Going into 2020 I had a lot of goals that were put on hold with the abrupt changes presented by Covid-19. The past few years have been extremely difficult for me and I have learned a lot of hard lessons in life. When asked to sum up the year in one word, I chose “transformative”. Despite the setbacks this year has been by far the most transformative year of my life.
One of the most transformative experiences I have shared is my 10 day meditation retreat where I learned Vipassana. The experience allowed me to bask in complete silence for 10 days among strangers as I learned a difficult yet rewarding form of meditation I had never experienced before. In fact during the first few days of meditating I learned that I had previously become accustomed to leaving my body spiritually during meditation. Learning to stay deeply seated within my body taught me to face each stored emotion meticulously and detach from it.
As I have been practicing this form of meditation over the past year I have found the benefits to be ever rewarding. I have gained a sense of inner peace and acceptance that I was not able to master in the past. I have experienced pure self love and have come to realize that my mission on this earth is to share love. I have also gained a new perspective on those around me. I understand that conflict that arises is not an attack on me personally but an inner battle that rages within all of us.
As I have come to accept my calling to help others through these experiences, I am healing myself daily from generational and societal conditioning. The year 2020 has brought many of us to a point in which we are ready to engage in this higher level of acceptance and understanding of ourselves and those around us. As we are separated physically we are also confronted with the energetic connection that we each have with the universe.
This journey for me personally has meant facing many things that I have feared my entire life. Leaning into myself has allowed me to give myself the things that I need to flourish. The number one thing I can give myself on a daily basis is love, and the more I give myself that love the more I have come to embrace what this soul instance of “I” is. Another thing I have come to accept as necessary for all situations is space. In this fast paced world reactions are far from mindful. By engaging in heartfelt listening, meaningful reflection and respectful distance I am able to provide space for myself and others. Taking that space means feeling the feelings, detaching from the thoughts and moving forward with strong intention.
Putting myself first has been a lesson my entire life has taught me, it means doing what is right for me even in the hardest situations, accepting that some people and situations are not for me and truly listening to my heart and following my intuition. This journey that we call life is full of lessons and many of those lessons are very painful. In the past I have chosen to place blame or throw a pity party instead of truly embracing these opportunities to better myself. I look forward to honoring myself on a deeper level by continuing to lean in and listen deeply to those soul whispers which remind me what I am really here for.
I am sending you lots of love and I am holding space for each and every one of you who is sharing this journey. May you find hope, peace and contentment along the way. Feel free to reach out to me if you need assistance.
Shorty's Hippie Haven 