Emerging from the Dark With Grace
I have been holding space for a lot of women online and in person who are feeling raw, vulnerable, frustrated that more isn't happening in their lives and businesses. I am so honored to hold that space. What I am observing is this frustration that they should be doing more, making more money, having a full schedule of clients....and its not happening. All the "hard work" doesn't seem like its paying off. Can I say that it will? Or maybe it won't and its time to re-evaluate and truly let go of things, or being in surrender to not knowing.
Maybe it’s time to stop making work so hard and forcing things, and relax into what is. In the present moment.
So many of us expect January to be this big fresh start, full of possibilities, stating and creating new goals, words for the year, vision boards, intentions...all of the stuff. Or I see the frustration in women who are putting the pressure on themselves to have all of these things figured out and they don't.
Please give yourself some grace.
There takes a heavy dose of patience and flow, with just being with yourself and relaxing into what wants to come forward and what wants to happen, not what our minds think "should" happen or should have happened already. Trust me, I resist not knowing, allowing what wants to emerge, and not going into action mode just yet, but I surrender because I know how impactful this practice has been on my life, and keeps me from over-working, over-giving, getting too serious, and sucking the joy right out of my life. I have said it in several of my letters, January is still a time to be in the "dark" of just listening to what your heart and soul wants to say. The good news is, we are coming back into the light. When you work within the cycles of nature, NOW is the time to really start understanding what your seeds and ideas will begin to look like.
February 1st marks the ancient Celtic holiday of Imbolc, and later became Candelmas in the Catholic Church. Both in honor of Brigid, a Fire goddess of the hearth, rebirth and fertility. Most of us don't consider February 1st a time of celebration. But it is a time that the light is beginning to come back. Notice that since the solstice we have had more and more daylight. I can feel the shift as we draw nearer to spring. It is a time of welcoming the return of the light, and understand that the rebirth is beginning to happen.
It is a time that we still consider winter and that "nothing is going on", but there is a lot happening under the snow and the earth, seeds are being nourished, preparing to sprout. This is a fertile time, and if you consider humans, this would be like the 1st trimester of pregnancy. Nothing is visible from the outside, but there is a WHOLE lot of nourishment, growth and new life happening on the inside. Gardeners are beginning to plant seeds indoors in February for planting outdoors in spring, in order to harvest in early fall, being patience as the natural cycle from planting to harvest takes TIME and will not happen before its ready. It is a very active time, although it cannot be "seen" by the eye. Can you give yourself the grace to know that even if things aren't manifesting externally yet, that you are nourishing and growing what is to come, and be OK with that?
If you have created visions and intentions, now is the time to take it to the next level of focuses and strategies, and discernment. Bring into the light what you really, really want to put your energy into. Know what it is going to take and be sure that you are in your joy doing the work on a day to day basis to bring your vision into form, rather than focus on a future state. Each action in the present leads to the future, so be sure to be happy in present. Make sure you leave time, space and grace for personal visions, self-care and nourishment, physical, spiritual, and creative practices that fuel you. Its also a good time to bring our own bullshit to light, stand in our sovereignty and decide what we are not going to do anymore and what is not working in order to make room for what wants to be birthed. Even if that means letting go of something that you worked "hard" on. Honor the ending, the gifts, and the lessons learned; hold a funeral if you have to, take time to grieve and then celebrate that you have made the space for what is really in your heart and soul.
A practice for this week is lighting candles to represent the light, speak your intention or focus out loud while you do so. Another amazing practice is to actually plant some seeds indoors, with each one state your vision or focused action, nourish it, observe its growth cycle, make taking care of your actual seed an embodied practice as you take care of your dream seeds and actions, give it light, give it water, give it food, do the same for your dream seeds. Make the connection between your life and what is happening in nature as a way to be more intentional. Know that not everything you planted will bear fruit, or it may take years to blossom and bear fruit, not days or even months.
I would truly love to hear, and hold space for what you are letting go of, what your dream seeds are and how I can help you nourish them.