4 Ways For Women Spiritual Leaders To Experience An Advent In Your Life And In Your Practice
Today, the first Sunday in Advent, we celebrate with our Christian friends who look toward the “coming” of the birth of Jesus. Although largely symbolic considering that Jesus has been born, there are those within Christianity who anticipate the second advent, or coming of Jesus.
Each Sunday preceding Christmas is marked with the lighting of an “advent” candle; four in all, usually contained within a wreath or other shapes of evergreens. Advent is considered to be the start of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The celebration is alive with tradition, from the colors of the candles and the banners within the churches and raiment worn by clergy and other spiritual leaders, to the hymns and in songs sung by choirs and congregations alike. The air is expectant, and the congregants eagerly look forward to the culmination of the festivities in the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas morning.
For those of us women who are spiritual leaders in our respective religious communities; for those of us who have solo or partnership practices as spiritual counselors, energy and other holistic healers; and for those of us who are feeling the flames of longing to birth our own entities, “advent” could be pregnant with enormous meaning. In order to “birth” whatever it is in each of us, I offer the following:
1. Each Sunday of this “advent” season, or other day of your choosing, commit to spending time cultivating your spiritual roots. Whether it be in prayer, meditation, chanting, yoga, singing, drumming, dancing, being in nature, studying in your tradition, or writing… the very idea that you have committed to and have actually created an outlet and time for it, will alter your mindset and your attitude.
2. Each Sunday of this “advent” season, or other day of your choosing, commit to spending time contemplating your goals in anticipation of 2010. In order to be effective and successful women spiritual leaders, we need the direction that is contained within the framework of goal setting. For those of us who depend upon the guidance that comes from our spiritual practice, being aware of our goals keeps us alert to the opportunities that may appear at any time and place.
3. Each Sunday of this “advent” season, or other day of your choosing, commit to spending time evaluating where you spend your energies. Are you, like most, spending time on the 80% of your activities that produce 20% of the results? Or have you, like other successful women spiritual leaders, cultivated the art of identifying which 20% of your activities produce the 80% of results? It is not difficult to achieve… it takes the willingness to look at the big picture and to seek help in learning the tools…
4. Lastly… each Sunday of this “advent” season, or other day of your choosing, commit to spending time “weeding out”; letting go of what is no longer working in your life and/or in your practice. As women, and as spiritual leaders, we each know what that means in our own lives. As natural born intuitives, we know what needs to be examined in light of its usefulness and contribution to our lives and/or our practices. As women, and as spiritual leaders, we often feel that in letting go of that part of our practice/business that is no longer effective, or that relationship/s that is draining us of energy, we may inadvertently hurt people by our decisions to “let go”. And… it is likely that people may be hurt by our decision to “let go”. And therein lies the meaning, for me, of “advent”. When we “let go”, it allows for whatever it is to be born… in us, and, if they so choose, the people who may be affected by our “letting go”.
May each and every one of us as women spiritual leaders experience this time of advent… expectancy… as a time of dedication to our spiritual paths, to identifying and to committing to goal setting, of evaluating our lives and practices for the “80-20” concept, and to intuiting/examining our lives and practices for what needs to be “let go”.
This article was written by Rev. Ruth Reiner, an ordained Inter Faith minister, spiritual counselor, coach, nurse, former wife, mother, grandmother and entrepreneur.
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Tags: Advent, Christianity, Life Balance, Minister, Ministry, Self-care, Women Spiritual Leaders
December 8th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Thank you for guiding me to your website, Ruth. Blessings to each of you….. Will share with other women in my life. Darcy