Today (2/18/15) is the New Moon which starts the “Year of the Goat” – time to say goodbye to the difficulties of the “Year of the Horse.”

The Chinese traditionally exchange gifts on this day – I consider the writings of Ram Dass to be a gift to all of us:

“The object of our love is love itself. It is the inner light in everyone and everything. Love is a state of being. You begin to love people because they just are. You see the mystery of the Divine in form. When you live in love, you see love everywhere you look. You are literally in love with everyone you look at.

When you and I rest together in loving awareness, we swim together in the ocean of love. Remember, it’s always right here. Enter into the flow of love with a quiet mind and see all things with love as part of yourself.”

No one can take from us the freedom to love in all of its aspects and each of us can affect the world by holding on to what is really our natural state of being.