As the holiday current starts to pick up, we can feel that familiar pull — the whirlwind of plans, expectations, and old patterns that can sweep us right out of ourselves if we’re not careful.
This season asks us to stay present to both worlds: the visible one, full of activity and motion, and the unseen one — the deeper pulse beneath it all, inviting stillness, reflection, and completion.
I’m writing from a family visit, and I notice how easy it is to lose my center — without my familiar ground of home, food, routines. It’s easy to merge with others’ rhythms, to slip into the swirl. My practice right now is simple: to remember my tools, to keep checking in with what feels truly nourishing, and to have patience and compassion with myself. I made the plans the best I could. Now I get to see how it actually works to visit someone I care about for two weeks (!)
When challenged, I can feel that tendency to be hard on myself, or get cranky, or wonder what others are thinking. Taking time to reflect and ground, to prep for check in conversations, to give myself grace for experimenting, has helped.
There are many traditions and past routines during the holidays. It’s OK to change things up, especially if life itself has changed over time, with the loss of loved ones, or health issues arising. As we head toward year’s end, see if you can pause often enough to ask:
What would feel nourishing right now?
What’s calling from the deeper side of life — the part that knows how to finish this year well?
As the holiday current starts to pick up, we’re asked to keep one foot in stillness. The world spins faster, but our souls crave slower. My morning walk, journaling, meditation – all of this helps me stay grounded while away – though I missed a few days. It’s a good time to check on how you’ll stay centered in the next couple of months, and how you’ll best honor the season.
Below are some important dates, Tools for the Road and a recent Channel to help you stay balanced between the worlds — clear, centered, and guided by what really matters.
Cosmos Calendar:
10/31/25 – All Hallows’ Eve / Halloween – what is called a cross quarter day, halfway between fall equinox and solstice. “The earth currents continue to sweep us inward, down through the gates of death, into the womb where wisdom gestates.”
11/1/25 – All Saint’s Day, Samhain (sounds like saa win) – originally the Celtic new year, when the harvest and hunting were complete, and it was time to sit around the fire and share stories. Samhain eve, the root of Halloween, saw people dressing in animal skins to honor the sacrifices that kept them fed and warm. It ‘honored the cycle of death and rebirth that is evident in the interconnectedness of all life.”
11/2/25 – All Soul’s Day – a day that is “celebrated … as a day for both remembering the dead and for celebrating the liberating aspects of death… (which) for the mystic who has dedicated his or her life to union with the Divine, it is a joyful celebration – the Marriage of the Spirit.”
Mercury Retrograde: Nov 9 – Nov 29
Quotes above are from
Pocketful of Miracles: Prayers, Meditations, and Affirmations to Nurture Your Spirit Every Day of the Year. Great daily prayer book!
Tools for the Road
1) THE STRESS PALETTE. I love it when the tools that are similar to those from my book, Stress to Strength, get named by those I respect. One tool I call the Stress Palette always helps keep perspective. In this tool, you list current stressors, and your big projects coming up – though it’s not a to do list per say – as well as any psychological stress in the background. So with my last month, my family trip was on the list, as well as the historical family dynamics that can be challenging.
Upon my return, the list will shift – instead of the prep for the upcoming trip, there will be the recovery from the trip. There will be prep for Thanksgiving plans. There will be regrouping to focus on the end of year business goals. The Stress Palette is fluid. A similar tool was mentioned by Cal Newport who had reviewed a Mel Robbins hack that she calls the mind dump. Cal suggests using this tool weekly to organize and name the goals for the week. It can also line up with quarterly and yearly goals. I agree! Weekly use would be great to stay on track with what’s important.
Here is a worksheet (fillable PDF) you can use for this tool.
Here is productivity and deep work guru Cal Newport’s recent podcast, The Ultimate Guide to Reinventing Yourself. The mind dump is the first of five tools he discusses in the first 45 minutes, and then he does into more detail on these in sharing his takeaways – check out his suggestions for how to strategically use the mind dump at 45 min.
2) The Body–Mind–Heart Alignment Meditation. Once you’ve done your mind dump, bring your goals or tasks through this simple check-in:
• How does my body feel when I think about this goal?
• What does my mind say about it?
• What does my heart know?
You might find that some goals light you up while others feel heavy or forced. The heart’s perspective helps you re-center around what’s truly aligned — not just what makes logical sense. This is also a great tool for checking in about holiday plans.
Here is an audio for the Body-mind-heart check in.
Channels
New Moon, October 21, 2025
Dear Light Balancers,
There is a line you are walking now, with the continuum amazing in its polarity — on one side, such beauty and heart-opening in the current days; on the other, the dark despair of watching the dismantling. It is hard to imagine how such a “shutdown” is necessary or workable for the long-term well-being of the locale and loved ones.
These are the outer waves of reality, as constant as those on your shores — always sounding, in their own rhythm of unraveling.
The teaching here is to be in the world, but not of the destruction cycle — to witness without being overcome.
We are reminded of a story from the Dogon tribe of Africa, where at funerals the people would wail and stomp their grief with drumming rituals. Gatekeepers stood watch to ensure participants didn’t follow the dead to the other side.
This is the work now — to stay grounded in your truth and find joy amidst the backdrop of pain and fear. Old survival programs and past-life fears are being triggered. These are ready for your healing focus.
This is the highest form of training: noticing the negativity bias, using your tools, and remembering — what am I supporting? What am I focusing on?
We love you and remind you that great love and support are just around the corner of your awareness. All it takes is a few seconds of stillness to reconnect with that beacon beyond the veil.
Keep aware and carry on. Use your tools when in doubt or despair.
Aho. Amin. Amen.
10/30/2025
It is the crossroads that you now approach. Times that benefit from stillness and intention. Several currents are before you – it is good to consciously choose the ones you will enter into. Take stock of the loved ones you wish to be with, and how you can honor your connection. The wild winds/whirlwinds will not pause, so ground your own pelvis and feet into the earth’s energy for added steady-ness and the common ground sense. Aho and hearty goodness for your holidays that approach.
In closing: A quick note — I currently have three openings in my therapy practice.
I take insurance, including Medicare, for Colorado clients and offer private-pay packages for those outside of that. I also have openings for career coaching and intuitive healing sessions.
Thank you, as always, for your referrals and for being part of this soulful community.
With warmth and seasonal color,
Denise