Dear Sparkling Circle of Friends,

How are you? Friends in America or beyond, did you have a nice ThanksLiving Day this year? Whether you celebrated or not, hugs to you. Giving thanks and ThanksLiving can happen any time of the year. Yes, we’ve called it Thanksgiving here for decades, but out of honor for our Indigenous family, I adopted an option from a friend for more expansive ways forward. May we all live in daily gratitude to gather and thrive here in communal heart and spirit. 

For the best and highest good of one and all, individually and collectively, no matter what. Yes? What does this phrase mean to your soul that I repeat in every dance? Are you thanks-living yet?

I confess, because T-Day was also my Be’day, I may have had an extra blue tinge running through me. My dearly beloved and now departed mama made a huge deal of birthdays. There were birthday banners, whatever homecooked meal we wished (always my Grandmother Louise’s Sherry Chicken), Mom’s famous cake (See the Instagram post on my birthday about how these recipes went sideways), and a new book. Because I couldn’t fly to London as I had wished, I called my daughter Violet (who shares my 11/28 birthday) at midnight, and we sang to one another. At 8 AM, my darlin’ daughter Ruby and her sweet dog Sky also brought me yummy breakfast in bed. I even got a picture of my grandchildren’s beautiful faces. Joy! 

But the day had to be shared. ThanksLiving beckoned. I was cooking. The house was clean-ish. And there was lots to do. It was normal for us to have extra invited guests, yet for the first time in this town, Mom wouldn’t be joining us. Her face smiled from the digital frame in the kitchen, but it wasn’t the same as her 4’10” of whisking ferocity over her perfect mashed potatoes. There was no one there to remind me for the 100th time how to make her gravy. My birthday, with a sliver of muted grief, was put on the back burner. Timing is everything, and I needed every burner.

Mom loved fire as much as I still do, so we lit a little log and set an extra place for her. While I chopped with an achy heart, made a gluten-free and savory stuffing, and sauteed the veggies with only garlic and a few tears, I took sips of warm delight prepping with my eldest. We knew we’d be sifting through our first holiday without our favorite party girl, our hurricane for all holidays, our beautiful mom/grandma. I knew I needed to go easy on myself. So, while I wanted to sneak off and send you a Happy T-Day note when my gravy failed, I couldn’t. I put my pink nose to the breadboard and loved my family.

It was a simple celebration bookended with Ruby’s new and delicious spice cake, gift cards from my sister for some of my favorite things—star coffee, and multiple tickets to lose myself in indie stories. I was grateful. I am grateful. But beyond saying grace, I neglected to do even one of my other favorite ThanksLiving rituals. We’ve had so many over the years to make it a deeper celebration – some years, each guest recited poems, others gave performances or musical offerings, whispered wishes into the Wishing Tree as they rolled and tied scrolls of prayers and promises to barren branches. There were long walks, wild ocean swims, and rides through the sagebrush after dinner. Someone inevitably told ditties to light us up with magical laughter, our best dessert. Our feasts were many courses of marvelous mini rituals of love and thanks, each more wonderful than the previous year. 

But this year… it was enough to sit with two kinswomen I love to the moon and back. We didn’t pick our scabs. We did share some of the harder stories my sister and I had about Mom, but at our great-grandmother’s round ranch table, the tears stopped. We gently unraveled a few stories of Mom’s strong voice, quiet pride, passion (no, she never threw a plate), and desire for a safer, more equitable world. No one but us girls would have known how life wasn’t necessarily fair for her for a great hunk of her life. Despite the multitude of her gifts, she had many wounds she hid. She had many visits to the brink in her 96 years, but she gloriously and graciously persevered despite tough times, always encouraging us to reach higher with all our best manners, family love, lore, faith in goodness, and kindest dreams.

How about you? Do you persevere despite tough times? Looking back, do you see how far you’ve come or how much you’ve grown? Or do you bear your heartache quietly, praying for better days? Do you roll your prayers and hopes into scrolls for the Wishing Tree? Do you walk a camino? Or dig your heels into the earth wisdom? Where do you find your most influential connection to all that is holy and sacred for your spirit? These coming times are going to be hugely transformative for so many of us. I think we all know it. Are you ready?

Mom gave me a gift before she passed and again after she flew, asking me to never back away from sharing the truth and grace of Source/God/Spirit. When I dance, I feel the strength of overwhelming holy love. The kind of love that moves mountains and opens skies. But when I am not dancing, when I’m disconnected, distracted by outside forces, the world can be daunting, confusing, or, dare we say, crazy. I know many folks who are struggling right now. How are you? How are you keeping your sacred gifts active and moving forward for the best and highest good for yourself and our world? Or does it feel enough to just BE in these times?

I am a woman woven of rituals that weren’t all handed down from my mother or my blood family but co-created from my circles of spirit for 35+ years or more. I am grateful for so much—for the stories that forged me and the fire that reshapes the molten intentions for a better way forward. I am grateful for the mentors who showed me what it can be and how to avoid human foibles and easy traps on the spiritual path. I have had my missteps. I have acknowledged my many imperfections and my penchant for a cup of coffee in the morning. And I am still learning, shoulder to shoulder, with wise folks and many masters who attend our circles or souls working privately with me to dance lightly and love out loud. I am moved and touched continually by the magnificently gifted souls who come to dance.

I thought about writing to you yesterday to tell you all this and to let you know that I have gifts and goodies for you, too, but on Black Friday, it seemed strange, almost contrary to my heart. I wanted you to have a day away from devices and be with loved ones. It’s not that I don’t understand why many want to shop the Friday after Thanksgiving. I just didn’t want you to think you needed to feed the have-to-buy-buy-buy beast. I wanted you and all my friends to curl up with a good book or sweet music of gratitude and feel my love for you.

But right now, in this moment, I do wish to send you love, peace, long, cushy hugs, and support for all you are and all you dream or intend to be. I wish to send you a bundle of encouragement when the air is chilly and the nights are long. I wish to send you a faithful witness and compassionate ear for every bit of the jangling keys, begging to unlock all your doors to deeper understanding, purpose, and harmony. I can’t wait to dance with you and yours on all of our happiest, healthiest, most sacred paths.

So there’s this:

Come dance with me before Winter Solstice—three nights of Expanded Quanta Circle—a gift for YOU. You deserve to take a break to nourish your heart, your gifts, and your path of light.

And a gift for a friend! Those who purchase a ticket by 11:59 PM on December 1, HST, can invite a friend to join you this December 18, 19, and 20 for our Expanded Quanta Circle for only an additional $25. It’s my way to help you give one of your friends or family members an early holiday gift. This will not be advertised on our website. It’s only for those who read the newsletter. My additional request is that if you wish to give someone a special golden ticket to join us for December 2024 Quanta, it is either someone who has never joined a Quanta Circle before or someone who hasn’t joined a Quanta Circle for at least a year. Spread the love. The world needs a little extra loving, and the more, the merrier. For more information on how to claim your friend’s golden guest ticket, please write to Violet.

Also:

Last year, we created a hearty Daily Gratitude Journal to keep you in the practice of mindful flow or all the goodness Source Energy has ready for you at all times. These books are powerful instruments of manifestation and transformation. 

When we created the Daily Gratitude Journal, we had no idea what a beautiful, big book it would be. If you like this size at such a terrific deal, we still have these lovely journals for yourself or others to simplify your holiday gift list. Find them here.

We also have a new format to journal our Daily Gratitude, coming THIS WEEK.

Our new, elegant Daily Gratitude Journal is even more accommodating to life on the go. It is divided by seasons – four books apiece, to make it easier to port around what you need. Rather than beginning on January 1, we begin with Winter Solstice. All four books are 6 x 9” and Winter Solstice has 148 pages of encouragement between its soft covers, making it slimmer and easier to slip into your daily routine. If you’d prefer to mark your new year beginning as we did in pre-Christian times, when nature has its new year, you may also begin in spring. 

Due to unforeseen delays, I can’t yet share the Daily Gratitude Journals for Spring, Summer, or Autumn, but the final three seasons should be ready soon. Our winter Daily Gratitude Journal special is $7.99, and we will offer options to purchase each season separately or the full packet as soon as possible (in time for Winter holiday gifting, depending upon when you order your journals.) Our books are currently printed in the US, and gratefully, we do not expect the prices to rise this year. If you are interested in these versions, please write to hello@janesibbett.com to get on our waiting list.

 Thank you for being here for more love, more light, and my gratitude today and always.

Join us soon, blessed being.