2019: A Time for Slowing Down
I have been feeling the sheer effects of the theme that 2019 seems to be emanating. A theme of transition, re-alignment, restoration of energy and vibrancy. The need for self-care and inner nourishment has never felt so great. I was recently reading some wisdom from Sophie Bashford, an inspiring intuitive channel, teacher and writer, who shared that this year, we'll be asked to slow down, to respect our innate rhythms. We'll start to become in tune with our true energy and emotions - allowing our unadulterated creativity, gifts and ideas to flow without being fueled by chemicals or stimulants.
This means we need to slow down as a society. To learn to respect our natural rhythms and to respond to feelings that are showing up in our bodies, instead of ignoring them and pushing on. The need to push on in our culture has become a natural response. Unfortunately, this response will only further drive our souls into a state of exhaustion. If, like me, you are feeling burned out, overwhelmed, and in need of some space, try taking advantage of the below themes that Sophie recommends for this year:
Work on addictions of all kinds
Clear strong attachments to stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol
Gently alter your eating habits in a way that is based on self-love, including increasing your intake of fruit & vegetables and reducing chemicals
Adopt a very regular deep breathing and stretching practice
Come into daily meditation & silence
Come into Nature very regularly
Practice regular deep relaxation
Receive regular massages and healing touch
These words all landed so powerfully within my soul because I’ve been feeling the need for this over the past couple of months. I’ve come to learn that these feelings I experience are rarely something to be ashamed of, but a feeling to be shared as usually they are experienced within the collective consciousness of humanity. If you too are feeling over exerted, yet see everyone else around you pushing on, please exercise judgment before comparing yourself to someone else’s actions. Just because others are pushing past their boundaries of self-sacrifice, doesn’t mean everyone needs to. Its time for us to change the status quo and take a time out for rest, recovery, and inner-work. Have we all forgotten how to slow down?
Here are some quotes to inspire you on your journey toward inner-nourishment and transformation:
“There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures. There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding. And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end. They have reached their climax and must be harvested before they begin to fade. And finally, of course, there are times that are cold, and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream. Those rhythms in life are natural events. They weave into one another as day follows night, bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but messages of how things are” - Chöguam Trungpa Rinpoche
“The psyches and souls of women also have their own cycles and seasons of doing and solitude, running and staying, being involved and being removed, questing and resting, creating and incubating, being of the world and returning to the soul place” Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes
“Trust means that you will open to life knowing that you will experience situations & emotions that bring you to your knees, and not shying away from these or modifying your reality to avoid them” Ezzie Spencer
“You cannot be in tune with your inner truth if you are constantly distracted by how others are working. Your purpose needs to be 100% focused upon your own intuitive guidance” Sophie Bashford
“We live in a world that is constantly noisy, stimulating, and distracting. Our attention is relentlessly pulled to the external and the material. There is simply so much going on out there, and online, that our need for retreat and inner connection has never been more urgent” Sophie Bashford
“Our individual consciousness is influenced by the collective consciousness of our environment. We absorb and reflect what is around us” Thich Nhat Nanh
“We are lead to believe that there is only ever a limited supply of what we want, yet the truth is that abundance is infinitely available and provided by the universe” Vex King
“Faith is an active choice we make to stay optimistic” Vex King
“Sometimes all we have is our faith - our faith in the fact that things are going to get better. Hang on to it and keep believing, even if that means you’re the only one who does” Vex King
“To meditate is to focus energy within. It is a method of drawing awareness back to our center: to gather the scattered pieces of our outer beings and bring them into our internal home” Sophie Bashford
For some wonderful reading to inspire your journey to inner growth and transformation, I highly recommend the below books:
Bashford, Sophie. (2018). You are a goddess. Working with the sacred feminine to awaken, heal and transform.
King, Vex. (2018). Good vibes. Good Life.
Spencer, Ezzie. (2018). Lunar abundance. Cultivating joy, peace, and purpose using the phases of the moon.