A Sacred Year: SPRING

Spring is a time of new, new energy, magic and growth. It’s not just the leaves and the flowers and the birds and other animals that are birthing something new. It is our intentions, our seed packets our energy. It is all coming into the new.

A creative time, where you check in with your intentions for the year so far, you bring into balance perhaps something within those intentions that is out of whack, we bring harmony to our intentions. There may even be a different, more creative approach you can take. This is where we really start to lean into our action stations.

A Sacred Year: IMBOLC

So this week I was in conversation with my Coach and coaching group & I was talking about simplifying my work life a little. Last week when I really needed to rest but felt called to make progress with something in my biz, I checked in with myself and felt like doing something creative would be nice and felt right. And it was, I have a crystal curation client that I worked on, researching, creating stickers for the packets on canva, called my crystal wholesaler, chatted and popped through an order. I finished my day, feeling rested, fulfilled and inspired by what I had created. I felt bloody good.

A Sacred Year: WINTER

Welcome back to the 2nd part of my SACRED YEAR Blog Series, as we welcome WINTER, or YULE, and what an incredible festival/Solstice to honour.

A time of stillness, deep rest, seed planting, and an honouring of the true dark. We know that the Solstice is our shortest day of the year. The night is the longest night.

It’s a time of candles, generating warmth in the home, enjoying hearty + nourishing foods. We’re often more quiet with our social lives, more internal with our processing, we’re actively hibernating if you will. We’ve not forgotten what came up for us during Samhain, in fact, we’re ruminating in what came up for us. We’re spending time to connect and understand what is truly in our hearts, soul, future.

Sacred Travel

I recently did a little Values Checkin Practice. A lovely practice held with my good mate and Fully Flourishing Expert, Sophie. It’s a great Practice and allows us time and space dedicated to answering questions around what it is we love about our life, where you love spending your time, what you owe talking about, and so forth. What came up for me wasn’t really a surprise. My Sacred Biz, My Health and Travel.

Perhaps heavily influenced because as I share this with you, I’m in Peru. A trip that I’ve had on my heart for many many years. I'm not really a vision board or bucket list kinda gal, but what I do do, is hold the visions in my heart. One of those visions is to venture to Peru on Sacred retreat with my mentor Sora Schilling.

The Magic of Cacao

For those of you that have been following along with my life for a while, you will know that this sweet, delicious chocolatey goodness has been an anchor for me for good few years now.

I’m trying to remember how I came across it. It was well over 7 years ago. And to be honest I think Cacao found me. I was a pretty avid coffee drinker. Lived in Melbs, that’s kind of what you do there. I loved coffee, it was my daily thing, it was a way to connect with the peeps at the coffee shop, catch up with friends, keep me going through my busy days, and probably a bit of a coping mechanism to get me through some sticky situations.

Cacao found me at a different time in my life. I’d moved on from quite a stressful working environment, I’d discovered Yoga Nidra, was looking after my health, connecting to my spiritual Self. And then one day I found Australian Ceremonial Cacao. I felt compelled to buy a bag instantly. It arrived and I don't think I looked back.

My Fave Sacred Practices

What better way to start than to share 3 of my fave Sacred Practices right now. At least one or two of these Practices I do every day. Sometimes all three, time permitting. Sometimes all together and other times I step into each Practice throughout the day. The beauty of this being your own Practice, is you choose what works for you in that moment.

No1: Has to be my Cacao Practice. This for me is a daily Practice of devotion and an honouring of my Sacred Self. I hold my intention as I’m making my Cacao every day, with every stir in the saucepan I’m holding my intention in my minds eye and heart.

Hi, I'm back.. healing & being rad!

Well hello, It’s been a little while. Quite a while actually, since I’ve been here in this space. I took a break because.. well life really. And now I’m listening to the little soul whispers, saying it’s time to share a little more with you again.

Spring

Spring:

Spring is said to be a time of harmony, creativity, new life, new ideas, the equal energies of the the light & dark, although the light is becoming stronger..

It gives us a sense of renewed energy after the rest, the quiet action and the deep learnings from winter. All of those ideas that you’ve had bubbling inside over winter, are wanting to emerge. The seeds are planted and the shoots are searching for the sun, that is beginning to shine brighter & brighter as the days move closer to summer.

Oracle Card Love

Where to Start with Oracle Cards

This is one of my favourite practices. And when I’m feeling a bit all over the place or I’m starting something new, sometimes at the beginning of a new month, or when I’d like some guidance on how to show up this month. I go to my oracle deck.

A couple of things with oracle cards. There are so many available for you to choose from, modern, ancient, animals, moons, simple, in depth. I mean so many. I’ll list a couple of my favourite ones below. But just choose a deck that you vibe with. If you like the concept or the pictures, or the meaning, or the author or the designer. You know what you like.

The Wheel of the Year

For a good few years now, I’ve followed a different kind of calendar when it comes to setting Intentions, moving through the year and anchoring into the potency of our Seasons. It’s be been really powerful being guided by something more than the calendar and just the moon.

I’ve really loved reading and learning all about The Wheel of the Wiccan Year. Not necessarily seeing myself as a Wiccan or Witch. It’s the seasons and the connection to Mother Earth that I’m drawn too. I love working monthly with my intentions and the Moon Phases. I know there is some great power in that, and the moving through and bringing intentions to life in this way is so special. But aligning myself with the ebbs and flows of the overall year is really cool.

Digital Detox

For the last 28 days I committed to digitally detoxing my mornings. Prompted by a card reading I did around the New Moon in Feb.

It was an interesting practice. One which I thoroughly enjoyed, once I moved through the first few days of having to really remind myself to stop looking at my phone, and to put it down. It was incredible how often I would grab for my phone & immediately start scrolling. The muscle memory in my hands: They knew exactly which apps to open first & where they are on my phone, it was super interesting to witness and work on changing that memory.

My Journey with Crystals

People often ask me how I got into crystals: I always start my story with my nan. Nan really was my spiritual influencer. I remember she served in the Anglican Church, but also had this ‘woowoo’ side to her too. She was an intuitive, and would often write pages of messages she’d received from her guides for me.

So Nan & crystals. Every full moon we’d line the ledge above the kitchen sink with jugs of water, sitting in the bottom of each jug were a heap of Clear Quartz chunks. I’d ask her what they were, and she’d say they’re special cleansing/purifying stones: they make the water cleaner & better for you. This was when I was young: like 7/8. And now, most full moons, I remember back, being with Nan, making the water clean and charged.

Exploration

Originally when I thought of writing about this theme, I thought it would be about exploring in the physical sense. Maybe I talk about travel, exploring new places. When I looked up the meaning of the word: I felt into it even further & thought wow, we’ve pretty much all experienced a level of exploration this year, not we’ve not really ‘travelled’ anywhere.

Whether it has been exploring & witnessing what a global pandemic can do to you & your community/family. Exploring what life like is without work, without family, friends around, without financial security. Exploring life when working from home & juggling kids home-schooling and exploring your own expectations of that life. Exploring how it feels when you watch the news and see the panic when people think necessities like toilet paper could run out.. I mean that was nuts.

For almost 10 months we’ve all experienced some level of exploring something unfamiliar.

Finding Your Balance

I took some time off, filled myself with as much vitamin C as my system could handle. I found restorative yoga & yoga nidra.. I read a lot of books, I reduced sugar in my diet, I started walking of a morning..

I STARTED TO FEEL MORE AWAKE & ALIVE..

AND I STARTED TO COME BACK TO MYSELF A LITTLE.

I started to take ownership of my time, MY TIME. My time became really sacred to me. I began putting ‘me’ first. And the practices that I adopted that saved me from all that fatigue: they became my self care practice: before self care was a ‘thing’. This was my turning point. Ohh and learning a new way of working.

“I am Happy + Healthy”

One of my intentions for 2020 was around health: “to be happy & healthy”, is my exact intention. Something I repeat in my yoga class, when I’m clearing the energy in my apartment, or when I’m working on may grounding technique.

Some of the things/actions I wanted to work on with this was my meditation practice, working with the Ayurvedic approach to food, improve my sleep, keeping up with my gratitude practice.

My intention this year was to have this reminder around me always. I’d love to share all of my practices, there are quite a lot. So I thought I’d share a few with you.. I wonder if you can find the theme..

Creativity

How do you feel about creativity, what does your body & mind think when you hear the words ‘creative’?

I know for me, I kinda used to cringe, I would feel embarrassed, and would sort of sink my shoulders and shrug into myself. I didn’t think I was creative. I guess I thought being creative, was a maker, a designer, to be artsy, a visionary, hands on, TO CREATE… to invent?!?

Any of this ringing true for how you feel?

When I look around me, I’m really drawn to creative peeps. Artists, Painters, Graphic Designers, Interior Designers, Performers, Bakers, Visual Merchandisers, Crafty Gals. I felt like all that was way out of reach for me, that although I love nice things, and Instagram, and decorating a pie my sister has made, enjoy getting dressed up for 80’s style aerobics (iso:life).

I STARTED TO FEEL MORE AWAKE & ALIVE..

AND I STARTED TO COME BACK TO MYSELF A LITTLE.

send a message to carly about this post or complete the below to hear from me each new moon: where i share updates, practices + upcoming circles & workshops. much love

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Sacred Musings

I STARTED TO FEEL MORE AWAKE & ALIVE..

AND I STARTED TO COME BACK TO MYSELF A LITTLE.

send a message to carly about this post or complete the below to hear from me each new moon: where i share updates, practices + upcoming circles & workshops. much love

THE CARLY EFFECT RESPECT’S YOUR PRIVACY.