Is it your anniversary today?

Welcome to ‘Lighting Up’, Linda’s new series to explore the richness of Lighting Candles to Connect in our Hearts.

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Here’s what I cover in this blog post:

A Short Intro to my new Lighting Up series
Future themes coming in this series
Starting off with ‘anniversaries’. Which ones are critical for you?
One special anniversary I almost missed this year
Invitation for diving deeper with Five Questions
Summary

Intro to Lighting Up Series

Lighting a candle is a universal act! Don’t you think almost every single person in the world has either lit or watched a candle being lit? We light candles for everything. From birth to death and everything in between.

Have you ever taken notice of when you light candles through the whole year? That’s what this series is for.

An opportunity to engage in the who, what, when, where and why you mark, honour, mourn, celebrate what moves you to tears, joy, silence.

Lighting a candle sets our intention to pay attention! It’s an opportunity to reflect, remind and connect ourselves, whether individually, as well as in our families and communities, with what and who we value in our lives, whether past, present or coming from the future.

Lots to discover! Ready?

I hope you will join in, make your list and share when you light candles!

Future themes in Lighting Up Series:

Anniversaries
Personal Rituals,
Holy Days & Holidays,
Seasons & the Cosmos (Earth-Sun-Moon-Planets-Stars),
Death & Dying,
Décor/Personal Space,
Silence of the Heart

Any themes missing? Let me know!

First off will be Anniversaries.

Marking Anniversaries

What anniversaries do you honour every year?

Create your own list and ask yourself:

• Which anniversaries are essential?
• Which ones do you light a candle for?

As you begin your own list of anniversaries, consider asking your friends and family on what stirs them to light candles. Be gentle with both yourself and others. Stories of our candle lighting moments can be very tender.

Linda’s initial anniversary list

Which ones resonate for you? When do you light a candle? Which other ones would you like to light a candle for?

• Wedding Anniversary – your own/others

• Your parents’, even grandparents’ wedding anniversary

• the Death Day of someone you care a lot about

• Moving to or leaving your country/city/home

• Births and Birthdays, Adoptions

• Graduations – own/others

• Retirements-own/others

• What else?

One special Anniversary I almost missed this year

April 4, 1956

60 years ago, I arrived with my mom and dad in Niagara-on-the-Lake Ontario Canada after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from England on Cunard’s ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth, after landing in New York City. I was three years old. I don’t remember a thing. Not one.

Yet this date seems to grow in importance. Each year my heart feels gladdened.
This year I have been lighting candles for days and days.
A feeling of expectancy as something was waiting to be uncovered or discovered or even to be set free.
On that particular day, a question flowed out of me, as clear as day: What is my ‘new land’ now?

I simply laughed out loud. What a crazy question! And yet….very relevant.

What a journey it has been. And is. And will be still. Finding voice, finding colour, finding bees and candles. Finding new words. Finding aliveness, joy. Finding lots of maya too. Perhaps , even a new ‘boat’. Courage of heart.

What anniversary are you turning towards this year, that is also turning towards you too?

Five questions to go deeper:

How did a particular anniversary begin?
Why has this anniversary been important to me?
How do I feel about it this year?
What else is this anniversary about for me?
What new light, question, direction, word, gesture is coming towards me?

By the way, please share if it feels good to do so. Just let me know if you prefer to share privately and don’t want it published on my blog.

Bee-well
Linda

In Summary:

Start by taking 30 minutes and make your own list of all the anniversaries you want to honour this year – include those you have already. I invite you to delve deeper into one that means a lot to you. Perhaps it is a recent anniversary, or one that has been returning for many years. What is new this year as you turn towards it and it turns towards you? Here’s a thought:  Light a candle for your 30 minutes!

If a friend has forwarded you this blog post and you like what you read here, don’t miss the next one. Sign up for my email list here: www.candlesconnectinghearts.com