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.

Being Free From

What does being ‘free’ feel and look like for you? In a conversation I had with a client not too long ago, we explored what it means to be free. We were chatting as this came up around an intention she was working with. When we dove into it. She was exploring all the options she wanted freedom around and what that could mean for her life.

I asked her one question that changed it all. What do you want to be free from? Rather than free to do, we explored what she wanted to be free from. It opened up a very different way of seeing aspects of her life. Especially when we talked about how can we be free when to show up daily in our lives, we feel we need to control situations/narratives, outcomes.

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.

Connecting to the Seasons. A Sacred Year

Following on from a blog I wrote many months ago, haha like this time of the year about 3 years ago.. I feel now is the time to share my thoughts on what each of the 8 seasons/festivals mean for us. Whether it’s the changing colour of the leaves, the temperature, the energy of the earth, our own energy. This seasonal/nature way of looking at our months and year, has really supported me in getting deeper with my Sacred Self, connecting further with my Intentions and allowed me to absorb the energy of the time of year, harness it and make amazing magic with it.

We start in the Southern Hemisphere, right now. On the 30th of April we celebrate Samhain: pronounced ‘sow-ane’

“This is the beginning, and this may be strange to start the beginning with an ending, but you can’t have a beginning without an ending and this one night marks them both.”

This festival marks the beginning of Winter. It is the halfway point between the Autumn Equinox and the Winter Solstice. Days are certainly getting shorter, morning air is getting cooler, we’re starting to wear long sleeves and socks.

This time of year brings amplifies contrast, light and dark, ending & beginnings. It has an energy of ceremony and remembering, as well as fun, laughter & joy. We know Winter is almost upon us, but we look beyond and know deep down that new light will be here before we know it.

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.

Intention

I’ve been working with intentions effectively for a good few years now. Way back in the day when I’d set goals at the beginning of the year, never really think about them again until the December of that year, then wonder why I’d never really moved closer to the goal. It wasn’t until I found Yoga Nidra & learning more about the energy of the Lunar Cycles that I really tapped into the power & energy of setting intentions.

Forest Bathing

At a time when many of us have been isolated, locked down, working from home, unable to get out into nature. This practice is needed more than ever. And it can be simple and sacred. A time to disconnect from the busy, the static, the thought congestion and the to do lists, the must do’s, the should do’s. Lets make this a time to connect, or reconnect even, back into the deeper system: that of Mother Earth, the wild, the raw, the wonder, the quiet. Where the only sounds are of sweet birdsong, trees talking to each other and the streams flowing.

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.

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.

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).

Gratitude

Gratitude brings me back to myself. Gratitude connects me back into my heart, which connects me back into what I love about myself & my life & all that I’ve achieved, connecting me back into what I’m grateful for. And if I can tap into those things that I’m grateful for… even if it is 2/3 things.. I begin to start to see my world a little differently, I start to think better of myself, I start to think better of what is around me, I’m more aware, I’m more connected to Source.. which is now heart opening on a whole new level!

Grounding + Welcome

If you’ve seen my Instagram stories, then you know how much I like to video my feet walking on the sand, or waves splashing around them. I’ve had people say to me, “stop taking video of your feet, we want to see YOU”. I guess what this act means for me, is that I’ve arrived. I’m here.

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.

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.