Nurture Loving Connection with your Kindred Spirits

"When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace.”

~Dalai Lama

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This is a season of love, a time to honor the beautiful completeness of one's Self, as well as the loving connections we treasure with the kindred spirits amongst our friends, family, and partners.

We observe the joy that arises when we are less focused on receiving from the outside, and more intent on awakening the inner light of our own loving natures.

Here are some inspirations for celebrating the little things, embodying love, and sharing in the sweetness of this season.

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Send a postcard or write a letter to a loved one far away

If you are inspired to do so, enclose a little present with your letter:

~a packet of your favorite tea
~seeds for their garden
~a pressed flower, leaf, or fragrant herb
~a beautiful image from a magazine or a colorful piece of paper to use as a bookmark
~try your hand at calligraphy, write out a favorite quote or poem on a piece of paper, color or decorate as desired. As with all of these ideas, the goal is not to achieve perfection, it is to express intention and care.

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Reach out and make plans to share a small treat with someone you care about

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Even if it is just for 20 minutes, dedicating a portion of time to each other is the greatest gift, and brings much happiness. Need ideas? You can...

~Take a walk in the park, on a trail or bike-path, or in a picturesque neighborhood
~Share a cup of tea, in your home or in a favorite café. Sit outside in the fresh air if you can.
~Pay a visit to a flower shop and find out the names of your favorite flowers.
~Sit somewhere peaceful, light a candle and take turns reading poems out loud, or pick a book and take turns reading passages from it. You could make it a game, flipping through at random and reading wherever your eye lands.
~If your special someone is a child, your treat could be reading a story together or going outside to lie on the grass and cloud-gaze.
~If you are reaching out to an elder, consider what would be the most relaxing and enjoyable for them.

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Connect with your kindred spirits by planning a phone call

Choose a time (schedule it as far ahead as you need to, and look forward to it) when you can give each other your full attention, catch up, and re-connect.

~Think about fun, surprising, or meaningful questions you would like to ask
~Focus on drawing them out of their shell, by listening closely
~Cultivate joy in your conversations by offering stories of beautiful things you've seen, or kind things people have done, or times you felt grateful.
~Ask your kindred spirits about their own experiences of beauty, kindness, and gratitude.

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Decorate your altar with items that represent love to YOU.

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~Light a candle: Red, pink, purple, lavender, white

~Choose a crystal: Rose quartz, garnet, pink tourmaline, amethyst‍

~Pick your Incense: Jasmine, rose, lavender, patchouli, sandalwood
Flowers

~Find a flower blossom: Rose, tulips, orchid, lily, geraniums, carnation, pear blossoms

~EWF

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“A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.”

~John O'Donohue, Anam Cara

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“When you send that love out from the bountifulness of your own love, it reaches other people. This love is the deepest power of prayer.”

~John O'Donohue, Anam Cara