MMM… Observing the seasons and recognising your (changing) needs

MMM… Observing the seasons and recognising your (changing) needs

newsletter

Sent Monday 30th January 2023

MAGICK, MASTERY AND MOMENTUM

with Rebecca Anuwen

Bringing your magick to life as you create a life you love living

DO YOU WANT MORE MAGICK EACH WEEK?

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This week we see the turn of the wheel with the Northern Hemisphere welcoming the beginning of spring and the Southern Hemisphere beginning to wind down summer.

These transition times are the perfect opportunity to check in with how you’re feeling, what’s working for you and what you’re feeling called to change.

Today we use the MMM’s to give yourself a moment to check-in with yourself and receive the wisdom from these seasonal changes.

1. Magick: Something for you to journal about

What’s changing in nature around you and how is this affecting you?

Perhaps, if you’re in the Northern hemisphere, you’re beginning to notice that nature is waking up around you. Here in the UK the snowdrops and daffodils are starting to appear, letting us know that the earth is beginning to wake up from the slumber of winter.

Maybe you’ve noticed the mornings getting lighter and your commute or school run is now in the daylight?

As you notice these external changes, become curious about how they might be influencing or reflecting how you feel internally. Perhaps you also notice an awakening of an idea, a stirring of a longing or desire from within?

As we become more connected and observant about the world around us, we can become more connected to our own inner nature.

 

★ Tip: Each day become curious about something new or different that you notice about your surroundings.

2. Mastery: Something for you to think about

“Every season is one of becoming, but not always one of blooming. Be gracious with your ever-evolving self.” B. Oakman

We live in a world that often equates success and achievement with production and being busy. Rest can be seen as frivolous, a waste of time, even as selfish.

And yet rest is as important as doing.

When we look to the seasons, they remind us of the need for production and growth, but also of the importance of the need to rest.

In spring the seeds that have been planted begin to grow. In summer they peak with their full and beautiful blooms. In autumn they begin to return to the earth and in winter the earth rests.

Just as any project you work on, you create from the seeds of your ideas and intentions so that you can then enjoy the rewards of your work. You then benefit from reviewing what worked as you let go of anything didn’t support your idea come to fruition. Finally, after all your efforts, you rest and take time to connect with and dream about your next projects, until it’s time to take action again.

And yet instead of working with this natural cycle of life, the ebb and flow of your energy, productivity and creativity, we can feel pressured to produce, produce, produce and create, create, create.

When to do your best work, to feel nourished and fulfilled, it’s essential to honour all stages of the cycle.

 

★ Tip: Think of a project that you’re working on or want to work on – what season is it currently in? Is it time to take action, or does it need more time to rest and incubate?

3. Momentum: Action for you to take

Give yourself what you need.

What do you need?

Such an important question, but so easily overlooked or pushed to the bottom of the to-do list.

Focus on the needs that you can meet in the short-term.

You might ‘need’ a holiday, but that might be months away. So, what is it that you need, that a holiday will give you?

Perhaps it’s some rest. If so, how can you make room and prioritise some rest now, it could be to take a five-minute break from your desk or commit to going to bed early.

Other needs you might consider:

    • Saying ‘no’ to something so you have more time to do what you actually want to
    • Saying ‘yes’ to something that brings you joy
    • Drinking more water
    • Moving your body
    • Getting some fresh air
    • Reading 5 pages of a book
    • Calling a friend
    • Asking for additional help

Try and focus on what you can give yourself, rather than what you need others to do.

However, if what you need is for someone else to change their behaviour, then you can meet that need by having the conversation with them about their behaviour or asserting your boundaries.

 

★ Tip: Each day for the next week, get into the habit of asking; ‘What do I need?’ You might not always get the answer, but as you get into the habit of asking this, it creates a deeper relationship with yourself.

 

I’d love to know which of the three MMM’s you’re going try so that you can honour your natural rhythms, let me know over in our community.

Let’s express more magick!

Rebecca xo

 

PS don’t forget we have REFRESH coming up on the 7th February where you can reset your energy and spring forward in your life with more joy

Come and share your thoughts and experiences

and dive deeper with the conversation in our free magickal community.

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I’m aware that I could sound crazy… But… I saw a dragon

I’m aware that I could sound crazy… But… I saw a dragon

My Story

It all started last week when a yellow dragon was circling my room.

Yes, I know that sounds crazy, and no it wasn’t ‘real’ like a cat wandering into my room, but it was ‘real’ in that I could see it and sense it…

I was in the middle of an energy activation for the year ahead for my Re-Enchant community. The session itself focused on activating confidence and releasing the need for validation from others.

And interestingly TRUST was becoming a clear theme in the session.

As I was working through the session, I suddenly became aware of a huge golden-yellow dragon circling in my office.

I often sense energies whilst doing energy work, but this dragon was clearly trying to get my attention.

At first I ignored it.

But it was clear that it wasn’t about to leave any time soon​

I didn’t initially share what I could see with the group – as yes, I’m aware at how weird it sounds, but it was so insistent that I had to share.

I also wanted to share what I could see with the group,  as I knew it wasn’t my dragon (more on that in a minute lol).

So I asked the group if any of them worked with dragons and a few of them did. Then I asked if anyone worked with a golden-yellow dragon and I got a very strong ‘yes’ from one of the members (maybe the response actually included words not suitable for children lol), as she had indeed been ignoring this dragon. Among other things she told me that this dragon reminded people to trust their intuition – one of the themes from the session!

Anyway the golden-yellow dragon eventually left.

I really don’t want my office to be home to the energies and allies that people are ignoring lol!

But the archetypal dragon energy didn’t leave.

Back in 2018 I had a very strange experience with dragons – but that’s a whole other story that included a visit to hospital, emergency surgery and ‘giving birth’ to a ‘dragons egg’ (which the Dr. named Pete!)… Does that make me a Dragon Mother? 😉

Anyway… my dragons aren’t the flying dragons I experienced during the energy session last week, the dragon energy I’ve encountered in the past has been much more earth-based. More like giant serpents undulating through the ground.

Showing my age… I described them as looking more like the creatures in the film Tremors, to which my friend responded she had imagined them to be like from the film Dune. and when I did a quick google ‘Yes’ to Dune creatures (a film that I hadn’t seen), and ‘No!’ to Tremors – those creatures were waaaay more gruesome than I remember haha

Anyway… after the experience with the golden-yellow dragons, my own dragons are back and wanting me to work more with the land energies.

The call to walk the land and connect with nature, and in particular the trees, was so strong that I asked the members of the Re-Enchant Community if they want to join me in some land connection work too, which involves working with the eight Sabbat/Earth Festivals, and includes:

  • Land ceremonies
  • Tree connection
  • Sabbat Crafts
  • Creating our own Ogham
  • Creating Sacred Tree healing discs
  • Earth Acupuncture

All from an energy clearing session that woke my dragons haha

As I said at the beginning, I know sharing this makes me sound a little ‘out-there’. I often joke that if my sister, who’s a mental health nurse, sat in on one of my sessions she may well be concerned for me…

But this is my reality. Of course I don’t see dragons all the time, but I do believe we can be much more aware of things than we can typically see with our senses, and that we’re taught are ‘real’.

I’d love to hear if you have any experiences of things that make you sound ‘out there’.

I look forward to hearing your experiences!

Is balance really what you need?

Is balance really what you need?

Change Your Story, Inspiration

The other day I was chatting to a client about the idea of balance, and I asked her if balance was actually something anyone could realistically attain on a sustainable basis?

I know many people strive for it, but is it truly possible to find that all elusive balance?

The dictionary defines balance as:

‘when there is an even distribution of weight’, ‘when something is steady that it doesn’t fall’.

But surely we desire more for ourselves and our lives, rather than something that doesn’t fall over?

Nature teaches us to dance…

When I have questions about life,  I always look to nature.

And when I thought about balance in nature, I realised it doesn’t really have a balance.

It has two equinoxes a year, when light and dark is balanced, but they only last for a moment…

The rest of the time nature is in a rhythmic dance of light and dark, of growth and decay, of contraction, expansion and ebb and flow.

It works in a rhythmic harmony embracing change, rather than striving for a static balance of of sameness.

 

Finding your own rhythm 

This then got me thinking about harmony.

The dictionary defines harmony as:

‘the quality of forming a pleasing and consistent whole’ and in a ‘state of agreement and accord’.

Perhaps harmony is what we should be aiming for. 

Striving less to not fall over, and aim more for a pleasing life of wholeness, free of unnecessary struggle.

Perhaps we should accept that we might not find balance across all areas of our lives, maybe it’s not even possible… 

But what if we accepted that some parts of our lives need more attention than others, and knowing that those needs and levels of attention change over time.

And that’s okay.

If we can find our own ever-changing rhythmic dance within our own lives, perhaps that’s more pleasurable than striving for something that may not even be possible, or if balance is possible, maybe it’s only sustainable for that short moment of time?

What purpose does this gate serve?

What purpose does this gate serve?

Inspiration

“If you go down into the woods today, you’re sure of a big suprise…“

…Okay I didn’t come accross a Teddy Bear’s pic-nic, but I wouldn’t have been at all suprised if I had!

Yesterday after my little boy’s swimming lesson, instead of going straight home we decided to go for a walk in the woods.

Where we live we’re lucky enough to be surrounded by beautiful countryside and lots of trees!

Our walk started like this:

We have a lot of native British woodlands where we live, but this particular one is dominated by the tall spindly pines, and surrounded by fields and more forests.

I love how the paths sweep around and you never know what beautiful things you may come across around the next corner. Even though I’ve been here before, nature is always changing, so it always looks so different.

Each time I enter the forest, she always seems to give me what I need.

 

I’m showing you these photos in case you needed a little bit of forest therapy. Breathe in the fresh, damp air of the forest,

Feel the spring in the forest floor beneath your feet.

Inhale the woody-green fragrance of warm pine trees and an abundance of ferns and nettles.

I’m also showing you these photos because of what we came across next… It made me pause for thought:

What a gate taught me about threshold moments

We came across a gate.

That’s right a gate.

A gate with no fence or boundary around it.

Just a gate.

I’m not sure what the purpose of this gate was. But it did remind me of the importance of honouring the thresholds.

This gate made me stop. Pause. And consider my next very literal steps.

I chose to walk through the gate.

I stopped and silently asked for permission to step into this part of the woods.

Permission was granted, and it felt special.

It felt I had entered a different world. I actually looked around as I expected to see unicorns and goblins (she says only half joking… 😉 )

Walking through the gate, honouring the threshold changed how I felt. It changed how I experienced the moment. It brought me into a deeper presence within myself and my surroundings. It brought greater intention to what I was doing.

I was not just arriving and wandering around admiring the view.

I was present, connected and aware.

Threshold place, spaces and moments are important.

Whether it’s the threshold to your home, or threshold moments in your life.

As a society we have seemed to push thresholds to the bottom of our to-do list, often too busy to notice them.

Your turn…

But right now, take a moment to pause, to take a deep breath and become present.

Let this be a threshold moment.

What are you consciously going to choose to do next.

It may be exactly what you were going to do anyway, but now you can do it a little more intention.

Inspired by a jumpsuit…

Inspired by a jumpsuit…

Inspiration, My Story

Here’s something you probably don’t know about me… It’s not very important, but it did make me think about change today… And that’s…

I hate clothes shopping!

I always have.

I’ve never known what colour or style suits me.

I go snow blind as soon as I walk into a clothes shop.

I’m not sure where this has come from, but I’ve never enjoyed it.

 

Shopping is too hard….

My bum has always been ‘too big’ compared with my waist, so finding trousers that don’t ridiculously gape at the back is a nuisance, my legs seem to be in between lengths lol… I could go on… but I’m sure you get the picture…

 

I think I missed the part of being a teenager where you learn how to dress and find what suits you.

 

And now of course I’m on the other side of 40, still wondering what clothes I should buy!

 

So I choose another way

Last month I booked a consult with a stylist who tells you what colours you look best in and what styles work for you.

It was such fun! If you haven’t done it before, I highly recommend it!

And if you know colours and are curious… I’m ‘Summer’ and need to wear cool colours, like blues, dark green and burgundy.

 

But knowing what to wear and buying it are two completely different things!

 

So I booked  a session with the same inspiring woman to go personal shopping, and oh my… what a totally different experience!

 

She loved shopping and knew exactly what to look for that would suit me.

 

She picked things for me that I wouldn’t have even looked at

 

I kept shaking my head… and am still shaking my head chuckling, as I now have

Jumpsuits

Animal print dresses

And White trousers!?!

 

All of which I would never have bought without her help.

And all of which I actually now love! In fact I’m writing to you in one of my jumpsuits! (yes I have more than one now!!)

 

And it go me thinking…

The jumpsuit got me thinking about change.

 

As humans we’re not really good at change…

Whether it’s a change to how we see ourselves, change in the type of clothes we wear, or the relationships we have.

 

We can resist it, ignore it, fight it …

I know that I’ve even resisted change that I knew would be beneficial to me in the long run!

I could despair at myself lol, but instead I look to nature…

 

Nature has so much to teach us about change. About starting over, again, and again and again.

 

As humans we’re taught that time is linear.

There’s a start, and a series of steps that moves you towards an end goal.

Each of those steps builds on the previous step, and you’re expected to become bigger, stronger, and more successful with each of those steps.

 

But in this model, there’s no space for failure, for stumbling a few steps back, for starting over. No place for rest or a reset.

 

But when we remember that we are intimately connected to nature, and we can model our experience on hers, we realise that life is in fact a spiral path and not a linear path.

 

On a spiral path we can allow ourselves to start again.

 

We can give ourselves permission to rest and pause. To change our minds, to reset, to revisit, to regroup and start over.

On a spiral path there’s no comparison, so no place for fear, blame or shame.

 

When we remember that we are intimately connected to nature we can embrace the spiral path and give ourselves permission to start over, to start again and change.

 

With love, jumpsuits and spirals

Rebecca xo

What’s going on beneath the surface?

What’s going on beneath the surface?

Nature Connection

“The Map is not the territory”

Twenty or so years ago I heard those words on one of the first personal development courses I went on.

It was a year long training where we spent weekends in the New Forest discovering how we communicated with ourselves and uncovering the stories and beliefs that we used to shape our worlds.

Some of those stories were useful, and some it was time to let go of!

During that year, I remember that we did high ropes courses, jumping off telegraph poles to grab trapezes, we took night walks and learnt incredible things about nature – did you know that there’s a type of moss that will burn as an ember for hours, and some grass that tastes like marzipan, and owls triangulate their sound to hunt?

I also remember that phrase: The map is not the territory.

Basically the way I understood it, it was saying that someone’s outward behaviour, what they show you, doesn’t mean that’s their true self.

Their behaviour is just one part of them, not all of them.

The same for how we see ourselves. We may think that we’re not good at something, and that may be the story we tell ourselves, but is that really true?

Is that really true in all areas of our lives, or just one area, or was it  on just one occasion?

I was reminded of this phrase again today when I visited the national cave centre in Wales and this was the first view that I had:

It’s beautiful.

Lush, rolling hills and rich green trees, and in typical Welsh fashion, it had just been raining, so everything felt more vibrant and alive.

Seeing the hills, it would be easy to take that as the story of the land.

Their beauty would be enough to satisfy most nature lovers.

However under these hills lay the most extraordinary caves, rich in their own beauty:

There was a cave as big as a cathedral and equally as impressive, there were waterfalls, rivers and incredible rock formations of all shapes, sizes and colours.

I love being in (large and spacious!) caves. They make me feel so deeply calm, connected and peaceful, and yet when I shared the images on instagram, someone commented ‘Caves are a no go for me’.

Same caves, different story and experiences.

Neither is right or wrong, they are just different.

When we encounter a person, a behaviour, a situation, we tell ourself a story about it and them. This story will be based on our own experiences, expectations or what we’ve been taught

We like things to be clearly one thing or another. To be black and white, right or wrong, good or bad, but that is rarely the case.

Seeing the hills today, with their hidden treasure reminded me that on first sight we rarely know what’s going on beneath the surface… with people, behaviours, hillsides, even sometimes with ourselves.

If a city was to be built on top of this hillside, the grass would indeed be gone, but the beauty under the surface would still be there.

The caves only came to light because two brothers were brave enough and curious enough to go and explore.

What if you had that same sense of curiosity about the things and people you came across?

When we take the time to ask:

What story am I telling myself about this person, behaviour, situation, feeling etc?

When we take the time to be curious about:

What’s going on beneath the surface…

We might just be surprised at what we do discover.

After the storm has passed

After the storm has passed

Inspiration, Nature Connection

“Storms don’t come to teach us painful lessons, rather the are meant to wash us clean” – Shannon L. Alder

The other day I was scrolling through facebook, when something caught my eye.

It was an article about a prehistoric forest that had been uncovered after a recent storm.

When I first saw the photo, I thought, “Wow, I’d love to see that”, and was about to scroll past, when curiosity (and a little voice inside) got the better of me and I read the full article:

“A prehistoric forest which was buried under water and sand more than 4,500 years ago has been uncovered by Storm Hannah.

The petrified trees lie between Ynyslas and Borth in Ceredigion county.

The forest has become associated with a 17th Century myth of a sunken civilization known as ‘Cantre’r Gwaelod’, or the ‘Sunken Hundred’.

It is believed the area was a once-fertile land and township protected by floodgates.

The remains of the forest’s trees, preserved in the local peat, have been exposed by low tides and high winds.” – BBC Website

Borth! I couldn’t believe it, for some reason I’d assumed the photo had been taken abroad, but Borth is my closest beach – it’s still over an hour away, but it’s an area I’ve visited regularly the whole time I’ve lived in Herefordshire – about 7 years now.

I quickly looked at the date of the article, it was only a few days old, the chance of the trees still being visible was high, so with the call of trees and the beach, how could I resist a trip to see for myself!

Even low tide aligned with a perfect day to the beach.

It was incredible to see.

I chatted to a few other people walking around the forest remains, one woman had travelled three hours to visit, and another 2 hours.

I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve visited these beaches, and I had never known about the trees.

Yet a chance scroll through facebook, a trust in the curiosity to read more, the divine timing of coming across the article and the perfect time of low tide, allowed me to combine a few of my favourite things; trees, beaches and adventure.

The uncovering of the trees reminded me of the power of the storms to reveal what we didn’t know was right under our noses.

The same is true for life-storms.

Not all storms are here to destroy us or tell us to turn back and seek shelter, many are here to reveal more of our truth to us.

In the SHEro’s Journey, the second stage of the four part journey is the Significant Challenge. It’s during this stage that we can feel as we’re in the eye of the storm, feeling tested to our limits.

Some people see this as a time to turn back, or a sign that they’re on the wrong path.

But like storm Hannah and the prehistoric forest, sometimes the storms are here to reveal the treasure that lies within.

The challenges of life storms give you a chance to review your choices, to decide how committed you are to what you’re after. They offer you the opportunity to grow and become stronger, to deepen your resolve so that you can move closer to and achieve what you desire.

Storms can reveal to you what was once hidden, in the case of the beach it was the prehistoric forest, but what treasure do the storms reveal about you?

Intuitive wisdom for the year ahead – The Omen Days

Intuitive wisdom for the year ahead – The Omen Days

Inspiration, Intuition

I love winter.

I love the darkness.

I love being snuggled inside as the wind howls and the rain beats down.

I love cold crisp winter walks, as the sun goes down, and I’m wrapped up in hat and soft scarf.

I love the darkness.

Yes, I know I said that twice, but it’s worth repeating.

I love the darkness.

And yet…

We are taught to fear the darkness, we’re told it’s where the monsters live.

The darkness is wild and untamed.

It can’t be controlled.

It certainly can’t be trusted.

We do everything we can to stay in the light.

And yet…

The darkness holds the magic and mystery.

It’s the darkness of the womb space that holds the potential for growth.

It’s the darkness of the soil that holds, nourishes and nurtures the tiny seed, so that it can grow.

The tiny cells become the little baby, and the acorn becomes the mighty oak.

It’s the darkness of the night that holds us and restores us as we sleep.

It’s the darkness of closed eyes that allow us to daydream and savour the moment.

It’s from the darkness that we connect with our intuition, the whispers of our wisdom rising up trying to get our attention.

Yet this darkness isn’t trusted.

It’s feared, dismissed, pushed to one-side.

The darkness is much like the energy of a woman.

Deep, intuitive, wild and untamed.

Nourishing, nurturing, and with the ability to birth; to birth ideas, books, art, creativity, and in some cases children.

The wild darkness goes hand in had with being a woman.

Yet in both cases their power can be feared.

They can be dismissed and pushed aside, told their wisdom is not to be trusted.

Yet as a woman our power is in the darkness.

And this time of the year, that power is heightened.

The connection to  the darkness, and your intuitive ability is at a peak.

The darkness of winter is governed by the Wise Woman SHEro, her landscape is the Red Tent and her symbol is the cauldron.

The Goddess associated with the Wise Woman SHEro is Cerridwen, the Celtic Goddess of wisdom and transformation, she is the Keeper of the Cauldron.

Cauldrons are first and foremost a vessel to create warm nourishing food.

They also represent the wisdom and transformative powers of the womb space. The bringing of everything together to create something richer and more flavourful – whether that’s food or experiences.

During these dark days, it’s time to connect more deeply with your own deep inner wisdom.

To bring all of you together, to create a richer, deeper experience of yourself and life.

To remember your inherent power.

To celebrate the wild, untamable darkness within.

To celebrate the unexplainable, the things that shouldn’t make sense, but just feel ‘right’.

This is particularly true of your intuition.

And this got me thinking…

I can remember years ago being told about using oracle cards on the 12 Day of Christmas for guidance for the year ahead, each of the twelve days representing the coming 12 months.

I couldn’t remember the details, so turned to trusted google and came across this article by Caitlin Matthews:

In it she explains why the 12 days of Christmas are so special;

“In Brittany and in Wales, the Twelve Days of Christmas, which mark the intercalary days of the year, are called ‘the Omen Days,’ and they have a special purpose. ‘Intercalary days’ are really the days left over from reckoning up the solar year and, in calendars throughout the world and at different times, they are special because they are considered to be ‘the days out of time.’ It is in this interval between the ordinary count of days that gods are born or conceived in many different mythologies.”

She then goes on to explain that for each of the 12 days of Christmas tradition would have people step into nature and notice the omens, the signs from nature, and that would indicate what was to come.

On the 1st day – Boxing day, the 26th December, you would go out into nature and notice what you notice – perhaps a shape in the clouds, the branches of the trees, a colour shining brighter, a hardy flower surviving the cold, the robust red berries, a feeling, a whisper on the breeze, an animal or bird that you hear or see, and that would represent what was to come for the month of January.

Then the 2nd day  – the 27th December, you would do the same and that would represent the energy for February.

etc. etc. for the 12 days and the 12 corresponding months.

The idea isn’t that you google what the signs mean – as that is someone else’s interpretation.

This is a time to sink down into your own wisdom and notice what the signs or ‘omens’ mean to you.

What is nature communicating with you?

When you do this with focussed intention, even if you only have 10 minutes, it’s fascinating what you can learn.

Step outside, wherever you are, and before you walk or look up to the sky, down at the pavement/sidewalk, ask that you be shown your omen or sign for the month, so on the 26th December, you would be asking for January.

And then look, listen and feel. Use all of your senses and notice what you notice.

Trust your intuition.

Trust the nudges, the feelings.

Pay attention.

Are you making it up? Does it really matter?

Your intuition is communicating with you, it’s time to listen.

Then make a note of the message, the signs.

Trust your first thoughts, go with what feels aligned.

It might not make sense straight away, it might percolate and bubble in your cauldron of wisdom, and throughout the day it will unfold.

You may wish to draw an oracle card for additional guidance – but again, leave the guidebook alone, and notice what YOU get from the card.

Treat each of the 12 days of Christmas as a chance to deepen your relationship with your rich darkness, your intuition.

A chance to remember your whole self, and not just the sanitised, socially acceptable version of yourself.

Treat this an an experiment in listening deeply.

Of trusting yourself.

Of knowing that you are held by the dark womb of the universe.

The journey of coming home to yourself.

Most of all be curious and have fun!

 

Want to learn more about connecting with your intuition?

Learn More: Self-Paced Course (£27)

AWAKEN YOUR INTUITION

Trust yourself as you develop a clear understanding of how your intuition speaks to you and have confidence to act on it. 

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The Wise Woman SHEro Pilgrimage

The Wise Woman SHEro Pilgrimage

Archetypes

Rhythm. When we are connected to our rhythm we can connect more deeply with ourselves, others and the world around us.

There is a beauty in rhythm. A trust in the pattern of the rhythm.

Our lives are guided by these patterns.

The seasons keeping rhythm, and the sun and the moon keeping time.

Internal body clocks and monthly menstrual cycles.

There’s a majesty in patterns.

They are dependable and bring structure, routine and order to our lives.

When you feel out of synch, disconnected or overwhelmed, you can be sure that you have lost the pattern of your rhythm.

We must re-discover our natural rhythms, as we rarely set our own pace, instead being governed by alarm clocks and the expected schedules of others.

Working with the wheel of the year connects us back into the natural rhythm of the world around us.

The seasons set the pace, all around us reminding us what energies are flowing in and around us.

Spring brings with it the energy of growth.

Summer brings fruition.

Autumn brings reflection and release.

And winter, the rest and renewal.

These natural cycles remind us that we live in circular and spiral patterns, and not the linear timescales we try to squish ourselves into.

The SHEro Pilgrimages are designed to re-connect you to your own inner rhythms, by remembering what we instinctively know, that there are greater rhythms with a greater intelligence to guide us through our lives.

As John O’Donohue said in his book Divine Beauty:

“The ancient rhythms of the earth have insinuated themselves into the rhythms of the human heart. The earth is not outside us; it is within: the clay from where the tree of the body grows.”

When you find your own natural rhythm, you can relax into it, knowing that you are part of the sacred wholeness of life, leaving your energy to expand into other levels of awareness.

To celebrate the Winter Solstice I held the very first SHEro Pilgrimage with Clare Barnes of Artemis Rising.

The Winter Solstice is the celebration of the return of the sun, as the days began to gradually get longer again.

On the SHEro’s Journey the Wise Woman embodies the energy of the Winter Solstice, and her landscape is the sacred space of the Red Tent.

The Wise Woman SHEro has become all that she was meant to be. She doesn’t need to prove herself to anyone else, because she knows who she is and her work is done.

She embodies the energy of wholeness, sacredness and mystery.

For this SHEro Pilgrimage we held it as a virtual event, as I know that many people would LOVE to come to my Red Tent in Herefordshire, but just can’t make the trip, and I didn’t want that to stop people having a wonderful experience.

So I set up a video conference via zoom and invited people in my Sacred Grove community to join us for the full experience of being held in the sacred space of the Red Tent.

During the pilgrimage we explored the energy of the Wise-Woman, and did a journey meditation guided by drumming.

It was amazing, here’s some of the feedback:

“I had somehow gotton away from myself again. Thank you for coming to get me – Now I’m bringing me back”.

“Thank you for creating such as amazing, safe and healing space. That spiralling with the drumming… Wow that felt amazing! I could feel my womb space pulsing under my hands. An excellent first pilgrimage. So much gratitude for this group.”

“Amazing amazing! I felt so much joy and peace listening to the replay”.

One woman even shared with me that she felt like she was going to orgasm listening to the journey mediation – obviously that wasn’t the intention, but we will certainly embrace that!!

Re-connecting to the wisdom of the rhythms can bring you back into deep connection with yourself, and pilgrimages literally walk yourself back home to yourself.

When I was completing my Priestess of Cerridwen Training, in Glastonbury, there was a song that we used to chant:

“Every step I take is a sacred step,

Every step I take is a healing step,

Healing, healing, healing my body,

Healing, healing, healing the land.”

Every step we take on these SHEro Pilgrimages is a sacred step, it is a healing step, as we heal ourselves, and connect more deeply with ourselves and the land around us. 

Walking the spiral path

Walking the spiral path

Inspiration

Tonight was the final call of a four month group that I’d been running, I was both excited to share more on our final lesson togther, and sad that such an amazing experience was coming to an end.

It was fitting then, that our final topic was on supporting our sacred self, and looking at the spiral path that women walk.

As I spoke about honouring our sacred selves, the topic invariably turned to cycles and nature – two of my favourite topics.

It seems like a lifetime ago, but I used to teach people about how to create amazing raw food recipes.

Raw food didn’t appeal to me because it was healthier, in fact in my case, when I was pregnant, raw food wasn’t the best choice for me – but that’s a whole other story… But I love raw food because it’s food in its natural form (or at least much closer than heavily processed foods!), and when I ate a high raw food diet, it was one way that connected me more deeply to my own true nature.

There was no hiding from emotions or feelings by stuffing them down with foods such as breads and pasta, but eating more raw food, allowed to to relearn about my relationship with myself, and highlighted the areas in my life that needed some attention.

It reminded me that ultimately we are part of nature in all of it’s glorious, colourful, juicy, tasty, powerful, and unruly ways.

We’ve done a good job over the years of trying to control nature. To harness her power, and protect ourselves from the very same wild, unpredictability that both scares us and has us in awe.

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