Be Transformed
"Beautiful are those whose brokenness gives birth to transformation and wisdom".
~John Mark Green
Happy new year of this wild life's ride that we are on!
The start of 2021 has not been an easy one, but, did we really expect that it would be with so much looming?
Did we expect that we were just going to turn the calendar year and everything would be smooth sailing after a year that opened up the seams of our systems and psyches yet had not even begun to mend them?
The levels of transformation that are available during these times requires us to really show up and meet it all. I do not believe that we can bypass and avoid the lessons, teachings, and opportunities of these times.
And, it's OK to not be OK right now. This pandemic has gone on for a very long time.
I was on a walk the other day and had a moment of recognizing that it has been almost a solid year of this chaos. It is not easy to stay upright every day. It is okay to feel the pangs and pressure. The isolation and restrictions. The lack of physical contact and connection.
I am a believer in the "feel to heal" mindset and way of approaching healing. It is, to me, the sustainable way of moving through life's ups and downs.
It is all a part of the dance.
If we avoid through addictions, numbing, constantly distracting ourselves, projecting, hiding, etc...these situations, feelings, and emotions will embed in our tissues and inevitably surface at some point.
The key is to allow yourself to be exactly where you are, to feel the funk, yet to not dwell in it. When we are able to give ourselves permission to BE exactly how we are, surrender to these moments, and really tend to ourselves in these darker spaces...that is when the healing happens.
That is when we are able to shift, grow, and transform in unimaginable ways.
While it is certainly helpful to surround these days with love and light, it is not going to cure and make it all better.
Absolutely, bringing consciousness into our practices and ways of approaching ourselves and our lives is pivotal to our growth, yet, there are definitely moments when it truly is OK to not be OK.
Doing the work necessary to feel what we need to feel and allow it to move through us is the only way to the other side.
Those of you who know me, know that I am not a sparkles and rainbows kind of person, teacher, or coach. I go deep and real, I tell it like it is, and I am able to hold and share both polarities… the light of possibility while also digging into the trenches of reality.
There is so much medicine, wisdom, and opportunity in the darkness.
To me, this turn of the year is, yes, about clarifying and being intentional about what it is that we want to create in our lives AND simultaneously time to roll up our sleeves and get to work.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that there are not infinite possibilities for lightness, joy, and fun (and I truly believe that there is absolutely light at the end of this tunnel that we are in!), but rather I am saying that we cannot ignore what has been unfolding all of these many months.
If anything, it is time to open our eyes and hearts even further and really see it all for exactly what it is.
More than ever, it is time to do our own personal work so as to show up and meet this unfolding with the whole of who we are. To show up with our personal truth on behalf of the collective transformation.
I continuously come back to home, both literally and figuratively. Checking in with myself, with my surroundings, with my son, with my visions and intentions, with my practices…What needs attention? Fine-tuning? Releasing? How can I continuously meet life with the best version of myself possible?
Embracing that part of ourselves that may be crumbling with the pressures of these times is normal and natural.
Again (because I truly cannot say it enough times), how we meet ourselves in those moments is where the juice lies. Can we take excellent care of ourselves when we feel like a messy puddle of emotion? How can we be our greatest advocate when we may feel most alone in this crazy world?
As the outer world fumbles painfully, it is more critical than ever to work with our inner landscape. The demons are no doubt dancing in these days.
Everything is up for review right now. Old patterns are emerging to be looked at, evaluated, assessed, and (hopefully) released.
It is a time to heal from within.
As the world heightens, all that we have control over is our own inner response.
These times are demanding us all to dig deep, to show up even when we would perhaps rather hide, and to create change beginning with ourselves, our bodies, minds, hearts, and homes.
Go easy on yourselves. Be kind to each other. Pour on the self-love and care.
Ride the waves to the best of your ability. Reach out if you need support.
Open to the possibility of embodied transformation.