Last Sunday, I took a spiritual look at the issue of money as we entered the holiday season. Today, I am looking at the season with healing in mind. Along with inflation, December brings renewed health warnings, as flu cases rise, pediatric wards fill with RSV, and new strains of Covid emerge. But it is not just viral infections that are fueling public health care fears, it is also mental health issues. Recent surveys show as high as 90% of Americans believe there is a mental health crisis in the US, and 80% of adults consider children's mental health to be a public mental health emergency. The reasons underpinning these concerns include the years of Pandemic with all it's uncertainty in a time of political polarization, an opioid epidemic, and the public health threats of racism and gun violence, along with the lack of access to health care and it's costs. This concern shows that the public is beginning to understand that mental health is critical to both well-being and physical health.
Our stories of magical Christmas's and miraculous Divine interventions have brought light and wonder to our lives for centuries, and in this hemisphere that light literally is at the darkest point of the year. That Light has inspired times of peace, love, and deep spiritual insight. Now in the 21st century, why not let that magic include healing.
I have known a few people in life who gave themselves a Christmas gift each year--actually wrapping it, putting it under the tree with everyone else's gifts and then unwrapping it with joy when everyone's gifts are opened. It always seemed to me a strange practice, but I appreciate the self-care, creativity (and independence!) that underlies self-giving. What if you could unwrap a gift of healing this year, a gift from yourself? I encourage you to pick one aspect of your life to heal spiritually this December. It may be a problem with the body that you have been neglecting, or concern for your own mental health, or a relationship, a memory, a grudge, a heart ache, a fear. It may seemingly have nothing to do with the pandemic years. But today, as it is, name it as now on the path of spiritual healing. Nurture it with prayer. Tend to it with what Emmett Fox terms "Divine Wisdom expressed through 'common sense'". That common sense may include professional or other expert support. Above all, listen to your healing, leading the way. Your gift may not be ready to fully open when December arrives on the door step of the New Year, but it will not be what it was. The healing begins today. (Susan Nettleton)
For a poetic taste of the love that is involved in such healing, follow the link: https://onbeing.org/poetry/annunciation/