hand-to-heart

Slowly. Easily. Gently. I Breathe Deep and Begin To Allow…

Sitting in a room with candles, it feels so strange to have the windows open on a February night. There is a wind that blows, bringing life to the wind chimes not too far from my window. The song gently eases my heart that has been tugged upon as I am going through the spiritual work that comes with this path. There is an energy that flows tonight. Something that may be familiar, or maybe not. Something that feels ancient, but maybe it was just forgotten in this lifetime. But there is something there and I can feel it calling.

Taking a breath, I try to feel just what is beyond me. The mysteriously warm evening. The smell of a storm that is on its way. The sound of the wind through the naked trees and the bunnies racing through the fallen leaves underneath the forsythia bushes. There is a stillness that sits in the darkened night. Connected. I am connected to all that is around me. I am here, in the present moment, opening up without judgement or expectation. I am a daughter of the Earth, yet feel lost within its expansion…

Taking a breath, I remind myself to bring the awareness to my physical body. I realize that my breath is a bit shallow. I gently remind myself to breathe deep. Slowly, I turn my attention to my heartbeat. That too, feels off. Slowly. Gently. Easily. Breathe deep… Better. I slowly turn my attention to my mind. Oh, how it races. The day, people, society, work, traffic, family, friends – it all catches up and can consume us so easily. I realize that I have been swept up in it. Way too busy with not a lot of restful sleep is a recipe for trouble. Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.

Like leaves that fall, I too must allow the shedding. But oh, it can be so hard at times. Slowly. Easily. Gently. I breathe deep and begin to allow…Tears begin to fall. One after another they drop. Each tear a fragment. Some have names. Some have memories. Others are simply carried away on the wind, unknown to me. Slowly. Easily. Gently. I breathe deep and begin to allow…

Tonight I was reminded of a simple truth: the struggle persists when we cling so tightly to what we think we should be, what others think we should be, and as a result, we close ourselves off the beauty, silence, love, and wisdom that calls to us from the inside. I began tonight, looking outward to the night sounds and the playfulness of the backyard animals. Tonight is beautiful, so my experience was beautiful. What happens when it is dark and cold, with shadows that lurk and stalk us as prey? The experience wouldn’t be so soothing or healing if we are consumed by outside fear. So why do we as humans insist on defining who we are by what externally surrounds us? For that question, I have no answer. I simply have observations…

Breathe. Allow. Come back to center. Find the beauty in your silence. You are not your car, status, or bank account. You are love and you are wise. You are spirit and you are infinite. You are breath and you are bone. You are flesh and you are blood. You are strong and you are gentle. You will fall, yet you will rise. And please, remember that you too, must rest. If we don’t, we become sick and consumed with our anxieties. That is not who we are. It is not what we are meant to be. So, remember: Slowly. Easily. Gently. Breathe deep and begin to allow… We are connected to the beauty and grace and life that surrounds us. The way to connect with what surrounds us, is to connect within ourselves.

You Are Not Alone

November 28, 2017

8924c56774168c195f285f0c1178b90a--feminine-power-sacred-feminine

You Are Not Alone

There, in the distance, can you hear it? Can you feel in your bones, the emotion
that is being poured out into the ethers? Can you hear the collective sigh being
released after what feels like more than two thousand years, adding power to the
winds of change? If you close your eyes, do you see thousands of faces emerging
from the shadows? Do you hear your heartbeat, your voice, your story being
echoed in the sea of endless women and men? Breathe. Place your hands upon
your heart and feel the pulse of life flow through you… you are here with me. In
this moment, you are present. You are alive. You are a survivor. You are not alone.
And now, in this time and in this place, I see you. I feel you. I hear you. I honor
you for your strength of spirit and your fearlessness to rise every day and take in
your beautiful and divine breath. Exhale. Release. Relax. Let go. For you are
sacred. You are protected. I am honored to stand with you.

I have been moved to tears. I have been engulfed in anger. I have been numb,
confused, and saddened. I have felt hope. I have felt heard. I have felt validation,
inspiration, and encouraged. Most importantly, I have felt that I am not alone. In a
world that can feel upside down a lot of the time, there is a shift that is beginning
to take place. It will take many years to complete, but the movement has started,
and that is a beautiful and powerful thing.

So many emotions have been filling my heart as women have been recounting
their stories in small circles and online. Men and women have been reaching out,
offering support, and cheering strangers on for their bravery as they expose their
darkest experiences to the world. They have been offering a safe place to share
their painful memories in order to reclaim their voice, their bodies, and their souls.
It has also been beautiful to see words of love and encouragement to recognize
those who remain silent and do not wish to share their stories for their own private
reasons. The open secrets and darkness have been exposed and now, after
thousands of years, I have hope as I feel the shift in weight of this collapsing
paradigm.

As empowering and encouraging as this movement has been, it is overwhelming at
times. These posts are not just stories. They are pieces of so many souls that are
?being brought out into the light so we may bear witness to their horrors of
experience. As the voices are raised, we are given the honor for so many to
transform as a survivor. We are lucky to bear witness to the birth of fearless grace
and beauty. Each soul shines as the voice rises and reclaims their story in such a
raw and poetic way. Reading the words, we can feel the pain, guilt, and shame
transform into bravery, strength, and love.

If we scratch beneath the surface of what is going on during this awakening and
reclaiming, we are giving voice to our mothers, grandmothers and great
grandmothers, and all of the women who came before them. For centuries, women
have suffered, been suppressed, and exploited. As we reach in and clean the debris
from our wounded body and soul, we are also healing all of the women who came
before us. As we cried, they cried. As we heal, they heal. As we rise, they rise. As
we move from victim to survivor, we learn to heal and stand again. Now, it is time
for evolution. It is time now to reclaim our sovereignty. The time is now to rise and
embody the full strength of our spirit and our divinity. With the love and support
for all of the women who came before us, we have the ability, love, support, and
duty to write the script of our own lives. It is now our job to take control of our
lives and live it to the fullest without the shame, guilt and fear.

Take a moment and breathe that in. We are the ones who our ancient grandmothers birthed.
We are here now to live in this time of great change so we can rise up with our heart and shine
our light in our Divine power. We are the ones who we have been waiting for. Let
us continue to unite. Let us continue to unbind ourselves from what used to be and
what has been so harmful. Let us rise together, women and men, in perfect love
and perfect trust as we continue to shine our light and lead the way for humanity’s
transformation. All it takes is an outstretched hand, love, compassion,
understanding, and a willingness to listen so others can be heard without
judgement. This is how we change the world. This is how we take control of our
own destiny and evolve. I am ready to walk with you. You are not alone. Are you
ready to take my hand?

The Space Between

November 7, 2017

(artwork by Jackie Morris) THE SPACE BETWEEN As October has given way to November, there is a feeling in the air that continues to call me back to center. Like many I have spoken with lately, for me, October has been a whirlwind of joy and pain, beginnings and endings, a rush from task to […]

Read the full article →

To All Those Who I Have Met Along My Way…

September 19, 2017

There has been a swirling of energy over the last few months. It has felt like a heady buzz of hope and promise mixed with raw vulnerability and heavy emotion. At times, I wasn’t sure how I was going to get through the thickness of it all. Yet, time ticked by. Step by step and […]

Read the full article →

Dance of Life

May 8, 2017

We all experience our life in our own way. We walk. We dance. We run. We rest. We weave our way through our days. There are times when we will hold hands. There are times when we will silently walk alone. With one foot in front of the other, with one sacred breath after another, […]

Read the full article →

With An Outstretched Hand

February 23, 2017

With An Outstretched Hand I have tried to write over the last few days and yet I was unable to find a common thread. I would receive a message through a meditation or a dream and would begin to write. After a few paragraphs, it felt disjointed and out of sync with the message, so […]

Read the full article →

Finding Our Way

February 7, 2017

“Breathe. Breathe deeply. For you are preparing for the days ahead. Breathe life into your body. Breathe the sacred breath that flows to you, through you, from you. Feel your heart beat within your chest. Feel the beat of life keeping pace with the flow of all life. You are one of many. You know […]

Read the full article →

Lady of Winter by Renee Bedard

January 18, 2017

“Lady of Winter” Living in New England, we tend to hear a lot of grumbling during the winter months. I think this is a rite of passage in a way. We complain about the snow, the cold, the grey short days, and the long dark nights. Maybe it is a way for some to deal […]

Read the full article →

The Winds of Change

November 23, 2016

As the chill deepens and the days grow darker, we can feel the winds of change blowing. So many things have come to pass now, we can feel the weight on our minds and hearts. With the election finally over, I hoped we could exhale and gain some relief. However, we have opened another door […]

Read the full article →

Shifting Sands and Changing Tides by Renee Bedard

October 25, 2016

One of my favorite places to be is standing in the shallow surf of the shoreline. There is a gentle peace that flows from the ocean to the shore and then from the supportive land back out to the open sea. It is a sweet surrender to flow with the tide. It is a loving […]

Read the full article →