Some of the first reactions I got to this to this photo was "whoa, dirt in your butt! In your hair!" "What if you get tics?" "That looks uncomfortable!"
News flash, I did get dirt in my butt and hair, and bit by dozens of tics. But I took those suckers out by their heads, and done. (Shoutout to growing up in Brazil where we lived with them on the daily)
Then I wondered, why do we have such an aversion to nature?Why do we immediately revert to the negative for different situations? Why do we shun nature, the very thing this earth was created for and what we were meant to live with, in favor of disinfected everything, bleached this, protected that. We are so far from nature that we created a whole other world of modern diseases and medicine for that world 💊💉
I recently fell into that trap, taking medicine for side effects of other medicines until I decided, no more. What I need for this time, my body can provide. Modern medicine has its place, yes, but it's not the end all be all, nor the only option. To me it's a last resort. I'm a faerie, and that shit does not feel good at all. What does feel good is letting that go, and using nature to heal.
Witches are dirty, nasty, playful, fun, unpredictable, and connected to the earth. They don't rely on modern medicine cause they know everything they need for healing nature has already provided for us. Faeries are literally nature. The bridge between the seen and unseen world. The sprites who only show themselves to those who they respect and recognize as their own kind.
I'm bringing nature back to humans in a way they haven't seen before. I'm helping others heal their trauma and connect to themselves using only what's provided in nature. I'm forging a new path that allows you to be who you are, with all dirtiness, discomfort and primal nature you were born with, but lost along the way. You don't have to be afraid of yourself, nature, or disease anymore. You can just be. Isn't that a relief.
Come be a Faerie Witch with me!
What it means to "let go"
Throughout my life I’ve seen a lot of words, quotes, coaches, etc, talk about the importance of "letting go". I even started talking about it before I fully grasped the concept.
But saying "letting go" can be triggering, particularly for trauma survivors. When you say “let go”, you're telling them to let go of everything they worked to get HOLD OF in their recovery.
Letting go is also hard if you've grown up with a strict religion and the idea of a scary god. Or if you've put your trust in others (like those in power) & it backfired. The term becomes meaningless or even harmful.
So what is letting go, really?
Letting go is trusting you are supported by something greater than yourself. That you will find the courage to act at the right time, but not attached to any specific outcome. It does not mean letting go of life. It simply means you trust you are protected and guided, enough to put one foot in front of the other. A day at a time. This is how we live in peace & flow, connected to ourselves and intuition.
But how do you safely let go? In my 39 years of life, I've never heard a clear explanation until I came across Linda Howe, who provides a simple method.
Linda says the safest way of letting go is to put your trust in something dependable first. This could be anything from the cycles of the moon, plants that grow, planets in orbit, the sunrise, your vital organs working. Something tangible & reliable.
It has nothing to do with spirituality, it just has to be meaningful to you. What is that? Waves crashing on a beach? Birds flying in the sky? Literally anything that is a constant in your life, and there are many. You can let go into something you trust.
When you find that constant, relax into the idea there is a power for good at work in your life, and you can trust it without a second thought. Learn to trust what you can see, before trusting what you can't see. This is the safest way for your nervous system to begin to relax. Then, you can start to let go. Eventually, you won't have to keep letting go, because you’ll always be in flow, and at peace.
Then, you can start all that other spiritual stuff. Try it, and see how it works for you.
How to turn your stressors into strengths
I have been struuuuggggggling lately.
Not happy about where I'm at in life, stressed about not finding a place to live and a bit lost as to whether I even want to settle down or keep traveling.
All that stress and worry has affected my health. I've developed multiple health issues that could turn more serious if not attended too soon.
One of the main things I've struggled with from my childhood trauma is extreme anxiety and chronic stress. This is from me constantly trying to predict where danger will come from next so I could protect myself.
When you're in a constant state of fight or flight this affects everything from digestion, ability to focus, immunity, mental health, sleep, social life and...breath.
I feel my body tensing and not breathing. I see myself not eating and resorting back to caffeine to keep me going, making it even worse as that wrecks my adrenals and wreaks havoc on my body and digestive system.
When I'm in a downward spiral like this, one of the things that helps to get me out this funk is gratitude. And there is always so much to be thankful for!
I'm thankful for my family that has houses I can stay in when I get back to Texas. I have an amazing vehicle that allows me to travel the country and gives me no issues whatsoever. I have a healthy body that moves, can get up in the morning and heals quickly from disease. I have friends and family who support me. I have income I can rely on. And, how exciting that I don't have a home! The world is open to me and I can do and go wherever I want.
Turning stressors around to something beautiful is so key when you are going through hard times. I mean, how cool I don’t have anywhere to live, the entire world is open to me and I can go wherever I want!
The next time you've got a stressful issue or in a trauma spiral like I am, use Byron Katie's 4 questions to turn it around.
Ask yourself:
Is it true
Can I absolutely be sure it’s true
Who I am with this thought
Who am I without this thought
Now change the thought around
This technique works and will help put you into a better mental space right away. Try it while taking some deep breaths, and let me know how it goes.
How Generational Trauma Works
"The way we were treated as small children is the way we treat ourselves the rest of our lives; with cruelty or with tenderness and protection. We often impose our most agonizing suffering upon ourselves and, later, on our children."
-- Alice Miller
Dr. Alice Miller said that parents who have not dealt with their trauma often end up traumatizing their children unintentionally. That's because they were traumatized by their own parents, then start repeating the pattern.
Trauma is generational. Unresolved trauma and repressed emotions are often projected onto others, with children becoming the main targets.
Parents unconsciously try to heal themselves through their children, doing to their kid what was or wasn't done to them. E.g. neglect/abuse, or forcing their child into an activity/sport/life that they were deprived of growing up.
Parents who have dealt with trauma know that children need unconditional love and acceptance. They learn to fully love and accept their children's emotions in whatever they do, not just when they are smiling and happy.
To get to that point, you must be attuned to your own emotions, thereby attuning to your children's. You must welcome their moods & feelings so the child knows it's ok to talk about emotions that come up.
In the cult I grew up in, many of my emotions were suppressed. This led to severe emotional illiteracy later in life as I did not recognize emotions like sadness, anger, or confusion. It took me years to undo the emotional abuse I suffered and be able to recognize and deal with my emotions healthily. Even now I still struggle with certain emotions like anger and rage. But I learned to support rather than suppress them.
Heal your trauma. When you attune with your emotions it gives you self awareness and the ability to mother not just your children, but yourself most of all.
Get comfortable with your emotional needs first, so you don't pass on the trauma of emotional neglect and disconnection to others.
It takes time, but is well worth it.
The Art of Meditation - What stood out to me
I recently read The Art of Meditation, and there were several things that stood out to me from this book. One, if had a very clear, concise way of how to stay in the moment, or in the present, something I touched on in one of my previous posts.
I mentioned how the words “living for now” or “staying present” almost have no meaning right now as they are such buzzwords. People use them, but no one really tells you HOW. Well, the Art of Meditation did exactly that, and in a few sentences, not a full blog post like I did earlier.
Below are some of the key standout phrases from the book which continue to impress upon me and I hope they will be of value to you too.
“There’s no time you’ve wasted or lost. There’s only this moment, and it’s complete within itself.
Go beyond accepting and forgiving yourself. Love yourself profoundly, but not the idea of yourself with all its vanity. Love the essence of who you are, which is the essence of every single one of us.
Learn to let go, trust, and learn the essence of it.
There is nothing more to add.”
Are there any books or phrases, quotes, etc you’ve heard on staying present or in the moment that really resonated with you? If so let me know in the comments below!
How I keep sabotaging myself...and how to stop it
"Excuses for ourselves still ultimately be the killer of our dreams." -- @realcandaceowens
Recently I realized I've been making a lot of excuses for myself. Why I haven't gotten to X point in life or accomplished X goal. Then I suddenly realized that the only person holding me back is myself.
I realized that the biggest thing I was doing was making excuses for myself. “It’s not the right time, I don’t feel like it, I don’t feel ready, etc.” But as the famous quote says, “Done is better the perfect,” It’s so important to actually START something and get it going, get it finished, even if it’s not perfect, stop making the excuses that are holding you back and step into the unknown.
So I decided to stop the self sabotaging behavior, take a few steps back and reassess some patterns in my life. While yes, I will be letting go of some things and grieving the way I thought my life would go, that only means I'm making room for better things to come.
That also means I’ll be challenging myself a lot more, stepping into more discomfort and allowing myself to grow, to reach new goals and to set standards that I have been too overwhelmed to set or felt like they were too much out of reach. Even if I felt that it's too much pressure or I’m not prepared, I have to remember that Tomorrow never really comes, and preparation can sometimes be a sneaky disguise for procrastination.
To turn our aspirations into reality, we must be willing to step into the unknown, face our fears head-on, and push ourselves beyond what feels safe and familiar. That's where the magic happens!
So, here's my challenge to myself: To on a journey of discomfort and growth, with the unwavering determination to reach my goals. Whether it's pursuing a new career path, starting a passion project, or simply taking better care of ourselves, l will banish procrastination from my life.
Progress doesn't always come easily. It's okay to stumble, make mistakes, and encounter setbacks along the way. Embrace those moments as opportunities for learning and growth. Each step, no matter how small, brings us closer to the person we aspire to be.
From now on I will hold myself accountable, cheer others on, and celebrate every milestone achieved. I will share struggles and triumphs, and inspire others to join this incredible journey. We're capable of more than we could ever imagine, and it all starts with that courageous first step.
So, here's to embracing discomfort, bidding farewell to procrastination, and unleashing our full potential! It’s time to step into our greatness and stop sabotaging myself and my dreams.
What have you been putting off lately and finding excuses for? Take a look at your life, you may be surprised at what you find.