from reaction to response

Ultimately, our life transforms when we create enough space between what is happening outside of ourselves and how we choose to respond.

The beauty of this practice is this:

As we mine for the gold something occurs within us.

We alchemize dark parts of ourselves, the things we put in shadow and transform them into light.

With each and every choice we make to sit with the part of us that is coming up to be seen and heard, we become lighter and lighter and lighter.

No longer are we choosing to react from our history. Re-act. To act again.

We no choose to respond.

That space between stimulus and response is where our greatest power lies.

Whether it's our child who does something that triggers us or our life feels chaotic and everything is going on at once, before we actually act- whether in words, energy or action - there is space for us to choose differently.

This space is what we are learning to cultivate as we let go of what no longer serves us and make room for that which is meant to be ours.

As we stop reacting from our history, we stop handing down our fears to our children.

We create space for them to be their true selves.

slow down

Part of creating space is slowing down. Slowing down allows us to notice, connect and choose differently. In this fast-paced world that we live in, slowing down seems like a luxury. But only in slowing down, can we tune in, listen to and act on our inner guidance.

I am actually lucky. I have always been naturally slow.

It was not always appreciated by my family.

My mom always wanted me to do something and I never wanted to do it.

My sister always wanted me to go faster. I would try to hustle to catch up only to lose steam.

My husband wanted me to hurry up and get a job event though I wasn't ready.

It seemed like everywhere I looked, I was told to hustle. Move. Hurry up.

Through this practice I have healed the parts of me that felt that I wasn't good enough being slow.

That I should be different.

That I wasn't going to accomplish anything if I didn't move faster.

I listened to those parts of myself and found my gold.

Now I feel lucky.

I know that in slowing down I take more in.

I know that in slowing down I can choose differently.

I know in slowing down I can see more clearly where I'm going.

Letting go of the hustle is part of the practice.

How do we create space in our lives so that we have room to linger? To meander? To be led instead of to lead?

We create space by letting go.

We let go of all the things that clog up our schedule.

HERE'S A PRACTICE THAT I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO GET YOU STARTED:

Look at your mealtimes as opportunities to create space. We all deserve to eat breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. Sitting down during these times honors who we are physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.

If you are not sitting down during these times then take a look at ways you can add 30-60 minutes for each meal into your day.

Scheduled meal times is a great starting point for slowing down, connecting to your inner self, connecting to your day, connecting to how you're feeling and asking yourself what you need.

After each meal ask yourself, "What does my body, mind, soul need right now?"

Does my body need to stretch? Does it need to move? Does it need to rest?

What does my mind need right now? Does it need to read? Does it need to solve a puzzle? Does it need to process something new?

What does my soul need? Does it need to connect with another? Does it need to play? Does it need to be in nature? Does it need to make some thing?

If your body asks you to stretch, it doesn't mean you need to do a one hour yoga class. It just means to get up and stretch your whole body. That takes five minutes.

If your soul is calling you to write, then write a few sentences.

Don't get caught up in feeling that you need time to do all this. As you honor your Higher Self for a few minutes, three things begin to happen:

1. You start to live life more in tune with your Higher Self. All these little moments add up.

2. You begin to learn the language of your soul.

3. You develop a relationship with your Higher Self - one based in love and trust.

My hope for you is that you start to carve out these pockets of time during your meals and ask your Self, "What do you need right now?" And take a few minutes to do that thing. It will feel so good. Trust me.

With Much Love,

Maria

mine for the gold

Healing is an alchemical process and to me there is nothing more exciting than to find gold in the midst of chaos, sadness and despair. It's not easy . You must be willing to face the fires that transform these base feelings into golden nuggets of wisdom that will enrich your life. If you do, your life will never be the same.

While the idea of letting go of clutter and creating a peaceful home is appealing to many people, the practice that I invite you to explore goes beyond clearing unwanted clutter.

There are plenty of books that tell us how to sort, clear and organize our spaces. My favorite, by far, has been Marie Kondo's "The Magic of Tidying Up." Her idea of only keeping what sparks joy is easy to remember and so very important.

How many of us have found ourselves clearing the clutter only to find it building up again, and again, and again?

This isn't a clear your clutter kind of website but a letting go of what no longer serves you to make room for what is truly yours type of website.

I'm not asking you to go through your house and clear the things that you no longer want.

I'm asking you to heal the parts of yourself that felt the need to buy it in the first place.

When we create space for those parts of ourselves, alchemy occurs.

We are able to transform a feeling of lack and transmute it into gold - abundance, joy and love.

This practice takes time.

Do not go through your closet over the weekend, emptying it of all things.

Instead, create space everyday for this practice.

Pick a time when you are free and able to take a few minutes to heal the part of yourself that needed to buy the extra stuff.

I don't know what will come up for you in this process.

For me, I could feel a sense of not being good enough as I am. Always feeling like I fall short. That there were things that I needed to do and have in order to be the kind of person people liked. The kind of person I would like. I had to let go of the money that I spent. The feeling of shame for spending all this money. The feeling of lacking discipline. I had to let go of dreams unrealized. Grief and loss and so much more.

These were all uncomfortable feelings.

But I stayed with them.

I felt the heat, the discomfort, the pain.

Time and time again.

I would allow myself to stay with the discomfort because I knew the feeling of finding the gold on the other side and I wanted more of that.

This practice will take us beyond the physical things we've accumulated and into the emotional, mental and energetic things we've accumulated.

Starting with the tangible stuff is the first step. It's the starting point.

There's no rush to get to the end.

There is no end.

There is just continually letting go.

So just start. Take your time. Feel the feelings that come up and let it go.

With Much Love, Maria