Let the Holidays Be Holidays
Year-End Reflection
We are in the last week of the year, and I don’t know about you, but this is usually a time when we look back and reflect on everything we have experienced over the past twelve months.
Looking back, I can honestly say that I feel like a different person. It has been an incredibly intense year, full of challenges and rewards, lessons and surprises, cosmic wake-up calls, and moments of profound growth. I am proud of how I have navigated the emotional tsunamis along the way, recognizing patterns, breaking limiting beliefs, and stepping out of loops that made me feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day.
But I also know that this is not the end—there is still a long road ahead. Many times, when we look back, we don’t feel completely satisfied. We may focus on everything we didn’t achieve, the goals that didn’t materialize, or even feel an emptiness despite our accomplishments.
If this resonates with you, I invite you to embrace gratitude. Regardless of how your 2023 has been, I assure you there is always something to be grateful for, even the smallest things that often go unnoticed.
The Gift of Gratitude
Practicing gratitude raises our vibration and sends a powerful message to the quantum field. The more gratitude we cultivate in our hearts, the more abundance flows to us. But if you struggle to find reasons to be grateful, let me inspire you by sharing my own gratitude practice.
One of my daily rituals is expressing gratitude every time I take a shower. Before turning off the water, I always take a moment to appreciate the feeling of the water enveloping my body from head to toe.
I also give thanks for the day I’ve had, for the sun shining or the rain nourishing the earth, for the messages nature sends me, for the animals that cross my path, and for my own strength and courage to keep going despite life’s challenges.
I even extend my gratitude to the difficulties and obstacles I’ve faced because they are the greatest catalysts for growth. I am grateful to have work, to be able to pay my bills—yes, even the bills—because in the end, they are proof that I have received services that have met my needs.
Scarcity Mindset vs. Abundance Mindset
I started practicing gratitude because I realized my focus was often on what I lacked rather than on the gifts life constantly gave me. I was trapped in a scarcity mindset, always seeing what was missing, and as a result, attracting more lack into my reality.
If this isn’t a habit in your routine yet, I encourage you to try it. It doesn’t have to be in the shower; you can practice gratitude at any moment of the day. And when you do, observe the magic that starts to unfold around you.
Year-End Celebrations
Speaking of gratitude, I invite you to approach the holiday season from the heart rather than from obligation. Many times, we feel pressured to gather with family or friends simply because "it’s expected": “I have to go, or what will they say?” “It’s tradition.” “If I don’t go, they’ll be upset.” Sound familiar?
If you find yourself doing things out of obligation, you might not like what I’m about to say, but acting out of duty instead of desire is a form of self-betrayal. This leads us to attend gatherings unwillingly, feeling resentful, or bringing a negative attitude to the table.
Contrary to what we’ve been taught, every time we do something to please others at the expense of our own well-being, we neglect the most important person in our lives—ourselves. When we honor our true desires, we cultivate authenticity. We say yes when we genuinely mean yes and no when something doesn’t resonate with us. We stop participating in things just to meet expectations, and in doing so, we build stronger and more honest relationships.
This is also a form of respect for others. If we meet someone without really wanting to be there, we are not being completely sincere, which ultimately is also a lack of respect towards that person.
By honoring ourselves and others, we cultivate deeper and more meaningful connections. And if our authenticity creates conflict? Well, that can also be a valuable lesson—it shows us who truly respects and understands our needs and who prioritizes their own expectations above all else. As Marshall Rosenberg once said, when we hear a no, it simply means a yes to another need that person has.
Mercury Retrograde
Did you read my article about Mercury? Maybe you forgot that it’s still in retrograde motion, so let me remind you why it’s important to communicate from the heart, not just the mind.
Mercury plays a key role this month, and this week is particularly active, meaning we might find ourselves speaking impulsively if we’re not careful.
As you may know, Mercury governs rational thinking and communication. During its retrograde phase, these aspects can become more challenging. So my advice is: take a deep breath, don’t take things personally, and stay open to shifting your perspective.
A few days ago, Mercury moved back into Sagittarius, where it will remain for a couple more weeks. In its lower vibration, this energy can make us extremely blunt, leading to unnecessary conflicts over beliefs, ideologies, politics, or religion. Sagittarius is a fire sign that sometimes lacks tact, expressing things with intensity and passion but without sensitivity.
Let the Holidays Be Holidays
So here’s my invitation to you: if you feel yourself getting defensive or needing to prove that you’re right, take a deep breath, return to your center, and truly listen. Instead of trying to convince others of your point of view, what if you asked about theirs? What if you approached conversations with curiosity rather than the need to be right?
In today’s world, this might seem idealistic, but I encourage you to try it. This attitude can foster deeper connections instead of conflicts. In the end, we are all seeking the same thing: to be heard, acknowledged, and valued. If we can remember this, we might be surprised by what we learn.
Full Moon in Cancer
And as if Mercury retrograde weren’t enough, today we also have a Full Moon in Cancer—a deeply emotional and intense lunation. The Moon is at its fullest here, greatly amplifying our emotions.
If we embrace this energy at its highest expression, we can connect with others from the heart, offering and receiving support. But if we resonate with its lower frequency, we might fall into resentment, nostalgia, or victimhood, with destructive consequences for ourselves and those around us.
The choice is ours. As I always remind my alchemists, we have the power of free will—the ability to choose our response and accept the consequences with responsibility. There is no right or wrong choice, only awareness of what we want to experience emotionally.
I wish you a holiday season filled with gratitude, accompanied by deep inner peace.