Cultivating a Daily Practice

May 03, 2019 3 Comments

Self-Care seems to be the buzzword of the moment flowing through the collective consciousness. And this is a very good thing.

Scrolling through my social media feed I see so many ways that this concept is being manifested. So many voices rising up and sharing, through their own unique lens, the multitude of ways we can and should be supporting ourselves.

We need ALL the different voices so that everyone has the opportunity to hear, and to find words and an understanding that they best resonate with, wherever they are in their journey.

And so with my work, with my books launching I am adding MY voice to the mix.

There is an ENORMOUS amount of inner work that goes into creating and manifesting my outer work in the world.

Soulflower has been my journey of self-discovery and it has taken me a long time, a lifetime in fact, to come to a depth of understanding, and a daily practice, that I feel confident to share. (Sunflower giving me a little nudge here.)

For example, my walking everyday is partly to get some exercise and move my body, but mostly it’s about moving my presence into BEING present and listening to the world around me instead of the voices in my head.

This is quintessential SELF-CARE work, this is the process of TENDING that we all need to do every single day for our physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

There is no pill, no external magic wand, no other person that can do this work for you.

I believe that everyday, all of Nature, is reflecting back at us, guiding us, showing us how to be present in our lives.

There are days where I feel defeated and aimless in my work. Days where my internal gremlins of self-pity, lack and comparison try to steal my joy, but most days I remember that my work, my words and my understandings have value and I am willing to put 100% of my creative energy towards manifesting and sharing this vision.

And so I show up everyday. I greet the gremlins. I recognize that they are an integral part of me and then I intentionally add them to my compost pile to be recycled into something far more nourishing and beautiful. I do it for myself, I do it for you, and I do it for the Earth that we are all a part of.

This is what self-care and self-love means to me.

Whether I reach one person or many, is not how I measure the success of my work. I measure my success based on my ability to maintain a steady presence in my own life and my ability to personally cultivate peace and joy and to embody a deep sense of awareness and purpose. Every single day. This is my daily self-care practice.

Do you have a daily practice? Is it one that you feel connected to or is it more “obligation and going through the motions?”

It is my understanding that life is not some battle to be waged or won on any level. 

I cannot force and push and struggle to create a daily self-care practice, or create a rigid to-do checklist of items to support it. Sheer will and determination is not the way. Not my way, anyway.

Instead I have learned, and am constantly learning, that I have to gently open and surrender into the daily practice.

🌸 I have to TRUST that I am exactly where I am meant to be at all times.

🌸 I have to set the INTENTION every day, sometimes every minute, that I am worthy of my time and that I have enough time.

🌸 I have to SURRENDER to all that is happening in my life. Remembering that I don’t live in a vacuum and that there are many moving parts circling around me.

🌸 I have to learn to embody the energy of FLOW, so that when obstacles arise, which they always do, I can feel free to move around them rather than having them stop in my tracks, feeling a failure and defeated.

🌸 And most importantly, I have to REMEMBER that my self-care practice requires bucket loads of courage, self-compassion, forgiveness, and so much understanding and love for myself and for my own unique journey.

My guess is that ALL THIS applies to you too!

So where to start, right?

It may look like a single deep breath. It may look like a relaxing bath or a full-on yoga practice, or a walk in the woods. It may look like a cup of tea and shared conversation with someone you trust. Or it may look like picking an oracle card and reflecting with the message you receive.

Daily self-care is all of this and more.

Not all at once or all every day but a collection of tools, resources, ideas and actions that you can lean on, practice and embody as you are called to. What it looks like exactly is something that springs from your own creator energy, your own consciousness. Only you know your own heart and what you need to nurture it.

🌸 Every single day is a gift of a new beginning from the Universe.

🌸 Every single day is different and what worked yesterday may not work today.

🌸 Every single day we have the opportunity to learn and grow and explore new facets of ourselves with the utmost respect, compassion and understanding for who we were the day before.

This practice in and of itself is the most powerful medicine available to you. This is self-care at it’s finest. And this is what I wish explore in my day, share in my work, and embody in every aspect of my life.

This is why I created the Soulflower Plant Spirit Oracle, and this is the essence underlying my guidebook and the supporting journal.

These are my tools of self-discovery, self-care, self-empowerment and learning to live a life guided by the wisdom of my heart and soul.

The Deck, the Guidebook, “Tending the Garden Your Soul” and “The Daily Practice” journal are all rooted in the deep understanding of myself as part of Nature and that we cannot grow and flourish, and neither can the Earth, without cultivating this level of self-care.

Life is a spiraling journey of understanding and practice and there is no finish line. Through my personal work of sharing the wisdom of the Soulflower Plant Spirits that I am deeply connected to I hope to help support you on your journey, and well as mine.

 

 

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