Finding My Mama Bliss

In February I experienced my first women’s retreat exclusively for mamas. I really had no idea what to expect going into it and would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I’m a hermit by nature and my heart raced at the thought of spending a whole weekend with people I didn’t know that well and most I didn’t know at all. The fear was for nought, for that weekend I dove into my soul alongside a roomful of amazing women. I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing as I allowed myself to be vulnerable and expose hidden truths that I didn’t even know were there. It was the most emotionally exhausting weekend of my life, but it was also what I needed to happen at that point in my life; to break open my soul and explore the emotions that I didn’t know I had been avoiding for so long because I had thought it was easier to bury them rather than work through them.

I left the retreat feeling like a new butterfly fresh out of her cocoon just learning to spread her wings again. I also left feeling a connection – a feeling of sisterhood – with each and every one of the woman I had met that weekend. Upon leaving, I immediately knew I had to attend the next retreat, so I signed up then and there.

Fast forward to this past weekend. The day I left for this retreat I asked my guides what message I should focus on for the weekend ahead. As I was shuffling the cards, The Lovers literally jumped out of the deck. I drew an additional two cards – Judgment and the Page of Wands. The message I received from my reading was one about self-love, transformation, and a new phase of life. The weekend did not disappoint.

When I arrived at the retreat I wasn’t nervous at all and instead I was filled with excitement for what was ahead. When I shared sacred space with these women again for the first time this weekend, I noticed a shift that had taken place within me. I could feel that I wasn’t the same person that had walked in at that first retreat just a few months prior. I could feel this self-confidence that had emerged from truly embracing myself and not caring what others thought of me. I could feel the calm created from the ongoing work of taking the time to process my emotions. I felt more at peace and more connected with myself. I hadn’t fully realized how much of a transformation I had already made on a spiritual and emotional level.

One of the most powerful moments of the weekend for me was doing the labyrinth walk. We had a short hike up to the labyrinth which waited for us in a clearing. The winding path laid out using rocks was a magical sight. When I stepped into the labyrinth and walked my way through a meditative state, I was overcome by the energy and connection I had with the earth beneath my feet and the women walking the path around me. It was overwhelming, powerful, and unexpected. It’s something that I’ll never forget.

I ended the weekend with a better understanding of my journey. It was a weekend of acceptance and letting go of any fear I may have about what lies on the path ahead me. I left finding reassurance within myself that I am heading in the right direction and I have the answers I need – I only need to listen. I also left overwhelmed with gratitude for the sisterhood that is Mama Bliss.

Cord Cutting and Letting Go

A couple of months ago I was guided through the process of cord cutting – cutting the energetic cord that links us to another person or memory – after being plagued by a memory that had surfaced in a dream. These vague emotions attached to the memory had no space in my present life. After I had cut the cord with this memory, I was released from its hold and was able to let any lingering feelings attached to that memory fade away.

A month later I realized that I had a lot of cord cutting that needed to be done. While meditating, I gathered a whole room of people and memories that were energetically tethered to me. One by one, I asked each person’s permission to cut the cord that tied us together and listened for their answer. Only one or two were hesitant but agreed after something as simple as a hug. I could feel the cords dissolving away and finished the meditation feeling much lighter.

I thought after all of that energetic decluttering that I wouldn’t need to do anymore cord cutting for a while. However, last night I found myself in a dream with an acquaintance from long ago. We were sitting together on a brown leather ottoman bench seat by a window in a room filled with many people that I knew at that time. It resembled some sort of small-scale school reunion. She and I exchanged pleasantries and then she began telling me how much I hurt her all those years ago. As she was talking I realized that I had almost no recollection of the memories she was sharing with me. She confided in me that these memories still bothered her after all these years later.

In the dream I recognized that we needed to cut cords. We found ourselves standing in an empty space and I asked her if she would agree to cutting the cord, but she shook her head no, clutching to the cord that tied us together. I gave her a hug and said, “I’m sorry I was such an asshole. Do you forgive me?” After a moment she nodded and the cord fell from her hands. I cut the cord and as we watched it dissolve, the image of the dream faded away. I awoke this morning with a sense of healing and lightness, and I hope that this person from my past feels it as well.

If you are interested in learning more about how to cut cords, there are many guided meditations and articles out there to help you do so. Many people will have a different style of cord cutting. For example, Doreen Virtue uses the assistance of Archangel Michael. Find a meditation that feels right for you and see what arises for you.

Venturing into a Soul-Based Business

 

A couple of months ago I was listening to a teleclass called Birth Your Soul Based Business. This class unearthed a seed that had been buried within my soul for a long time. This seed began to take root and grow as I brainstormed ideas about the what and why of my business. By the end of the week I had several pages of notes in my hands and realized, “I’m actually going to do this.”

With my husband’s support, I purchased supplies and began creating my products. In between creating, I researched how to take good product pictures, about search engine optimization (enough to make me not want to read anything about SEO again), created social media accounts for my shop, and a logo and business cards. That first month before opening my shop and the two weeks that followed were a lot of work. Once I got to the point where I was opening my shop,  I was excited but also slightly apprehensive. By announcing to the world that I had opened my own shop  where I sell charmed goods, I was also saying to the world, “This is who I am. This is what I love. This is what I’m passionate about.” But I discovered after sharing my shop with my friends and the world that it was very freeing and I didn’t care what people thought. To my surprise, everyone responded positively to my authenticity and were very supportive.

So what exactly is my business? Charmed Intentions is my Etsy shop where I sell charmed items that are programmed and charged (meaning I state the intention and let that energy infuse into them) to help people manifest their intentions and desires. I currently have charm bags and charm bottle necklaces for sale. I use a mixture of herbs and selected crystals that have properties associated with the given intention. I smudge (cleanse by running the items through burning sage) all of the materials and take care to assemble items according to the phase of the moon that will enhance the magic in them; they are then charged under the full or new moon. I love working with herbs and crystals so it is such a phenomenal feeling to use them to create products for others.

Courage Charm Bag

Divination Charm Bag

I have come a long way since opening my shop. That small seed from the beginning has blossomed into something beautiful. Through this process I have gained more self-confidence and more self-love simply by being open with others about an important, huge part of myself. I love thinking of new items to create, taking photos for my shop’s Instagram account, and sharing magic with others. I’m looking forward to seeing where my shop goes from here.

If you’d like to learn more about my products, stop by Charmed Intentions! You can also follow my shop on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr for updates as well as magical tidbits.

 

 

 

 

Soul Art Day

Yesterday I took part in Soul Art Day – a guided journey to connect with your spirit through creativity and art. This was my first time hearing about Soul Art Day so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.

I began my morning by working through the exercises from the Guided Soul Art Journey. I began my journey by setting an intention which ended up being “I am connected with my family and with nature”.

The last exercise before beginning my art was writing a story in two minutes using stream of consciousness. The story had to include the five words I had chosen from the exercise prior – the fifth word had to the title and the other four words had to be used within the story. The title of my story ended up being Connection and the four words I had to use were Soulful, Ethereal, Powerful, and Serene. The story I came up with was, “The powerful dragon stood atop the mountain looking over the serene forest that lay below. He felt the soulful warmth of the sun beaming down on him. He heard the sound of water rushing somewhere nearby, cascading in a waterfall that created an ethereal mist over the side of the mountain.”

The next step was creating art. The caveat was that I had to incorporate my story in some way, as well as use a body part (or parts) that I had traced in an exercise at the beginning. I had traced both of my feet together on poster board and used this as my template. I went the collage route and sifted through several magazines finding images within the pages that spoke to me. One thing that I find true with any creative outlet is that once I get started, the creative energy takes hold and flows through me and I have a hard time stepping away until I’m done.

Here is my finished piece:

Once I was finished, the next step was to answer some questions to gather insight about my art. I described my art as very nature-driven with all of the four elements (air, water, earth, fire) present. I felt that my art was interesting with little surprises.

The most powerful insight I received from my art was when I asked it, “What do you want to tell me?” I received the message: You are a magical being who is strong and capable of scaling mountains. Keep your feet grounded in the earth. Let your light glow from within and light up the world.

I then asked my art what it wanted to tell me about my intention. I received the message, “Nature is all around you. All you have to do is step outside and take notice.” Reflecting on my intention, I also received the insight that the only thing standing my way is myself.

If you are interested in learning more about Soul Art Day or creating your own Soul Art, click here. You do not have to have any artistic experience to create art. Just let your intuition guide you and you will be surprised what messages you unlock in the process.