So I’ve been thinking…
that it’s time to venture inside in more ways than one…
A Brief Public Service Announcement
Our outer world may be shut down but…
Your inner world is open!
All attractions open
All supplies available
All systems go.
Never will there be a more perfect or necessary time than now to explore your INNER WORLD. You know, the world that exists INSIDE your body/head/heart/soul. Extravert and introvert alike, we all have an outer and an inner world. Introverts may have the advantage with a level of comfort with their inner world, but not necessarily as we live in a culture that places value almost exclusively on developing our outer world – the job, the house, the accolades.
But it’s dangerous to place all of our self-worth and value in our outer world, because we will really struggle when our outer world crumbles. We ALL need to create a solid relationship with our inner world to become balanced creatures – the thoughts, feelings, sensations, dreams and insights that live inside of us. Will it be uncomfortable and foreign? Probably. But discomfort is a positive sign, signaling you that you’re in a container where the circumstances are ripe for growth. So strap on your backpack of bravery because it’s time to go IN 🙂
Right now more than ever we need some bit of wisdom, some guidance on how to feel, a way to make sense of the world seemingly falling apart. My first newsletter to you this year proposed the idea that we let nature be our teacher – so what is it that nature can teach us right now?
Well, last Thursday ushered in the Official First Day of Spring, and with it the characteristic feelings of early spring: feeling pent up and anxious.
Whaaat?
We think of spring as a time of joy, growth, abundance and new beginnings – and it definitely is – but we mostly feel and see this in the LATE spring. Early spring is a different beast all together. The earliest days of spring are all about uncertainty as the forecast can wildly change from day to day as Mother Earth slowly wakes up after her long slumber and finds her bearings once again.
Last year at this time I wrote a piece called “Anxious? Agitated? Oh HELLO Spring! and I’m finding the wisdom of early spring even MORE applicable this year as we navigate through a whole new level of uncertainty in the world. I wanted to re-share some of that spring wisdom during this time when we truly need it!
“…these wild fluctuations of early spring DO help to remind us that life doesn’t always flow as we think it should. Our perseverance through the early spring serves as a nice little metaphor for the challenges and unpredictability of life.
And, the more we choose to pay attention to the messages we receive from life, the more we learn its wisdom – in this case, teaching us to move through difficult transitions in life with grace and ease.”
No one could have imagined the scope of the “wild fluctuations” we’d be dealing with this spring, but here we are. Can you move through this especially challenging time while still embracing a sense of grace and ease?
Give yourself the grace and space to move through this time in a new way. Experience a sense of ease by letting go of your need to feel in control and trust that no matter what it looks like on the surface, perhaps everything is unfolding in a way that could actually serve you.
Right now we may be feeling an increasing sense of anxiety and agitation. Not only are we fighting against the idea that we are physically pent-up inside our homes, we are dealing with the springtime feelings of anger, impatience, frustration, irritability, jumpiness, depression – that feeling of energy or pressure that builds up inside of us at this time of the year.
We are beginning to feel and sense nature’s energetic return to life. But this can initally feel like a profound sense of being pent-up. Pent-up internally, pent-up inside our homes…what are we even to DO?
Well…take lots of extra deep breaths. Go run around the yard. But most importantly, see this time as an invitation to embrace a whole new way of being.
The greatest lesson of spring is to Trust and Allow. Remember that in fact, spring doesn’t DO; spring simply allows.
“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes and the grass grows by itself.”
-Zen saying
Can you allow yourself to move through this time of great change with grace and ease? Can you release what no longer serves you and trust that you are being guided into a whole new way of being in relationship with the world and yourself?
And remember that although the external world may be closed, your internal world is wiiiide open for business! Discomfort is the container for growth. What is one brave change you could make inside of yourself spurred on by this challenging and uncomfortable time?
A Time for Change
A time to release the old in favor of the new
A time to release Doing in favor of Being
A time to release external busyness in favor of internal exploration
A time to release exhaustion in favor of deep rest
A time to release hurrying in favor of moving slowly
A time to release constant noise in favor of beautifully quiet moments of peace
A time to release distracting ourselves in favor of intentional choices
A time to release constant contact in favor of realizing that alone doesn’t have to feel lonely
A time to release our fear of the unknown in favor of the belief that everything is unfolding perfectly
A time to release controlling our world in favor of deeply trusting the higher order of things
A time to release the logical and rational in favor of the sacred and soulful
A time to release the surface in favor of the deeper meaning
A time to release tension and anxiety in favor of breathing deeply
A time to release our protective defenses in favor of feeling everything inside ourselves so that we may heal it
A time to release a mindset of scarcity in favor of a deep trust in abundance
A time to release placing our worth in the external world in favor of finding deep wholeness inside of ourselves
A time to release external seeking to fill ourselves up in favor of growing into the realization that internally we ARE always home, whole, perfect and enough.
Illness is always a message that something isn’t working – and every single one of us is affected in some way by this worldly illness right now. There are two things that illness reliably provides us:
- A clear message that something is wrong
- A rare opportunity to stop and assess our lives
When the rug is pulled out from underneath you, don’t rush to reorganize the furniture and your belongings in exactly the same way – consciously look at each item and make an intentional decision.
When your life is in pieces and you’re struggling to hold it all together, maybe the message isn’t to hold tighter, but to let go and let it fall apart so that something new and better can be recreated in its place.
Remember that the phoenix always rises from the ashes.
As an individual we may not have the power to recreate the entire world in a new and better way, but each of us as an individual holds the power to recreate a single life in a whole new way.
We have seen the devastating consequences that a ripple effect can have throughout the world – imagine the transformative positive outcome that could likewise occur in the world if every single individual used their personal power to rebalance themselves and their lives from the inside out.
“…there’s work to be done, something there for everyone; I know, I’ll start with me.” -Alice Peacock
**UPDATES: Classes, Workshops & Coaching **
NEW Virtual Class Option!
This Saturday, March 28th at 2pm CST I’ll be holding a VIRTUAL TEA CEREMONY and YOU’RE INVITED! No matter where you are on the globe, you’re invited to join me via Zoom for all the elements of tea ceremony including tea education, guided tasting and meditation.
Just BYOT! More details below.
**All in-person classes and workshops are currently on hold so we can all observe social distancing for now! Depending on what transpires over the next couple weeks, additional virtual classes may become available in April.**
A crisis is a call to change…
A lot of us on the planet right now are feeling the call to step up into our soul’s purpose. A crisis is a call to change – if you’re feeling like everything going on in the world right now is sending you a message to play a different game with your life and you’d like some personal and spiritual guidance as you navigate what this means in your own life, please reach out and consider 1:1 Coaching.
This is the time to begin the personal inner work of healing past wounds and becoming empowered to step into your soul’s calling. The world needs lightworkers to awaken now more than ever to continue to guide and elevate us as we move through and out of the dark! Learn more about Coaching here.