The Fourth Advent Candle

Today is the day when we light the Fourth Advent Candle, and I am reminded of that the Fourth Candle is known as the Angel's Candle.

In the Christian world that means that the Angel Gabriel came to Mary with a message.  He told her that nothing is impossible with the power of God.

The Angel Gabriel also appears in other religions as well.  In Islam, the Angel Gabriel is seen as one of the fourth archangels whom God sent with his divine message to various prophets, including Muhammed.

In Jewish mythology, there is  a Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.  The Tree of Life blossoms and produces new souls.  The Angel Gabriel reaches into the treasury and takes out the first soul that comes into his hand.

With the above thoughts, I am thinking beyond any religion and to all of mankind.

With the lighting of the Fourth Advent Candle, I let the meaning of what the Angel's Candle can mean for all of us soak in.

To see the Fourth Advent Candle shine as bright as the other Three Candles, I am reminded of that nothing is impossible.  Anything can be overcome.  That is the essence of the Angel's Candle,

Watch all the Four Advent candles shine bright and reflect for a moment on your own life.  I will leave you today with one thought that I hope you will take to heart.

Just because things are one way at this very moment. does not mean they have to be so.

The Third Advent Candle

I just lit the Third Advent Candle with an intention of Joy.

It felt important to light the three candles with an intention, and not just light the candles out of habit.

So often we perform a ritual or a tradition and make it a routine.  I wish for this Season to be different.  To really pause and reflect on my intention while I do things.  Like when I put the match to the candle and the flame started to flicker, I did it with a conscious thought of Joy.  Actually, what I did was to open up my heart to Joy.

To let all the cracks in my heart fill up with Joy.  Joy can seep through the cracks of a heart that has lived.  A heart that has known sorrow, deceit and defeat can easily let the Joy just seep through the cracks. I wish to fill my cracks with authentic Joy.  Joy that stays.

The Joy for all that I have in my life.  Not all my things, but again, the people in my life is my Joy.  To consciously choose Joy takes a conscious mind.  My mind needs to tell my heart to open up, and then my heart will feel the magic that my mind perceives.  It is so easy to complain about this and that, but with an open heart it becomes more difficult.

An open heart will automatically fill your heart with Joy, and you will pass that Joy on to the people around you.

So I lit the Third Advent Candle with you in my heart.  You that are in my life.  You that are my Joy.

Interview at The Book Convention 2014

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI-tMlHBru4[/embed] My first live interview as a writer went like this ...

Please click on "Read more", and you can see/hear the whole interview.

It is in Swedish so I apologize to all my English readers.  Hopefully there will be an interview in English soon, as a translation of my book is in the works.

For this interview, it wasn't really any time to prepare. I received the questions a few minutes before taping, and I glanced at them before putting them away.  I felt that there was no right or wrong answer, and I decided that it was better to just go with my gut instinct on how to answer.  I didn't want it to be rehearsed.  All I wanted was to somehow convey that my writing comes from my heart. Every word is always felt, before I think it.  Like Hemingway said: "Write your first draft with your heart, and the second one with your mind".  That is how I tried to do this interview, except I only went with my heart and never had a chance to change any answers with my mind.

I cannot regret how I answered, as the answers were true to me at that very moment.  I am pretty sure that I could use a class in media training, but for now you get what you see. You get to listen to me with nerves and all.  But mostly you get to hear the real me and what writing this book meant to me.  The book is a celebration of my love for my Grandmother.  That is something you don't rehears for.  It is just there, with or without cameras. Always.

The Second Advent Candle

Tonight I lit the Second Advent Candle with thoughts of all the people that are apart from each other during the Holiday Season.

Now the Second Candle of Advent shines at my kitchen table, and it shines for all the people who I would love to have around me.

I would like to be the Shepard who gathers my loved ones together during this season.  I think that a lot of the Holiday Season is about togetherness, but for various reasons we cannot always be together with friends and family as we wish .

So for the Second Advent Candle, I let the flame sparkle for all the people that I hold dear.  For all the people that I hold close in my heart.

Light the Second Advent Candle and be the Shepard of your loved ones.  Together in our hearts we are one.

The First Advent Candle

The season of Advent starts today, and it is the beginning of the Christian church year.  I will use this season and time for reflection about life.  Today I will light The First Candle of Advent, the First of Four before Christmas.  I will try to write about Advent in a way that hopefully will resonate with any religion, or anyone, religious or not, even if the Advent Season is Christian historically.

The Latin word Adventus means coming, so the season of Advent is a time for anticipation and hope.

You can put your own meaning into those words, but as I light the First Advent Candle today I choose to reflect on Hope in life.  I see the light as it brings newness, life and hope into our lives.

To take the time during the Season of Advent to reflect on life, is possibly what Hope is about.  It is a way to live, not just to survive.

For me, to live with Hope, means to live authentically admits all the problems of life that continues.  To be able to see possibility when there is no present evidence of it.

I Hope for all of you that you all will take this time to reflect on your life, and bring Hope back into your life if it was lost.  Hope for a better version of ourselves, and Hope for peace and health for all of our loved ones.

The First Candle of Advent is shining with Hope for all of you.

That is the wonder of Advent.