After a month’s break (it feels longer!) it’s so wonderful to connect with you again. I hope you’ve enjoyed these last few bits of summer and are looking forward to what lies ahead this fall.
I love September. For me, it feels more like the beginning of the year than January does. All those back-to-school memories are deep in my cellular memory and now for me, it’s back to the school of life.
I am entering the fall with a fresh perspective and excitement for what is to come.
In August I participated in an incredible retreat focused on accessing my strength, vitality, courage and clarity.
It was a combination of learning and unlearning; learning ways to connect to our True Nature and unlearning or dissolving the conditioning and blocks that are preventing us from being present and experiencing who we really are.
We worked with the past to be able to be fully in the present.
We explored how when we were born our soul was fluid and spacious. Then life happened and our soul was imprinted with beliefs and conditioning.
Whether we were be told to “Be a good girl”, “Tone it down”, “You can do better” or something else, it impacted our perception of who we are and how we were supposed to be in the world.
Can you relate?
Ego structures were created and as a result, we started to pull back and be constrained rather than be a free expression of our true essence. After years of shifting and altering our true selves to fit into what we thought we needed to be, we feel trapped.
For example:
- We want to say that, do that, make that change but are afraid of what people might say.
- We're afraid to shine bright because we'll be too much.
- So we stay the way we are, so we don’t cause any waves.
Meanwhile, we aren’t truly fulfilled.
We all feel this on some level, right?
A part of you wants to break free and another part is afraid to.
This can be a sad and lonely spot to be in. Yet again feeling like there’s something that needs to be fixed with you.
But what if there is nothing to fix?
What if all we need to do is bring awareness and compassion into the picture.
During the retreat, I identified a part of me that is afraid to be seen. Sometimes this part of me just wants to hide, and this goes back to my childhood. Not easy when I’m in a profession of constantly putting myself out there, right?
I didn’t plan on sharing this - it just came out! Because I felt safe. It's not wrong to feel this way. I was actually grateful my Inner Child came forth to be seen so I could provide support.
It was so freeing. Like the door of the cage had been unlocked.
In the retreat, our teacher said, “Nothing that is true ever goes away.”
This really resonated with me.
Self-discovery is like an excavation. We go inward and clear the way for the light to shine through.
Life is always bringing us opportunities to learn, unlearn, grow and be free.
As I reflect on the opportunities I myself have had this summer, the retreat was a big one and so too was getting to spend more time with my great-niece Maya.
We had so much fun this summer!
At the age of 4, she shows me what innocence looks like. She is present, innocent, and expansive. Her soul is free to express authentically.
Being in her presence reminds me of who I am. My truest self.
She is starting big school and is so excited to learn and meet new friends. I can’t help but smile and share her excitement for what’s to come.
I hope you will join me as we explore learning and unlearning. Growing and dissolving into the truth of who we are.
I’m looking forward to connecting with you weekly again! Be sure to check out my September events and classes to explore other ways we can work together.
Take good care,
Diane