Taking the Time....

It’s early in the morning and I am listening to the sounds in the house…..all are very familiar to me, yet I am hearing them for the first time all over again. I think I am having a ‘moment’.

It’s about time.

Most of the time my life is in a constant state of rush. I motor through my day trying to get as much done as possible, only half listening, sort of hearing, kind of paying attention. Then I hurry off to bed when I can do no more and my mind needs a rest.

Thankfully, our entire body is able to take in and capture all the events of the day, so even when we are not fully conscious of all that is taking place within us, around us and for us; our cells are tuned in allowing our minds to accomplish other things.

This is a busy season for many and a weird one – the energy shifts and changes constantly from one of great hope to lows of bad news and strange happenings in the world, emotional triggers that can leave us exhausted.

As a result, I am doing a couple things differently this year…..well, probably not that different but maybe I’m just more aware of doing them. This year I am taking time out to breathe, stop and look around me.

You may have heard me referring to this as ‘taking in the day’ or going outside first thing in the morning to ‘smell the day’. Believe it or not, doing this always gives me the greatest sense of what is going on in my life.

The second thing I am finding myself drawn to is taking more time for me.

One of the most difficult things to do at any time of the year is to spend time with my own well-being in mind. Usually all my time is taken up with caring for others, thinking about how to help, heal or feed everyone around me and generally loving every part of that J

And none of that has changed.

These two aspects of my thinking are quite different from each other as well. Taking time to notice more of the natural world is always incorporated into what I am doing, as I am doing it. My work and life are focused on nature and what it can do for us.

Perhaps it is because I am paying more attention I am taking better care of myself.

I feel as if I have finally incorporated more of ‘me’ into the care part of my life and it feels great. My down time this Solstice & Christmas will involve even more activity that soothes the soul – walks in the woods, digging in the tunnel, exercise and long seaweed baths.

As we move from the darkest time of the year and into the light, where will it find us and what will be illuminated? We create our world, we are the designers of our destiny and we choose the path with each decision we make.

Take some time to be with who you really are and the light will find you.

So….for the coming weeks…..

Happy Solstice, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays – Blessed Be

Self-Care and Listening to Your Inner Voice

Self-care is something that should be a no-brainer for those of us who are healers, energy workers, therapists and all manner of carer, who have taken up the mantle of walking the spiritual path. We are constantly advising others on how to better care for themselves, body, mind and spirit, especially those on an inner journey, however....

Here we are late at night, tired, run down, feeling low - neglected. How is it we ourselves have not made it onto the priority list for some special (or even quite ordinary) treatment? Why do we consistently undervalue our own personal needs above all others?

I don't think this is a healthy pattern, it is not a 'selfless act', nor should it even be still an issue at this stage in the game. Yet, for so many (me included) our bodies 'ask' (tiny little nudge like a whisper of breath on the cheek) for something and we ignore it.

Why does this matter so much and why must we do something about it? 

Because this behaviour leads to inattention. Living, working, existing, day in and day out with the only consistent pattern being one of continuously ignoring our own inner voice, instincts and intuition is not healthy, is not appropriate and cannot possibly foster safety and security on the road to home.

But we all do it. There have been years and years of practice under our collective belts where we clearly hear, understand and know exactly what we should/need/could/ be doing however, this simply falls away, like words on wind.

How on earth will we ever pay attention to the BIG things, if we cannot be reassuring our bodies we are listening and following through with the smaller, more mundane matters in life? Our bodies need to know we trust in it's ability to keep us healthy, safe and on the right track.

These spiritual bodies also need to develop that same faith in us - that we can hear it, we will listen and then act on it's needs.  

This communication thing with the body, mind and soul works both ways here - we hear our body's voice and 'it' listens back. All communication, in a healthy system should operate in this way, requests and needs can be made known to all parties.

Once these channels have opened up, new levels of trust are free to develop, more and deeper understanding can take place and the real magic of living, exactly as you are meant to in this realm, can move into existence. 

5 Ways to Practice Listening to Your Body's Voice

• Take a break - away from computers, television, radio, cell phones, electromagnetic clutter - too much of this can damage delicate energy fields

• Get Outside - fresh air, gardens, trees, flowers, the beach, all of nature is tuned into a higher frequency, ground yourself in it

• Exercise - move your body, pay attention as activity works muscles and pumps blood

• Write - sometimes writing gets energy flowing from the brain, heart, mind etc. taking messages outwards

• Pay Attention - signs, messages, information are all around you, constantly, read the signposts, look for hidden symbols, things are not at all what they may seem

These are only a few ways to train yourself to pay attention and listen to your body's voice, the key here is to be consistent with all you are doing. Exercise each day, get into your garden often, remove any rubbish still sneaking into your diet and take some time each day to yourself, even it is in the shower. 

Care of the self is a far more vital piece of walking a spiritual path then we have been led to believe. Giving ALL of our energy, resources, time and attention away to others is not an act of generosity, it appears to be a pattern of self neglect we have fallen into. 

We cannot listen or be trusted with higher levels of consciousness if we are operating on spent energy. Now is the time to make some fundamental changes to how, when, why and where you will listen. Your body will take care of the 'what'.

Have a healthy day,

April

Paper Mache blue moons in progress...