Today's wishcasting question comes right as I am deep into holiday decorating mode. 
Where some people would be overwhelmed by the level of decorating I do~it takes me a little more than a week to get my current home decorated~having loads of sensual Taurus energy in my astrochart, it fills me with a butt load of joy to put this much time and effort into making my home a delight for all the senses.

I call it setting the stage for magic to unfold.

I didn't always do this level of decorating. 
It was just last year we started a new tradition 
inspired by Joanna Powell Colbert's most excellent ebook,
A Crown of Candles (How to Throw an Fabulous Santa Lucia Party).

It was such a joyful experience for me to open my home
and truly celebrate life and love and friendship
I couldn't wait to do it again. 

So what treasures do I wish for?

The treasure of time with the people I love most.

Because it's not about all the decorating, though I hope
it brings a level some seasonal joy to my family and friends.

In the end it's about spending time with the most excellent and
admirable people I know...which is one of the
greatest treasures I could ever open up to receiving.

And I hope to revel in treasured relationships for years to come.

"People often say that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder. This empowers us to find beauty in places where others have not dared to look, including inside ourselves."
~Salma Hayek

Here we are at wonderful Wishcasting Wednesday!
Low and behold Jamie has posed another excellent question

What do you wish to remember?

In the US, businesses are bombarding us
with as many adverts as possible in an
effort to get us to buy bunches of stuff.

And many folks, including myself, just aren't
as financially well off this year as they were
last year which can lead to feeling poor.

This year we chosen not to spend much
on things as we'd rather have experiences.
But I still have a little bit of nagging
from the voice of excess.

That voice says buying more stuff will
create the joyful magic I try to recreate
every time this year.

That voice longs to have a larger account
balance...

But this morning, I think back on years past and
realize it was never the excess that made the magic
It was the company of family and friends
and of good food and quality time spent together


There were abundant smiles on my
kids faces as we prepared to welcome
our friends into our home for a Lucia
celebration.

There was an abundance of magic in
my friends together sharing their stories.


There was even joy in the weeks after
the holidays were over when we were
snowed in for a week.

As I thought on those things, that voice became
silent. It no longer mattered what the adverts say
or what account balance is at. 

I had an abundance of memories lifting my spirits
reminding me of the joy of this season.

So today and every day,
I wish to remember abundance is a state of mind
not linked to buying more stuff, having more
stuff or any positive or negative account balance.

It's something locked in my memories and all
around me.  I don't have to look very hard to
find the abundance I seek.  Abundance always
abounds.

I am Enough.

Such a bold statement.  One I often struggle with

Me? Enough? BAH!
My Inner Critic rails at the thought of being content with
who I am in this moment.  A not so gentle reminder
of all my faults and missteps starts like a sudden down pour.

Thank you Inner Critic, I understand you want me to be
safe.  I've heard your concerns and you may now return to your
new assignment as guardian of big dreams.

I don't have all the answers and I can't control the outcomes
but I am still enough.

I am flawed and so is everyone I know.
Inspite of or maybe because of those flaws, I am still a great person
and that is enough.

Helen Keller said "When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is
wrought in our life or the life of another." There are miracles in allowing yourself
to believe at any given moment, you are enough. 

Believing you are enough is like having permission to go for the big dreams
because what ever challenge comes your way you will be (fill in the blank) enough
to face it and handle it with as much grace and ease as Goddess will allow.

You give yourself the ultimate gift...trust

At the end of the day, affirm with a deep inner knowing I did the best
I could right in the moment and that is enough
Because I am enough.

And I'll tell you a secret.
Right now in all your imperfect perfection?
You are enough.

How do I know this?
Because I am enough too.

So here we are with another amazing Wishcasting Wednesday
and Jamie has provided another wonderfully thought provoking
question

What is your greatest wish?

I have a couple of them.

I wish to live my life like it's Golden (thank you Jill Scott)

That means living my life to the fullest
being the best 'Dionne' I can be with no fear, no apathy, no regrets.
I wish to move through my life with as much
grace and ease as possible.

And in doing so I wish to provide my children
with as many tools and resources to move
through their own lives in the same way.

And because she is one of the most empowering divas in the most positive sense of the word, here's the song I'm talking about.  May you live your life like it's Golden...whatever that looks like for you.  Bless!

I see myself turning and listening to the heart of a young woman
a circle sister who shares,  “My boyfriend wants me to do things
that I’m just not comfortable with.  He says if I won’t he can find
someone else who will”.  She is comforted because there are other
sisters there…older women who have had similar experiences years ago
and are able to offer their wisdom

They remind her she is valuable. 

I find myself surprised because even though the world has
changed so much since I was in my 20s there’s still much that has
stayed the same. In her sharing I’ve found something of value to
pass on to my daughter as she readies herself to move into the world.

I thank this 20 something sister because she has made me a better mother.  “How can that be?” she asks, “I’ve never been a mother.”
I say “because I heard you with my heart”.

I see myself turning and listening to the heart of middle age woman…a circle sister who shares what she’s struggling with. 
She cries out “Why won’t my body let me be mother?!”
Her sisters hold her and she is reminded of how
often she nurtures her circle sisters and cheer them on.

She is comforted by all her sisters and told that she is valuable. 

“How can that be?” she asks, “I’ll never be a mother.” 
And we’ll say “because we heard you with our hearts.” 

I see myself turning and listening to the heart of another woman
slightly older than middle aged shares her struggles.
“I’ve spent so much time being a mother I lost myself
somewhere along the way and I don’t know how to find her again.”
We comfort her and invite her out and tell her she is valuable still.

In her sharing I’ve found something of value because I realize
I hadn’t done anything for myself in a long while so I decide to
get a babysitter and join them for dessert after the play. 

I thank her and reaffirm her value.

“How can I be valuable to you?” she asks, “I’m done being a
full time mother.”
l'll say “because I heard you with our hearts.”

I see myself turning and listening to the heart of a career woman
who shares what she’s struggling with. 
“I’ve just buried my parents and I have no family because I am an
only child and I chose not to have children.
Now I’m being asked when I am going to retire.
Have I wasted my life because I haven't had a child?  What's left for me?”

Another sister shares how lonely she has been since
her husband died. “My kids are busy with their kids and
don’t have time for me.”  And sisters all around them offer comfort and tell
them both how much they value these sister’s experiences.
The widow promises to check in with the parentless sister outside of circle.

We reaffirm their value as we tell them both
“we’ve heard you with our hearts.”


The faces of these women swim before me
young and old women enjoy each other.


As I open my eyes and see a lovely multigenerational
group of women sitting at my table
I hold back the tears of gratitude

Because the reality of what I created
is even better than what I envisioned.

Bless you dear wishers and readers!
I returned from my personal retreat
rested and restored....so well in fact
that I've been basking in the after
glow and not wanting to spend loads
of time online! 


But we are here at another Wishcasting Wednesday and Jamie has asked
a question that seems tailor made for this tea priestess!

Who do you wish to have tea with?


For me, taking tea is a sacred act of communion
Tea gives us the ability to connect with all of the elements (earth, air, fire, water, spirit)
at once and experience the power of transformation on
mind, body and spirit levels of consciousness; quieting our minds
refreshing our bodies, and renewing our spirits one sip at a time.

As tea is being brewed it encourages us to slow down and breathe.
It's mystical power reminds us of both solitude and intimate
company....a time outside of time only to be filled with what
we wish.

Conscious effort is required to create dainty sandwiches and enticing
sweets presented in a beautiful way to delight the senses.
This alone is proof to me bringing attention and reverence to anything
we do in this life becomes an act of prayer and meditation
renewing our connection with the Divine in it's purest essence.

Tea can provide hope when all feels lost.

So who would I wish to share this sacred connection with?
Anyone who is in need of this deep healing and sacred union.
Come to tea dear ones, the kettle is always on.

Last week after getting honest about what was holding
me back from taking a retreat, I took the plunge
and made a reservation for a cabin in the woods.

This weekend, I'll be on private retreat...and
I'm super excited!!!!

So we come to this week's Wishcasting and
Jamie asks

How do you wish to be nourished?

Fantastic question and great timing.

I've been pondering this very question since
I made the reservations.

My knee jerk reaction is to plan
yoga, meditation, journal writing exercises, meals
and pretty much schedule everything which
is almost the opposite of what I'm craving most;
time for stillness.

Keeping that in mind as I make my plans and prepare to go on retreat,
I wish plan a nourishing balance of activity and stillness
so I can bring the rhythm of both into my 'non retreat' life. 

I wish to return from retreat nourished by the time and space
I've given myself to just be.