Have you ever tried to force yourself to find an answer?
To receive a vision?
To gain clarity over something pressing in your life?
To finally, once and for all, know what on earth you should be doing?
This “forcing” is a common strategy of our inner manager, or our inner lawyer, who can hard-handedly justify any method, and argues that the more we hustle, grind, stress and strive for something, the more likely we are to achieve our goal.
That if we don’t have the life we want, or we’re not “where we thought we would be”, that we’ve done something wrong, didn’t try hard enough (which internally equates to: I am not enough).
Our inner perfectionist gets alllll rattled up. Our nervous system gets frazzled.
Maybe we become harder on ourselves, thinking that putting more pressure is the answer.
We’re often taught that we have to get MORE in our heads to try to “find the answer”.
This is old paradigm, and belittles the true essence of our inner wisdom and ways of knowing.
In my personal experience, that has rarely been successful. If anything, with that strategy I dug myself deeper into something disadvantageous for myself (and my loved ones), and it was never sustainable, because it wasn’t ME.
I’ve learned I have to completely let go of my mental efforting and SURRENDER.
Once any thought of something “missing”, or somehow I’m “not enough / wrong / dumb …” deceptively trickles in, that’s when I know I actually need to step away for a good long moment.
I have to go and do something completely different.
…Like take a walk (my dog loves this), do yoga (my body loves this), or read a book having nothing to do with my topic (my inner lifelong student loves this), go sit with the trees (my spirit guides love this), or take a trip (my husband loves this), go horseback riding and risk getting run into a tree (my inner adventurer loves this - this is what happened to my finger if you’ve seen it), do some painting or free writing (my inner creator loves this) or talk to my mom or my best friends (we ALL benefit from this)…. you get the picture.
Seeing my point?
There are actually quite a few potent benefits here.
Not only am I cross-pollinating and getting out of stagnation and into creative flow, I’m also renewing and restoring myself by creating inner space.
I’m reconnecting with my instinctual, intuitive ways of knowing, and there is something more wholistic here, that organically reconnects and restores me.
(This cross-pollination and returning to instinctive ways of knowing will be big themes with so much AIR and FIRE breathed into this year.)
Trying to force an answer is like trying to “find” inner peace.
We don’t find it by reaching outside ourselves and trying to bring something inside.
Like Feng Shui or other energy clearing practices, it’s typically about letting things that are not serving OUT, and creating INNER SPACIOUSNESS instead.
When we create the inner space through our restorative practices, inner peace naturally emerges.
With inner peace comes a relaxed nervous system.
With a relaxed nervous system, come the ideas, the inspiration, the intuitive messages, the clarity, the answers.
A lot of times the answer for me is to simply spend more time doing the restorative activities, flexibly re-incorporating these as my baseline rather than a go-to when I’m feeling stretched thin.
We all know that self-care is imperative.
But when we tune into self-care in a restorative way, we go beyond taking the occasional nap (which of course is heavenly), but we go deeper into restorative PLAY.
Restorative VISIONING.
Restorative RECONNECTIONS and RELATIONSHIPS.
We go deeper into becoming the solution to whatever we were externally seeking, and realize it’s all within.
We benefit so much from having community spaces of restoration and reconnection.
We most often (re)find ourselves when we’re safely connected in circle, hearts open with other people.
We receive the gentle reminders, and have the subtle “ahas” that can be absolutely life changing.
This was never meant to be something we do all on our own.
In an isolating age where we are continually pressed for our time, resources and attention, it’s never been more important to go back to the basics of Self-Restoration, and remembering that we are connected to something bigger than us.
Self-Restoration is more than taking good personal care. It’s a lifestyle.
It’s about reconnecting with our true essence, our evolutionary intention, reclaiming our power, our big why for our lives — why we came here to do this beautiful human experience.
RECONNECTIVE RESTORATION is my intention for 2024 -
and is why my programs and offerings this year will focus on staying rooted, grounded, and restorative, choosing change with self-loving conscious intention.
Top of the list is our retreat!!!! I am co-hosting with fellow Soul-Embodied Restorer of Magic + Mystery Mary Wagstaff, in Troncones, Mexico, this April 6-13.
Yes we will be there during the New Moon Solar Eclipse in Aries, exploring and embodying the practical magic of astrology. This is a perfect time for intentional RESET + RECALIBRATION.
Yes this Eclipse will be conjunct Chiron, inviting us deeper into healing and instinctual restorative play.
Yes we will be activating sacred timelines and invoking the power of the Wood Dragon to help us scaffold for empowered creation.
Yes this circle will be full of like-hearted sisters who are on a similar journey and Soulful Reconnection and creative Self-Restoration.
We will be with the Ocean Goddess herself, supporting us in our integration process. (There may be some wild, cathartic screams let loose beneath the waves.)
This retreat is called “Ignite Your Vision”, invoking the bold, fiery strategy of Aries, but there is also a deep surrender and softness underneath it.
We will be held by Saturn + Mars in Pisces, Jupiter + Uranus in Taurus, and Venus + a Mercury retrograde in Aries helping us to come to intuitive, bold insights (Mercury retrogrades are great for reflection and restoration).
It’s the loving care of Great Mother herself holding us, restoring us, nurturing the vision we’ve been seeded with since we were born.
What we’re inviting you to reconnect with is not something outside of you, but rather the essence you were BORN with.
The VISION is YOU.
YOU are the VISION.
This is why you chose to come here as who you are, at this time.
2024 is a year full of choices and crossroads.
The astrology is off the hook.
(Check out a general overview with the Astro-Priestesses here, a talk on January with Mark Borax and Amanda from Astrology Hub here, or more personalized 2024 transits for your sign here).
If this message of RESTORATION in sacred RECONNECTION speaks to you, we’d love for you to check out our retreat in Mexico.
To Re-Ignite Your Vision, your Soul Mission, to simply Remember how we are stronger TOGETHER.
Check out the Retreat details here.
We hope to see you there.
May you trust yourself,
know your gifts,
and confidently create,
Nura xo
PS - Please comment or email me with your word(s) for 2024! And any requests for workshops or courses you’d like to see in the future.
