Never a Dull Moment: Grieving Into Spring
Dear Deep Soul,
Welcome to Spring! Spring begins when night and day are equal in length and we continue to experience more and more light during this season.
Do you notice any changes in your yard, garden, neighborhood, or within your community that indicates the seasonal shift? I notice new birds returning. I feel the warmth of the sun as it shines higher in the sky every day now.
Despite the turmoil, war, grief, and pandemic assaulting our world, the world itself continues its constant, reliable repetition of seasons. How are you coping with the natural world—and the human world?
Nature and the Cosmos
Just to make things interesting—we get to experience two New Moons in April. April 1 is the first new moon, when the moon “hides” from us and we get to practice releasing what does not serve us anymore. What might that look like for you? For me it is allowing myself to feel more deeply the aspects of sadness and grief that I might not have fully allowed myself to experience in the past, and by doing so release it from my body.
April 16 is the Full Pink Moon when you see (if you haven’t already) flowers pushing up through the warming earth. Look up into the dark sky for the Lyrid Meteor Shower on April 22 and 23. On April 30, the last day of this month—we will not only have the second new moon, we will also experience a partial solar eclipse when the sun is partly covered by the moon.
I think the two new moons means we really need to dive into areas of our psyche and soul to look for and release regrets and sources of pain so that we might find some creative juice to tap into for finding new ways to be in this world.
“The most important secrets seem to always hide in the shadows.” —Joan Halifax
Bringing ritual or ceremony back into your life can support you to create powerful habits that allow you to access the mysterious, the Divine, or the Great Spirit. We need to tap the invisible world to begin shifting what we have been doing to recalibrate the trajectory of destruction we are headed for. Tapping the invisible mystery means we may tap into something different and creative, by finding new ways to live a fuller and more present life and with ALL life.
Natural Healing
I was sitting around the dinner table with friends recently and Don Eaton (musician, https://doneaton.org) shared something he learned from Neale Donald Walsh. The synopsis is we are doing things backwards!
What if instead of going for what you want to have—the house, the money, and the relationships—what if you started with who you want to be? When you know what you want to be, it inspires you to do—and then ultimately what you have naturally occurs because you are in alignment with yourself. It becomes an easier organic process.
I love this concept, as it less about struggle and more being who we innately and authentically are. We get to be who we are in the present moment rather than one day (future). Personally, my being is all about connection. When I come from a place of being, then I naturally do the things to support my feeling connected, and then I often find that I have the things or experiences to support that. Of course, Don also suggested that we often are being a certain way because we did not get that need met when we were younger. Ahhh, the light and shadow dance again.
In my world, my being has often been connected to what I am most passionate about. Which is also my essence when I look at my passions. Another way to see this is your passions can help drive you to your being.
What kind of support or connection are you looking for today? What can you explore as you walk into the creative unknown? I find myself searching for fresh perspectives. I need to consciously practice releasing what does not serve me, acknowledging parts of myself that I have pushed away, and learning to become a better ally to people around the world and in my neighborhood. I choose to explore different wisdom paths to expand my love of myself and others. This is my lifetime journey. Share with me yours, as I would love to hear from you.
Intuitive Leadership
Being an intuitive leader often means standing out and doing something that others are not always talking about loudly in community. It is about hearing the need that is talked about privately and seeing the necessity to have the conversation go public. I want to talk more about how to see Spirit or the Mystical in new forms that speak to each of us. I love the courage that Christena Cleveland shares in her book, about her 400-mile nature pilgrimage to sacred sites through France called God is a Black Woman.
Grief and Wisdom
Another sacred experience is grieving. I seem to be holding this space more for myself and others right now. Rumi said, “Joy lives concealed in grief.” If you are feeling heartache or have recently experienced a loss of someone, an animal, or just feel lost, check out some resources from the Golden Willow Retreat Center in Taos, New Mexico. They have Grief Zoom Groups and more.
I continue to be inspired by Francis Weller and his work on the five gates of grief—possible ways that grief enters our life that is not fully processed or “metabolized.” If curious, watch this short introduction.
I will be taking a five-session workshop with him next month.
If you would like to experience a deeper dive through journaling and the power of gaining clarity and deeper knowing, I will be doing a free, three-day Journal Challenge March 30, 31, April 1.
Also, there will be a new Spring Journal Wisdom Circle, starting April 19. I already have one group and it seems like time to generate the next group of wise women. This is only for committed women ready to explore and connect to their inner wisdom-psyche-soul with other like-minded spirits.
“Let everything happen to you. Beauty and terror. Just keep going. No feeling is final.” —R.M. Rilke
Metaphorically holding hands with others might just be what is needed for you right now. Being held accountable to stay present with yourself and gain clarity and peace in this knowing becomes freedom. Join a group I facilitate in learning more deeply who you are in the present by “going deeper to be greater.” This twice-a-month exploration might be something you are now ready for.
As always, I cannot maintain my life without also being in a healthy body. Doing exercise together in community continues to raise my vibration and allows me to feel stronger and connected to other like-minded friends around the globe. Join me for a great workout.
I continue to see spirit in all things and wish to deepen my experience of resolving what is within me that I also see outside of me. It is time to put down the blame and shame sword and pick up the chalice of truth and inner wisdom. How might compassion and listening be part of your path to liberation?
“We are all alchemists, transmuting pain into aliveness, unwanted experiences into awakening.” —Rashani
Go Deeper to Be Greater,
