In the event of loss, setbacks and adversity, it’s easy to lose site of the shore. It takes effort to remain mindful and present to joy when your head is spinning with ‘what if’s’ and ‘if only’s’.
If you’ve found yourself caught in the murky abyss, hold strong. Your first job is only to acknowledge you are there. Tire yourself not with thoughts of how you wound up there and how on Earth you’ll ever get out, simply BE in the abyss and feel all the feels. Honour exactly where you are in this moment.
Trust that you have the power to heal and like anything, this shall pass. Now hand it over to a Higher Power, and let go.
All will be revealed to you in good time if you simply keep faith.
Remember, you are an infinite, unlimited being of light and LOVE. And with love in your heart ANYTHING is possible – even the murkiest of waters can be transcended into crystal clear rivers.
You, my Dear one, are completely unhindered. Place your feet firmly on the earth, arms stretched wide, eyes tilted to the skies, and smile.
Pregnancy has certainly brought with it many physical and emotional challenges; some which have been easier to embrace than others! It’s been a constant journey of reconnecting with myself and the life-force within to fully appreciate and accept all the changes my body must undergo to create and birth this precious new life.
I can’t stress enough the importance of caring for our emotional and physical wellbeing during this delicate transition. This is something I’ve had to remind myself daily.
There have been days and weeks when my health has been at it’s optimal, and days when I’ve opted to skip my self-care practice and nourishment to reach for that comforting treat.
The key here is to monitor your self-talk and remember to be BE KIND. Be mindful of how you talk to yourself. Your body listens!!!! So no berating or self-judgment please ladies…
But just as your body listens, your body talks.
Are you listening to your body and what it needs? Rest, fresh air, movement, nourishment, gentle caresses and positive-self-talk?
There is no better time than the present to love and care for your body, your sacred home 🙏🏻 So what are you waiting for?
I have discovered that whenever my life seems stagnant, stuck or uninspiring – I am usually experiencing some form of resistance. Resistance can signify a crave for change, but it can also indicate a non-acceptance of what is.
I like to think of acceptance as a releasing of the pressure cooker. When we bless and accept our circumstances as they are, suddenly the pressure eases, the tension lifts, and we undergo a shift – a softening of the soul. In letting go of the struggle we place our faith in a Higher consciousness.
It is from this healing place of trust that true transformation occurs.
Today, as you move through your day, notice any resistance that arises. Try to accept the present moment as it is; this is my account balance, this is my work situation, this is my house with the messy floors, this is my relationship status, my weight and my rusty car. This is okay. This is real life. And then surrender. Release all control. Trust that life will undergo a change once you embrace the healing power of acceptance.
Soul Strolls
Since returning from our New Zealand trip, we have been experiencing some extreme temperatures here in Melbourne. My English blood has yet to acclimatise to 40 degree heat, and navigating work and home life in such high temperatures has been a call for me to practice acceptance. Sometimes we just need to slow down, keep cool and honour our body’s need for rest.
My partner and I planned to go away on a camping trip for the long weekend, and true to our style we left it a little late only to discover that most of the camping grounds within a 3 hour radius were already fully booked. Rather than remain disappointed, we planned little dates throughout the weekend to keep cool and enjoy this rare time off together.
I learned to accept that ‘Soul Strolls’ don’t always involve getting outside. Sometimes Soul Strolls include belly laughing at the new Jumanji movie (such a funny film!), dancing to live music, breakfasts at the local cafe and ‘doing’ life with my man by my side. This is a true stroll of the soul.
Soul Food
I’ll admit that cooking isn’t high on my agenda when coping with this heat, and salads have been my saviour! So I am sharing an oldy but a goody that I like to prepare (even in the winter if you are on the other side of the hemisphere!) So call it a ‘Winter’ salad or a ‘Summer’ salad – it’s delicious whatever the season! Enjoy.
Soul Music
I’m loving the track Brighter Days by Hybrid Minds, which reminds us to ‘slow down and take a breath.’ It’s a beautiful, soulful track infused with the gentle sounds of liquid drum and base to ignite the soul. Go on – have a listen!
Soul Brothers
Today I am sharing a short yet powerful post titled, If Only You Did 1 Thing Today by Charles French. I love this simple, yet potent enquiry of the soul.
Whether you are slowing down or gearing up a notch, I wish you all a soulful Sunday free from resistance and struggle. It is sometimes in our chaos, that we discover the magical dance of life.
Whether you are standing in line at the check out, or reading your favourite novel; curled on the sofa with a loved one, or cleaning the dirty dishes – pause… Smile. And love the moment you are in.
Nothing is more powerful than gratitude – nothing far greater than love. When we embrace each moment with joy and appreciation, we breathe energy and life into the present. This stimulates higher frequencies of pure peace to move into our field of energy. Mindfulness is an art, and one we must practice each day if we are to become good at it.
Bless, love and accept each moment, regardless of your circumstances. In doing so, you will surpass all boundaries and limitations.
Today, breathe and smile. Love the moment you are in and trust that all is precisely how it is supposed to be.
Welcome to my twenty-sixth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.
For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.
My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.
Soul Reflections
When I contemplate the friendships I have remained closest to over the years, the ones that have been a constant presence in my life – I have discovered they each possess a quality rarely found in everyone we meet. Besides love and trust, what is the special glue that binds two souls together? The vital ingredient that allows you to feel at ease in another’s company? Acceptance. Acceptance says; “It is safe for you to be vulnerable in my presence. It is safe for you to be you.”
Those friendships of mine have stood the test of time because they have accepted me for who I am, nothing more and nothing less. Nothing is expected of me, and nothing is taken for granted. Their only wish is that I be myself, in all my wonky glory. We have laughed together until our bellies hurt and our eyebrows feel like they’re about to merge into our hairlines! We have cried rivers of tears in front of each other, have listened without judgement to one another’s deepest despairs, and have shared our most personal dreams and wishes. Our love, trust and acceptance afforded us the ability to say: “Your heart is safe with me.”
Just be yourself. Let people see the real, imperfect, flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful and magical person that you are.
– Mandy Hale
We each have our irks and quirks. That is what makes life so colourful. It’s what prevents life from becoming too uniformed, too grey, too dull. So what if your ears stick out, if your bum jiggles when you walk or you snort like a pig when you laugh?! Life is tough enough without having to conform to the ideals of how others say we should be, think, speak and act. Go easy on yourself. Allow yourself the freedom to be you. As long as you aren’t causing hurt or upset to anyone; be the unapologetic, unequivocally amazing person that you are!
Soul Strolls
Since moving house, I am truly missing having a good park in walking distance to where I live. I have taken to the neighbourhood and have been walking up and down the quieter streets, and today I went in search of a local park. I found one about 25 minutes from my house, which was mostly a cemetery beside an oval. Within moments, a man in his fifties asked me if I’d go on a date with him! Taken aback, I told him I already have a boyfriend, to which he replied “I’ll kiss you!” I left promptly afterwards. The search for a good park continues! hehe I did manage to capture this pretty wee thing on the way home!
Soul Food
I have been under the weather for the best part of two weeks. What started as a sore throat soon escalated into a chest infection when I refused to listen to my body and continued to work despite needing obvious rest! My friend and fellow blogger Miriam who blogs at Out an’ About suggested I eat bone broth! Thankfully, I’m already on the mend – but next time I am ill I will be sure to try one. I managed to find a good bone broth recipe on my favourite health and wellness websites here. (Just in case you get a case of the sniffles!)
Soul Music
I would like to share So True by The Black Seeds today. It’s a lovely track which shows that when we are true, and trust in others, we get and give the best of ourselves.
Soul Sisters
Today, I am sharing a post titled ‘Change Your Attitude’ by Bernice at SpiritualJourney17. It reminds me of a lesson I taught to my children about replacing the ANTS (Automatic Negaive Talk) in our heads with PETS (Positive Eotional Talk). Head over for a read!
Wishing you a Sunday where you are free to be you, in all of your wonky glory!
We each have moments where our words and actions fall short of our truest self. Habitual responses and behaviours can cause us to speak or act unconsciously. A situation or comment may trigger a past pain or trauma resulting in a fight, flight or freeze response. Life would be much easier if we could operate from our highest self all of the time, but life is rarely that simple. We can, however, learn to love and accept our blunders for what they are – lessons which point the way forward.
Our setbacks are there to teach us. Do you have unhealed hurts requiring your attention? Is there someone you have yet to forgive? Remember, that person needing your forgiveness may even be you.
Many of us become entangled in self-sabotaging behaviours. But it’s no use beating ourselves up over them. Instead, be gentle with yourself. Recognise what your outer world is trying to teach you about your inner world. Do you feel yourself worthy enough of happiness and fulfilment? Do you recognise that you are loved, loving and lovable even with your flaws and imperfections? Do you believe in yourself enough to make the changes necessary for growth and expansion?
You needn’t dwell on these matters for too long. Simply become aware of them. Then let them go. Move on. As Emerson reminds us, ‘tomorrow is a new day.’ Today, let’s leave the past firmly behind us so we can look to the present moment for creative solutions.
Welcome to my fourteenth instalment of ‘Soulful Sundays’. A weekly share where I post a roundup of soulful reflections, each including recipes, songs, quotes, blogs I have read and/or any other inspirational discoveries to sooth the soul.
For me, Sunday’s have become a day of quiet contemplation and simple pleasures. A time to reflect on the week gone by and to consider my hopes and dreams for the week ahead.
My hope is to extend some love outward and to share some simple pleasures with anyone who cares to receive them.
Soul Reflections
I have been experiencing a lot of change in my life recently. My partner and I of six years have decided to go our separate ways. Letting go is never easy, but I have managed to reach a place of acceptance and peace, despite my world being so uncertain right now.
Adversity affects us all in varying degrees. It may come knocking on our door uninvited, or if we are lucky, at least with some prior warning so that we can prepare ourselves. But when adversity does hit, we may not feel ready to face the changes that are upon us. Life becomes uncertain. We become caught in a whirlwind of emotions as we are swept off our feet and carried by the winds of change. The best we can do in this instance is to go with it. To trust that we will land safely on the other side.
Change is inevitable. Change allows for growth and expansion. It is in our darkest moments that we often discover our light; our inner strength and commitment to oneself. Whether that commitment is to heal; to learn; to accept; or to be kinder to ourselves as well as others, change commands for us to dig deep and seek the light of Truth. To shift our perspective from one of anger, pain and blame, to one of peaceful acceptance and awareness.
Whatever troubles you are facing in your life right now, be kind to yourself. Be honest with yourself and others. What do you need right now? Quiet space? Welcome distraction? Time to heal? Support and assistance? Adversity is never easy. But there is always something beautiful waiting on the other side. Focus on what’s right, instead of what’s wrong. Search for the good. Seek beauty, freedom, clarity and joy. Have faith that all will come right. And do what makes your soul happy; ‘because when you stop and look around, this life is pretty amazing.’
Soul Strolls
Walking has been helping me to work through the changes in my life right now. Spending time in nature brings clarity, space and freedom from obsessive thinking. I snapped these beautiful blue flowers the other day. I was feeling blue, but seeing the vibrant blue of these flowers reminded me that the colour blue is also associated with beauty.
Soul Food
I haven’t felt like cooking much and have been keeping life simple with salads and smoothies. So I thought I’d share this delicious Chocolate Avocado Smoothie smoothie recipe from Kris Carr. Because chocolate just makes me happy 🙂
Soul Sounds
Today I am sharing Coldplay’s Beautiful World. A reminder that we live in a beautiful world, however tough times get.
Soul Sisters
Today, I am also sharing this simple, resonating poem titled Wasted by Chole In To Diamonds. It resonated with me so much when I read it and so I thought I’d share it in today’s Soulful Sunday post.
Ahh the ego. We all have one. That shadow side in each of us which grasps, blames, condemns, judges, offends, defends, competes, sabotages, attacks and punishes. And whilst we’d all love to be egoless beings, part of the human experience consists of the contrast between our light and shade. Some days we are triggered, our ego is revealed, and there is little we can do to avoid this. At best we can breathe, notice, and learn to respond rather than react. It’s not our job to judge or condemn the behaviour of others, nor should we criticise our own momentary descents into the ego.
At a soul level, we are all equally loveable, perfect, whole and complete.
Beyond our egos, we each possess within us a light of awareness; our authentic Self. Our soul. That peaceful part of us that forgives, loves, accepts, understands, inspires, compliments, encourages, nurtures, perseveres, expands and seeks the Truth. We must look beyond our character flaws and discover the perfect soul within. Our aim is to reach a stage where we can say to one another: ‘The soul in me sees the soul in you.’ – regardless of how much pain and suffering has been caused. That is how we forgive – that is how we love; ourselves as well as others.
Today, be unafraid to show that tender side of you. The side of you who is loving and accepting of another’s flaws. For in doing so, we accept our own.
Let us not forget that ‘the authentic self is the soul made visible.’
I am a big believer that our dreams come from God and that He has the power to accomplish them. Often we pin our hopes and dreams on one outcome. We have set ideas of how and when we must arrive there. However, in doing so, we miss the many opportunities there are to land among the stars.
Today, dream big. Know that your dreams are real. Trust that God knows precisely the best, possible way for you to fulfil your Divine purpose. When we get out of our own way and allow ourselves to be led by Divine guidance, who knows? We may even land on the moon after all.
I came across this talented writer today and felt compelled to share her breathtakingly beautiful poem. It speaks to the heart and reinforces the power and unique beauty of each and every one of us. A beauty that sadly, so many of us forget.
With so much media and airbrushing and ‘ideals’ – Dainty M’s poem reminds us of the importance of loving ourselves; accepting ourselves. For we are all children of God and created perfectly in His vision.
Thank you Dainty M for this wonderful piece written from the heart.
Dear Dad 