Feeling of Fulfilment

That feeling of fulfillment that you’re searching for?

Maybe you’re looking for it in the next job, the perfect partner, where you live, or the next vacation.

But it’s just that- a feeling.

It comes from within you.

From slowing down enough to quiet the external voices.

To clear out the noise long enough to hear your own heart.

It comes from full presence and connection with your inner and outer world.

It’s in hearing your own breath.

It’s in feeling the subtle hum of your body.

It’s in watching a father teach his daughter how to skip rocks.

It’s in the way the sidewalk glitters.

It’s in the sprouts in the cement cracks bursting to the light.

It’s in the fur of your dog’s ear.

Fulfillment is right here, right now.

Pause long enough to feel it.

Redefine Rest

There’s this idea that REST means being at a standstill. And sometimes, yes, that is exactly what our bodies need.

But for some of us, being at a standstill does. not. feel. good. Binge watching tv all day is not a form of rest for me- it’s a sign that I’ve crashed and burned and am overwhelmed and need to turn my brain off. And I don’t usually feel more well rested afterwards. Usually the opposite- filled with guilt that I spent the day doing something that I didn’t actually want to do, but didn’t know how else to cope.

Let’s redefine rest.

What if... rest = flow.

Have you ever done something where time disappears and everything flows? Even if you’ve been “active” or doing something, you are revitalized and energized? I’ve experienced this flow while painting, surfing, doing yoga, and even working! And have heard from others entering this state while running, sailing, hiking.

What if... rest = recharging.

Even our phones need to “rest.” When we charge our phones, we are giving it more energy.

What leaves you feeling refreshed and revitalized- full of life and energy?

So what does rest mean for you? How will you “rest” today?
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Don’t Dig Up In Doubt What Was Planted In Faith

Your soul knows the truth.
You've dreamed the big vision.
You've planted the seeds.

Doubt will come up.
Fear will come up.

It will tell you all the lies of how you can't do it.
It's just trying to keep you safe.
It's keeping you in the comfort zone.

Dreamer, believer, go-getter, visionary, explorer.
You're here for a reason.
You're here to create a new world, a new paradigm.
You're meant to explore the uncharted territories.
To pave the way and be the guiding light for those after you.
You're here to make big changes.

Come back to yourself.
Come back to your higher self.
Come back to your truth.

Hold it.
See it.
Be it.

Keep going.

Don't dig up in doubt what was planted in faith.

You Are Your Own Guru

You are your own guru. Everything is already within you. Sweet soul, the answers that you're searching for are already within you, waiting to be uncovered and discovered. There is wisdom to be found in all that you do. There are lifetimes and generations of wisdom within you waiting to be awakened. All you need to do is get quiet enough to listen. To quiet the mind that has accumulated the voices of others telling you what to do, to quiet the voices that criticize and tell you that you can't. It's an excavation of messy, scattered, habitual, patterned thoughts, until you reach the nectar of truth. You feel it in your bones. You feel it in your heart. You feel it in your very being. You know. Remember your own wisdom and your own truth. You are your own guru.

Guru means bringer of light, dispeller of darkness.

Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo.
I bow to the Creative Wisdom, I bow to the Divine Teacher within.

Questions for contemplation:
How can I be my own guru?
What have I been told about how I "should" live life that does not resonate with me?
What do I believe?
How can I find the answers within?
What is causing me to think that I am not enough and that I need to look outside of myself?

Their Criticism Is Not You

Sweet soul, the cutting criticisms you've endured throughout your life- they are not you.
They are often a reflection of the inner state of the person who spoke them.
They were in pain and they wanted you to see their pain.
They wanted to be acknowledged, and they lassoed you to join them in their pain.
You don't have to stay there.

You don't have to stay there.
You don't have to stay there.

Remember the good that you are.
You don't have to spend your life proving them wrong.

Perhaps those criticisms told you were too bright, too much,
and that you needed to dim down for those around you. 
No. 
Shine.
Shine bright,
because the world needs your light. 
Allow those who are searching for light to come to you. 
You don't have to fix them.
They are not your responsibility.
You simply have to be you.
Do what you do.
Be who you are.
Speak truth and kindness.
May light-seekers be inspired your light to find their own. 
You are whole and complete.
You are good enough.
You are exactly where you need to be. 

Recieving

.:: R E C E I V I N G ::.
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How do you receive love? Rest? The story of Monet in this booklet is helping me flip my perspective around work and rest, work and play, and judgements around laziness. I often feel like when I’m resting or not doing anything, that I’m being lazy, and then I fall into this shame spiral that causes me to numb out in front of Netflix for an entire day because I’m so overwhelmed. But if I allow myself a true reset WITHOUT guilt and shame, then creativity just FLOWS. Astrologically speaking, we’re coming out of a period of rest but I still find this message equally important.
.:.
How are you receiving right now? How do you want to be receiving? Do you allow yourself to receive? Is it uncomfortable to receive? How can you practice so that it gets a little easier each time? What possibilities are there if you allow yourself you receive with your whole heart?
.:.
Sacred Rebels Oracle by @alana_fairchild
Artwork by @autumnskyeart

Stillness is OK too

Stillness is okay too. In fact, it’s necessary. Life has been turbulent for far too long. Allow yourself to rest without guilt. Still does not equate to stagnant. If you look closely, you’ll see that there are still waves, smaller actions happening. Stillness may be uncomfortable. You may enjoy the swells of hurricanes, but even those have a moment of calm. You are exactly where you need to be. There are lessons to be learned even if, especially if, you allow the stillness and the quiet.

Transformation

Happenstance or kismet? 

On Saturday, my YTT class picked spirit animal cards. Out of a deck of 50 or so, my friend Cat and I both got the butterfly as our spirit animal. When I came into work today, I was given this gift from my co-worker who just got back from Costa Rica. I have not spoken to her about butterflies or my spirit animal. It couldn't be more fitting and it made my day. 
Here's what my butterfly card said:

TRANSFORMATION

"Get ready for a big breakthrough"

"It's very possible to go through major changes calmly and willingly when you view them as natural and hold relentless positive expectations. Whether in the darkness before the storm of emergence, the process of coming out of the self-created cocoon (which occasions some struggle at times), or the full and glorious expression of the new "you," it's faith in the wisdom of Great Spirit and your conscious resonance with Source that will be your guiding force. There's no need to identify with or feel constricted within the cocoon or by the darkness before the light—it's only a phase! The truth is that you're birthing each and every moment. Yet sometimes there are larger cycles that incorporate so many unexpected twists and turns that it can at times seem momentous and frightening. You may feel scattered, uncertain, flitting from this to that, with seemingly no thread of continuity that you can grab hold of. It's worth it to pause at those times, enjoy the richness and beauty of it all, and have absolute trust that this is a natural progression for your soul's development. What is coming to fruition each and every time is more and more of the true Self that is your destiny."

Additional associations: Rebirth; Vibrancy; Reincarnation; Colorfulness