to spirit.  Christmas Eve is often a time for candle light services in which every person in the audience holds a lit candle when singing Silent Night. There is a hush as if the world stands still in reverence for just a few moments.  If you watch this audience, some people will be totally absorbed in the wonder of these moments and you may even see tears.  Others will be singing a song, oblivious of the sacred significance of the candle light and its connection to the flame that yearns to burn in their own hearts.

I.M. Heart wants you to give yourself a gift this Christmas. Open your hearts to the candle light of spirit. Light this flame in your heart and allow it to be with you.  In Feeling the Holidays, the prior blog, I.M. Heart wrote about all the variety of feelings that come to us with the holidays.  We feel a whole range of joys, sorrows and anxieties. We don’t know what to do with them.  A reader of the last blog asked I.M. to follow-up with more ideas, so the following are some options for you to consider.

Let’s begin with each of us.  Each morning or evening, close your eyes and be still and quiet. Just let the noise and chatter move on through your mind – and instead focus on your heart. See in your heart a lit candle. Just see it glowing and flickering – sometimes higher and sometimes low. Feel the warmth, love and calm as you connect with this light. This is your light, your energy, your connection to spirit.  It is always there.  As you move through the day, invite it to shine bright, and in those moments when fear grabs you – go back to this flame and focus on it.

Should you have to be around a negative person or in an unpleasant situation, see yourself being wrapped in a blanket of light – just like the candle flame in your heart.  Wrap yourself in this bubble of light and see it protecting you from the negative vibes coming your way. Let these bounce off your bubble of light and float away. You can’t change other people, but you can wrap yourself in a bubble and let others words and actions bounce off  you.   You can also set your own boundaries, and when you bubble has been dented enough, you can remove yourself from the situation, for a short period or a longer one – so that you can re-nurture yourself in the light.

Finally, use this candle flame to send an umbrella of light into a home, room or any space where you are going to spend some time. How do you do this? First connect to your own light, and ask spirit to join with you in filling this space with loving energy. See the room filled with glowing golden light. You will know you are connected in your heart and the room is filled with light.  Some people will sense this and others will not.  That’s ok, this light is there for anyone who chooses it.

The candle flame will change in brightness. Don’t be concerned.  It is still there — let it glow the best you can. It will grow brighter the more you allow it.  Just allow it to shine. Grow in faith in the candle light within.