Increase Your Light
Your story matters. Now is the time to create
Dear Friend,
Feeling a bit off-kilter and cranky what with the daylight savings time change? I’m with you. If you’re up reading around 2 AM tonight, send me a telepathic message. I’ll be there. Get out and be in nature as you can today–that can help. Do something nice for yourself, maybe something special you wouldn’t normally do. And make time to create.
This world we’re living in is very dark right now, I don’t have to tell you more about that.
Creative expression is a way to bring light into the world.
Tell your story.
However you can.
Each of us feeling heartbroken or feeling scared by policy changes has a story to tell.
Share yours here with us–drop it in the comments section. Send your story to friends and encourage them to write their own story. Maybe you write an editorial. Or record your story as a short video and share on social media or with people you care about.
When you release the story of your fear, sadness and concern, you ignite light in the world.
Creating is a way to enact your power. I love this quote from Rev. Matthew Fox:
Spring is almost here. Daylight increases; watching the transformation in the natural world can inspire us. Life is waking up.
Stories inside of you are ready to be born.
Tell them. Tell them. Increase the light.
Writing Practice: Set aside 5-7 minutes for this practice. Write in a journal or open a ‘Journey with The Season’ document where you can return each Sunday.
Prompt: A few ways in to inspire your story about how what’s happening in the world is impacting you:
Start with a powerful woman: It’s Women’s History Month, so this approach is timely. Each of us has an ancestor in our family who was impacted by misogynistic laws: women who couldn’t get a divorce, access to birth control, a mortgage, an education…whatever her particular story was. What do you know about her? How did she persist? What would you wish for her? How will you stand up, in memory of what she endured?
Or begin with what’s impacting you directly: Are you a parent concerned about education laws? A writer concerned about book bans? A member of the LGBTQ+ community concerned about threats to your rights? A person concerned that your social security checks are in danger? Someone who loves visiting national parks worried about having a clean bathroom to pee in? Whatever it is…YOU have a story. Describe how what is happening around us impacts your life.
Or write with empathy: If you feel like there isn’t anything directly impacting your life, tell the story of your care and your concern for others. THAT is also a powerful story!
I’d love to read your expressions and also encourage you to share what came up for you in the comments. Keep writing, keep creating!
Spiritual Practice for the week ahead: When you feel defeated by the world, write. When you feel there is no hope, write. When your heart breaks, write. When you feel no one is listening, write. When you feel like nothing matters, write.
Wishing you a week of tapping into your powerful creative light–and sharing it with the world! With much love, Gabrielle Ariella
Friends, I am so happy to share that my Spiritual Direction practice is open!
Spiritual Direction is the practice of deep listening to your inner voice, noticing the sacred in everyday moments and making meaning from your unique life.
Think of it as check-up for your soul.
As a Spiritual Director, I’m present to companion you, listen deeply and offer questions to support your discernment and growth.
Curious about the benefits of spiritual direction? Let’s have a conversation. Learn more with my FAQs.
This is the first, the wildest, and the wisest thing I know:
that the soul exists and is built entirely out of attentiveness.
–Mary Oliver