I want an Official Red Ryder, Carbine-Action, Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!

Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas and Season’s Greetings to everyone. I hope you all get exactly what your heart most desires and Santa doesn't say --“No way, kid, you’ll shoot your eye out!” May you freely plunge beneath the tree, into the cornucopia quivering with desire and the ecstasy of unbridled avarice and find your prize. As you close your eyes Christmas night, I hope next to you lay your oiled blue steel beauty (in whatever form it may take)—the greatest Christmas gift you have ever received, or would ever receive. May you gradually drift off to sleep, pranging ducks on the wing and getting off spectacular hip shots!

OK, maybe that’s going a bit too far…but, I hope all your dreams are sweet and in them you feel like da bomb!  And may it have nothing to do with what you received outside, but rather what you received inside, yep—your Inner Constellation. If you allow, I wish the honor of playing Santa Claus and offering you a sweet little package for your Inner Constellation that you can open every day of the year. But before I get into the details I want to introduce a practice called reciting the gathas. This is a Sanskrit word meaning to speak, sing, recite or extol, a perfect concept for over the holidays, eeh, especially if you’re like me and enjoy belting out Christmas chorals. Basically a gatha is a verse said in rhythm with the breath while bringing complete awareness to the present moment. So, here might be Ralphie’s gatha (character from A Christmas Story):

“I’m firing my official Red Ryder Carbine-Action, (in breath)
Two-Hundred Shot Range Model Air Rifle! (out breath)
I will be extra careful. (in breath)
so as not to shoot my eye out. (out breath)

You might recoil here, not because of the kick-back on the Red-C BB gun as it’s aimed at the paper target, but because you think perhaps I’m committing blasphemy with the gathas. No way! Gathas come from the Zen tradition and are created to reflect the practical aspects of life. There are ones for waking, eating, dressing, walking even defecating. Had Ralphie recited the above gatha he might have prevented a, um…near major catastrophe. So, now, my Christmas gift to you—since August of this year, I’ve been sending out Inner Constellation blessings, Monday through Friday, to folk’s email inboxes (your year-round Christmas tree). The IC blessings, or gathas, are very short little blips, usually just a few lines, designed to inspire and orient you toward wellness. In short, they help Chart Your Course. Here’s an example of the IC Blessing set to go out tomorrow and what it would look like in your inbox:

IC Blessing: Winter Solstice
© 2013 Karla Johnston, InnerConstellation.com

You are light scattered golden.

Unwrap each daily gift for your Inner Constellation and simply enjoy while being reminded of the real gift of you. In the tradition of the gathas, you can breathe the blessings in and out through the day—“I am light” (in breath)/”scattered golden” (out breath). And indeed you are. If you would like to accept my invitation to receive the email send Monday-Friday, please contact me. I triple dog dare you (gasp!) Happiest holidays to you and a new year filled with blessing after blessing after blessing.