Month: September 2022

Allow ❦

On By Heather Wiest

This week’s theme is simply the word ALLOW — very open-ended, very individual. What am I allowing in? Who am I allowing into my life? What am I allowing for? Am I allowing myself to be inspired? To embrace change and grow? What do you want to show up in your life? Allow for that. What you allow is what will continue. Pick something today, make it positive and encouraging. Today I’m allowing myself to be fully present. Today I am allowing myself to create and explore. Today I am allowing for a healthy change. Today I am allowing myself to just be and relax. Today I allow love in, and let fear go. Whatever it is, ALLOW it in. As Oprah Winfrey states, “Even the wildest dreams have to start somewhere. Allow yourself the time and space to let your mind wander, and your imagination fly.” So what will it be? What are you allowing for? Allow for what seems impossible. Allow for miracles. Be open to whatever comes next. ❦

Oftentimes, to allow something new in, we need to let something go. What do you need to let go of? Inhale, inviting something new in…exhale, letting something go, creating space.

“Behind every fear, there is a miracle waiting to happen.” ~ Marianne Williamson

I let go in order to move forward.

“So here’s what I’ve learned through it all: Leave all your cares and anxieties at the feet of the Lord, and measureless grace with strengthen you.”  

Psalm 55:22 TPT

“You’re free now, free to take the journey of a lifetime. Free to experience life, in its newness, its freshness, its magic — in a way you never have before. The only limitations on you are the ones you’ve placed on yourself.” ~ Melody Beattie

When I let go of all control and expectation, the experience becomes ALIVE!

A Life Map (Vision Board) helps you discover what you want for yourself and your life. Follow the steps below to create your own Life Map.

Step One:
Gather magazines and catalogues.
Step Two:
Go through the magazines and catalogues and pull out images, words and phrases that speak to you or evoke feelings.
Step Three:
Cut out these images and words.
Step Four:
Place your words and images on a large board in an way that feels right to you.
Step Five:
Paste the images on the board.
Step Six:
Review your Life Map and ask yourself the following questions:
What have I learned about myself from looking at my Life Map?
Do I see any patterns?
Does anything on my Life Map surprise me?
If I knew that all of the images and this Life Map would come in to my life, would I be OK with that?
Who do I need to become in order to fulfill the intentions on my Life Map?
Based on my Life Map, what quality will I commit to developing this year?
Step Seven:
Find support for changing your life. Share your findings with a friend. You can even create Life Maps together.

One Embrace by Danna Faulds

I breathe in blessings,
bird song, the light of
stars dimming in the 
dawn. I breathe in
mystery and mountain
streams, equanimity
and the audacity to live
boldly, freely, willingly
in service to the whole.
My open hands rest lightly on my knees.
They vibrate with energy,
fill with possibility and 
grace. I breathe out 
judgment, expectations, 
doubt, and everything 
that handcuffs me
and holds me back.
Breath completes the
circle of ebb and flow,
highs and lows, form
and formless joined
in one embrace.

I am open to whatever comes next. ❦

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Autumn Aspirations 🍁

On By Heather Wiest

The Autumn equinox is the moment where our days and nights find equilibrium, marking the start of a seasonal shift. We take this time to reflect upon the past few months and the lessons learned along the way.

A new season is a great time to set some new intentions for your life.

❦ What has been coming up for you in the last days, weeks, months?

❦ What isn’t serving you, what do you want to let go of?

❦ What new intentions do you want to bring forth and cultivate?

You don’t have to fear change. What you need to fear, a friend once told me, is things remaining the same. When that happens, life has stopped. Your life is constantly, quietly evolving each moment into something new, something different, something that adds gracefully, beautifully, and perfectly to what was.  

Melody Beattie

Autumn is referred to as a Vata (air) season, which means the presence of air and space is more noticeable in and around us. You may feel more light, carefree, creative, or even spacey and scattered. We harmonize this by learning to go with the flow more — physically, emotionally, and spiritually. As we practice letting things come and go, it is a particularly good time to remind ourselves to breathe deeply. The heart and lungs are a focus of this season, and the breath flowing through helps make space for the release of whatever the heart is holding to tightly, or resisting. Autumn is a very special time to make space around and in the heart. Step out of your tension, out of your fear. Laugh. Lighten up. Loosen up. Change your energy. Relax until you find the flow. Relax until you find your rhythm, until you feel life’s rhythm again. 

In order to protect ourselves from taking on any negative energy from other people or situations; we can learn to SHIELD. There are times when you may find that being around certain individuals or groups of people leaves you with feelings of discomfort. It may be that spending time with a particular friend feels draining or that dealing with a specific coworker exhausts you. Being around toxic or angry people is also draining. And you may even find that being surrounded by a crowd of people lowers your energy levels rather than perks you up. This is not that unusual. Each of us radiates energy and is capable of being influenced by the energy of other people. It is important to learn how to shield yourself, so you don’t unknowingly take on someone else’s energy.

There are a number of ways to avoid being affected by people’s energy. SHIELDING is one preventative technique you can use. Center yourself and envision being enveloped in a cocoon of loving and protective light. This protective layer should allow you to consciously regulate the energy around you. The intent to shield oneself is all you need for this technique to work. You can even create a TRIGGER WORD to assist you in quickly creating a shield. Say this word each time you create a new shield, until the word and the shield become automatically associated in your mind.

While it is important to know how to shield yourself from energy, there are those energies that you may not want to shut out. The energy of laughter from a newborn baby, the feeling of joy radiating from someone in love, and the frequency of calm emanating from a mentor are just some of the energies coming from others that you may want to have around you.

Adapted from Taking on the Energy of Others, by Madison Taylor

Maybe Not by Danna Faulds

Begin somewhere. Take one deep breath and dive. Plunge into the core of your most persistent fear or your greatest joy. Grow comfortable with the act of exploration. Well, maybe not comfortable, but confident of your ability to be sure footed on slick rocks, steady while the winds gust. Well, maybe not entirely confident, but willing to set out despite persistent doubts, breathing your way into whatever you are facing. Well, maybe not even all that willing, but you take it anyway, that first step into the unknown. Courage is starting where there is no secure outcome, no sure result. The secret is you can begin again at any time. Take one deep breath and dive.

God, I invite your searching gaze into my heart. Examine me through and through; find out everything that may be hidden within me. Put me to the test and sift through all my anxious cares. See if there is any path of pain I’m walking on, and lead me back to your glorious, everlasting ways—the path that brings me back to you. ~ Psalm 139: 23-24 TPT

I am at peace in the midst of change. I am listening to my heart and soul — creating space for new intentions — breathing deep and diving in. I remain completely relaxed and receptive regardless of the end result. My body is light, my mind is at peace, and my heart is unconditionally open. 

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Survivor Story

On By Heather Wiest

In 2013 and 2017,  I was blessed to visit the 9/11 Memorial in New York City — both incredibly moving experiences. One of the amazing stories to come out of the 9/11 tragedy is that of the Survivor Tree. A poem written by Faith A. Johnson describes it well:

The Survivor Tree

A miracle of botany, human spirit, and community,
In face of great adversity,
Back to life and breathing free,
It is known as the Survivor Tree.

Buried under twisted steel,
Determined branches hands could feel
Its blackened trunk, leaves no more,
And yet some life inside its core.

Where once its blossoms did embrace,
A Callery Pear showcased this place,
Where towers stood and life was loud,
A city and a country proud.

October day, the tree was found,
Amidst confusion, sadness sounds,
Came hopeful plans to nurse the tree,
Back to vibrant life, healthy.

And so it was that Callery Pear,
Moved to the Bronx, now home was there,
Cleaned of ash, cushioned in soil,
Human hands would gently toil.

To bring the tree back its life,
Overcoming hurts and strife,
Just as our country proving strong,
The tree grew tall, with branches long.

And next to it, a flag did fly,
Reminding all that dreams don’t die,
Our roots of freedom running deep,
Our nation’s strong, and memories keep.

Of loved ones lost, forever gone,
Yet, in our hearts, love carries on.
A Callery Pear, Survivor Tree,
Came back to where it used to be.

It reaches high into the sky,
And to the heavens leads our eyes,
Grow strong, our dear Survivor Tree,
For our America, Land of the Free.

Oftentimes, stories like this hit a heart string. We all have a survivor story. What have you overcome? Are you currently in the midst of a struggle or a change? Choose persistence, choose peace, choose strength, choose faith, hope, and love. You are a survivor and will come out thriving! Cultivate the seed that was placed in you until the last small twig has grown.

Bamboo lives underground for five years before it is seen by anyone. It spends five years cultivating a complicated weave of roots in the dirt, until it knows, without a doubt, it is strong enough to sustain the elements of the world. It knows it’s bamboo from the moment the seed plants in the earthly womb, yet is patient as it develops slowly and steadily. One day, when the preparation is complete, the bamboo sprouts — and swiftly shoots up in the air 82 feet! We are like bamboo — strong and resilient — rising beautifully in time.

Be inspired by a piece of my survivor story, The Door Knocker. ❤️

“Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” ~ Kahil Gibran

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