Eros (Love) fills the heart with compassion, first for self, and with that peace comes unconditional love which flows to others.
Himerus (Desire), who lives in delight, breathes new life on the spark of truth in each heart and renews the passion for life.
Zelus (Emulation) grants humans the ability to recognize their gifts and qualities in others and the vision to find their mentors.
Cratos (Strength) fortifies the human will with courage to face the things that must be faced for the human spirit to grow.
Eos (Dawn) promised a new beginning every 24 hours and Helious (Sun) gave warmth and encouragement. Soliel (Moon) promised rest and recuperation of the body.
Eunomia (Order) reminds humans of the first law of abundance, order in all things, for as within our hearts and mind, so is our outside world revealed.
Dike (Justice) reminds humans to forgive all debts, right all wrongs and release those who have hurt us. For as we forgive are we forgiven.
Eirene (Peace) provides the silent mind in which we can hear our inner voice and guide us to our unique truth.
Charities (Graces) endows the human spirit with gentleness, so that we tread lightly on this earth and bless those we encounter.
Ancient legend foretold of a sacred time of renewal of the human spirit. The Muses of Inspiration granted a blessing on earth and created a window of time when human beings can create a fresh start. During this phase, all the mistakes, regrets, missed opportunities and errors in judgment are purged from the human memory in the primordial fires. It is a time when all fear of failure is transformed into strength of character and clarity of purpose. With proper preparation and humility we are told the human soul can make a request of the universe and our inner being: to transmute the flame of regret into the torch of dreams fulfilled and ignite the fire of burning desire in the heart of the seeker.
The legend was concealed to prevent its power from being used for less than honorable purposes and was hidden in the heart of each new being born on the earth. Each new baby is born with the spark of truth and the germ of their life's purpose on earth. If the human pursued their heart's desire, the spark would begin to glow and take hold and lead the seeker to success. If the human took the path of least resistance and settled for a less than glorious life, the ember would grow cold and life would be empty, no matter the achievements. There was only one magical time of year when all sparks could be renewed and unite into a glorious blaze of triumph, at the birth of the New Year.
The Legend of the Sleeping Giants
As each year of human existence passed, the flames of truth buried in the hearts of humanity grew dimmer and dimmer. The nine sister Muses, the guardians of inspiration for the human race, were saddened. Did the humans not know that their lives were meant to be a blessing, full of love and abundance? Why did they live like insects, small and insignificant; did they not remember they were Giants, with the power to manifest wonders? Could they not see how beautiful and glorious they are? Why did they choose suffering over joy? How could they create poverty over wealth? Why did they choose anger over love? Did they not know that they had the power within them to create a magical world of joy? It was as if a veil of sleep had fallen on earth and humans became the victims of life instead of the original intention, which was to be the Victor. All a human had to do was follow their heart's desire, protect their thoughts from negativity and focus on love.
The nine sister Muses being of one mind declared a moratorium on Strife and set out to create a remedy to aid the sleeping human race. They called upon the qualities of the Ancient Ones to restore balance on earth:
They besieged Mnemosyn (Memory) to free the minds of humans from the past. With a blank slate each spirit could start anew. The Muses requested the following gifts to be bestowed on humankind.
Father Time granted a window in which humans could purge the past. By the stroke of Midnight on December 31st each year, the past must be completed and all issues must be burned in the fires of regret for the rebirth of spirit to occur. The Muses called on the collective strengths, wisdom and powers of the ancient Gods and Goddesses to support the humans in facing their fears, making amends and forgiving themselves.
And when the sister Muses saw the stage was set for a glorious rebirth of humanity, they made this decree:
"Every human who accepts these gifts, lets go of the past and blesses each other with forgiveness and grace will be released from the pain of their past errors. They will be granted the guidance and protection of Metis (Thought) and receive the gifts of Nike (Victory) in the year to come."
The Muses cautioned humankind to guard their dreams from the effects of negative people and events. "Tell only one who will hold your vision as dearly as you hold it when you are nurturing the seeds of possibility. Build a fortress around your mind so only positive thoughts are entertained. The laws of the Universe govern the results. Whatever thoughts you plant will reap a harvest. Be vigilant to plant thoughts of love and positive energy to reap a harvest of abundance." And so Calliope, the chiefest of all the Muses sent this blessing to earth:
"Children of the Universe, the time of renewal is upon you. By the stroke of midnight on December 31st you must complete the cycle of the past, forgive yourself and your brothers and sisters, be thankful for your blessings and stake your claim on your future."
And with this gift received and acted upon, the embers in the hearts of humankind started to glow and burn brightly. The Muses and the heavens saw our lights burn brighter and brighter as we reached out and touched the lives of all around us. We traded our weapons for plowshares to feed each other, we shared our gifts with those less fortunate and with each life that was renewed with love, the gifts of abundance and joy filled the lives of all humankind.
Ancient Legend for A New Year
Ritual to Awaken
the Sleeping Giant™
Prepare your environment for success. To fulfill on the gifts from the Muses you will need: Time: one to two hours, 1 new white candle, 1 new black candle, a pen, paper, lighter, bowl for burning, incense (optional), music (especially Beethoven's Ninth Symphony or Mozart's the Magic Flute) and candles to represent your goals for the new year: red for romantic love, green for prosperity, yellow for health and well being, pink for family love, orange for joy and vibrancy.
1. Light the incense if you wish to use it. Play your music while doing the exercises. Take time to reflect and list on a piece of paper all your regrets, failures, painful memories, missed opportunities, lost relationships and burdens. Set the list aside.
2. Make a list of all the people you have hurt or wronged and all of those who have hurt or wronged you. When complete, release and forgive those who have hurt you by saying their name out loud, "I forgive you, (say their name), for hurting me. When complete, ask for forgiveness from those who you have hurt. Speak out loud, "I ask for forgiveness from (say their name) and I am sorry that I hurt you." Make a separate plan to repay debts or make amends to those who you have wronged, as long as doing so does not cause any harm or upset in their lives today. Keep this plan to put into action later.
3. Light the Flame of Regret (black candle dispels negativity) Burn the list of regrets, saying "I release the past, and thank it for the lessons learned." Let go of all pain as the list is burned and visual it leaving your body in a black helium balloon that floats away from you.
4. When step 3 is complete, burn the list of forgiveness, saying, "We are all forgiven for our errors. What was wronged has been righted." Let go of all anger and guilt as the list is burned. Visual yourself being wrapped in pink light of love, like a cocoon.
5. Give thanks for all the blessings you have in your life right now. Make a list of 100 people and gifts from the universe that you have in your life today. Don't stop until you reach 100, for you will receive a powerful gift when completed. We acknowledge Sarah Ban Breathnach, NY Times Best selling author of Simple Abundance and Romancing the Ordinary for this lesson in gratitude.
6. Create the atmosphere to hear your inner voice. Sit in a comfortable position with the music playing softly in the background. Quiet your mind and seek the answer to one question, "What is my heart's desire, my gift to the universe?" Keep your pen and paper handy to write down any thoughts that come to you.
Light the white candle for purity of your intentions and to do no harm: Speak out loud: "I am staking my claim of love, abundance, health, wealth, passion and fun in the Universe for my highest good and the good of others" as you light the candle. Sit quietly and reflect on your desires and goals for the next year, keeping in mind manifesting your heart's desire. Write down your goals for the next year in as much detail as possible. Be specific for each goal. Read the goal out loud and light the appropriate color candle (such as green for prosperity). Repeat for each goal. Focus on the major areas of your life. Let the candles burn themselves out. (place in a safe place, like a sink or tub when complete.) At midnight on January 1st, thank the Universe for your blessings and the realization of your goals. Live as if all your dreams have come true.
Blessings for a Happy New Year.
The above exercises can be completed any time prior to New Year's Eve.
