I like to think that I don’t buy in to the commercialization of the holidays.

And for the most part, it’s true.

I used to think that I detested gift buying at Yule/Christmas/Chanukah because I didn’t want to be part of the process of buying stuff just cause you have feel you have to.

But since then, it has gradually become an exercise and lesson in manifestation.

This year I said, “I’m not buying gifts” and I let everyone know.

But a few days before gift exchanging, my perspective on the matter started to change. I set the intention, “I will only buy items for others if the item will be used and appreciated and is in the right price range,” fully intending to not purchase anything.

Well yesterday I was picking up pastries at the grocery store and the store happened to be next to a Happy Tuesday, which is kind of a mish-mash housing goods store.

I wandered in, and as I went through the isles, I spotted an item and a major alarm in my brain would go off.

“This would be perfect for _____________!”

So I’d pick it up.

By the time I made it through the store, that happened for everyone I celebrate the holidays with.

And they loved what they got.

But I appreciate the exercise of gift seeking and giving because it is a good practice of manifestation.

It was also quite fun to buy those items… not the typical drudgery that is shown on the news shows on Black Friday when shoppers rush the stores at 4am.

I think that has a huge impact on whether the gift will be successful, too.

Everyone… not just indigo adults and indigo children… can feel into the energy with which a gift was purchased. It’s important.

Anyway, I hope you are having happy holidays!

~ Peace ~

Indigo Leslie

Technorati Tags: gift giving, indigo adults, law of attraction, LOA, manifestation

Just a short note for you to keep in mind over the holidays…

Mercury goes retrograde on the 26th of December…

Perfect for reconnecting with people you haven’t seen in a while, not so perfect for buying gifts, especially electronics.

“Mercury is about to retrograde too, from December 26 to January 16, so that will create a much slower pace during the year-end holidays. Mercury retrograde is not a time to sign contracts, to launch new ventures, or to form new associations and partnerships. Wait out this period and enjoy the social side of your life as you do.

Mercury’s slowdowns will be noticeable as early as December 9, the day you should give yourself as your finish date for holiday shopping. Certainly you should never buy a computer or any other expensive electronic during a Mercury retrograde, so get those early in the month. “

- Aquarius Horoscope for December 2009 from www.astrologyzone.com

Sometimes if you can clear as much of the planetary energy away during a retrograde (or pre-retrograde) period, you will be able to purchase the item without Merc. Retro affecting it.

But only do this you really, really don’t have the option of putting off the purchase until after Mercury has gone direct.

SIDE NOTE: Astrology Zone has great monthly forecasts. I have been a regular reader for years and I highly recommend it!

Technorati Tags: astrology, gift giving, holiday shopping, indigo adults, indigo on line, mercury retrograde, new age online, psychic mind

“Mmmmm… I can feel the love in these brownies”

About 15 years ago I gave cookies and brownies out as holiday gifts, and one of my friends, a psychic and indigo adult, picked up the foodgift and made the statement above.

I was not as adept at understanding the energetics of things back then, but I have come full circle and truly understand what she meant by that statement.

Gift giving…

It’s sort of a quagmire and a highly debated topic amongst spiritually and environmentally minded individuals.

While a majority of the population indulges in consumerism, a large portion of the population has become sickened with the focus on consumerism surrounding the holiday season.

Do we really need more stuff? Do our loved ones really need more stuff? And what is the meaning of all this craziness around buying stuff? Why does everyone stress out? And what does that mean to the gift giving process?

My own perspectives have changed a lot throughout my life.

Obviously, as a kid raised on toy commercials, I wanted stuff. Lots of stuff. I wanted to play with everything. I think this is normal for kids, even indigo children, as they are reported to have even shorter attention spans then their non-indigo peers.

As I’ve gotten older, I have observed people running around at the last minute looking for anything mildly appropriate to give so that they are not empty-handed during the exchange of gifts.

I think, on an energetic level, this is futile and wasteful, but I suppose it saves a bit of awkwardness.

Last year, I overspent on gifts. I was with my boyfriend’s family, whom I had never met and I felt obligated to get stuff for them. I knew at the time it was a bit wasteful but, as mentioned earlier, it was to avoid that yucky, awkward feeling of not having a gift for someone when they give you one.

But then I got with my family and had gifts for everyone (that I had put much thought and time and love into buying and preparing) and, interestingly enough, they didn’t have any for me.

I was slightly hurt, but more than that, I was perplexed. Why was I hurt? Was I really that focused on getting stuff?

A few days after Christmas (I’m pagan so I celebrate Yule on my own and then Christmas with my Christian family) we all were in Costco and my uncle saw me playing with an external drive. He bought it for me. Merry Christmas.

Hmmm….

Ok. I love it and use it all the time. But I still was like, “Why does this seem a bit hollow to me?”

Same thing with gifts of money… Ok. Love it and can use it but why does this seem like a cop out?

Well, I think I figured it out.

It truly is the thought that counts, but more specific than that, it is the loving thought that counts.

It is the thought and the love that you can give to others that they can carry around with them.

Should feel great to all parties. If it doesn’t, then it shouldn’t be given.

So when you are about to buy a gift for the holidays, ask yourself whether you are buying it out of love or out of obligation.

Even if it is the perfect gift for someone, do you get excited at the idea of the receiver using the item? Or are you more excited that you can now finally check that person off your holiday shopping list?

I like giving food because I feel that I can put a lot of love energy into it. I enjoy preparing the food, which is one aspect to putting the energy into the gift, and I enjoy the idea of the receiver enjoying what I have prepared.

Handmade gifts are the same. Do you enjoy what you are making? And does it feel good when you think about gifting this item to the receiver. Then that is a good gift.

I have also started to be drawn to places like Ebay and stores that have used collectibles.

One of my friends is a voracious reader (and fellow indigo adult), and I could get her a book at Amazon or Barnes and Noble, but I found a great Rolling Stones magazine that was a collection of interviews with the original Saturday Night Live cast in a used bookstore. Not sure what the monetary value would be on Ebay, but I know this is a great gift for her because she loves SNL… especially old school SNL.

And by buying something that was made decades ago and used by someone else, I’m not encouraging the manufacturing of more stuff with my spending habits.

And if you are giving gifts to other indigo adults, they will most likely be able to feel the energetic in the gift.

Technorati Tags: Christmas, gift giving, Hanukkah, holiday shopping, indigo adults, indigo on line, Kwanzaa, new age online, psychic mind, Yule