I write this under the light of the Cancer Full Moon on the evening following the Winter Solstice here in New York. Cancer, the nurturing mother of the zodiac brings her energy to us just as those of us who are Christian are lighting the candle of Peace.
I was blessed to visit New York City this week. As my friend and I walked down 5th Avenue looking in windows, I was struck by a sense of quiet peace. This is something I am working to cultivate. My life was very busy this year, new classes, new clients, new musical projects and the SHINE! book project kept me on my toes all year. The down side of all this awesomeness is that being in a constant state of forward motion doesn’t allow for much time to just “be”.
And so I was. It was my pleasure to “be” as my friend graciously took on the role of tour guide. Together we walked through the holiday bazaar in Central Park then visited Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, where we were happily surprised to find a choir singing! Little did I realize that a few moments later I would notice a dear friend and former student among them! Talk about synchronicity!
We wandered over to see the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center and do some more window gazing then headed over to The New York Public Library and beautifully renovated Grand Central Station, for more holiday wonders and dinner at The Oyster Bar! Sitting at the dinner counter, taking in the ambiance of Early 20th Century New York City, I reveled in the spirit of the season.
My favorite of all the sites we took in were the windows at Macy’s. They were the old fashioned type I remember from my own childhood. There were snow-people traveling through space to rescue Santa, Santa personas from around the world and my ultimate favorite, the window reflections recalling the editorial message, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.”
It seems these days that some are in a hurry to squash the mysteries of life. Santa, has his place as a symbol of hope, joy, love and peace and deserves to hold it as long as each heart wants. I still believe in Santa!
After dinner, we traveled by subway to The Public Theater to see Glenn Close in one of the final performances of The Mother of The Maid. Ms. Close’s performance was mesmerizing. There is no other word to describe it.
This is the story of St. Joan of Arc as told from her mother’s perspective. St. Joan and her mother were both powerful women. As portrayed in the story, they are both voices for truth. Joan stands by her word and her faith even when the threat of death is eminent. She knows who she is and is at peace amidst the chaos and cruelty that surrounds her in prison.
St. Joan’s mother, Isabelle, is shown as a woman of tremendous strength and faith herself. She once traveled 300 miles, on foot, to see her daughter. After St. Joan’s death, Isabelle remained her champion, she learned to read and to write, she began to speak out against the injustice suffered by her daughter. She earned such regard that she was granted an audience with The Pope and successfully argued that her daughter’s conviction as a heretic be overturned.
Isabelle, did not do this alone. She had teachers, guides, friends along the way supporting her in freeing her voice and transforming not only her life but the legacy of her daughter. Many of my clients seek me out because they need help freeing their voices so they can be heard in a noisy world, be it for singing, speaking professionally, or speaking up for themselves and those they love.
Most of us have been discouraged from following our dreams at some point, we’ve been admonished to “quiet down”, we’ve been told that no one wants to listen to what we have to say and to this I say, “Bah, humbug!”
Isabelle and Joan lived in dark times. Parts of our world are experiencing dark times again now. We each must know, who we are and what we stand for, then in that space of inner peace, inner being, inner knowing, we need to stand up. If you seek help being heard in a noisy world, please get in touch, I’d love to be of service.
May the Peace of the Season remain with you throughout the coming year!
