So, Mercury Retrograde is here again. Do you find yourself craving some “cave” time or quiet time?
I know my family is definitely seeking out hibernation.
(and we're already having tech issues.)
It’s funny how suddenly, everyone talks about things like Retrogrades and cosmic events, isn’t it? I know that 10 years ago or so, no one really thought about Mercury or other planets in the everyday. Ok, maybe some people did, but I know I didn’t.
And yet, here it is, that time again. Mercury is in retrograde and everyone is talking about wanting to freeze in one spot until it is over.
If you find that life is frantic and you simply want to hide, there’s a chance that Mercury, with its power, is simply calling you to take some time for going within, to breathe deep and realign, rather than just unleashing ultimate chaos on your life.
Here’s what I mean;
I like to see cosmic events, (mercury retrogrades, full moons, eclipses) like the weather.
It’s all about adapting.

When my husband took a music class years ago, he was given a simple project.
Write a song; using just 4 notes.
Ok. Not that simple.
But the reason behind the project was simple.
Restrictions are a powerful focuser.
​When we have all the options in the universe we can easily get scattered.
As a society we’ve tended to get used to a lot of options. Actually, when you consider manifestation and conscious reality creation… you have unlimited potential and possibility.
Which, when you think about it, can feel pretty scattering.
Welcome to the most restricted time most of us have felt in this lifetime.
Lockdown.
At this moment in our lives we, more than ever before, are being asked to focus.
And at the same time, focusing can be a bit of a challenge at the moment.
Ah, the lovely balance of being a human.
With most of your routines and habits being thrown to the wind, it’s no wonder you might be feeling scattered in focus and intention. If neural pathways like balance and to practice the same thing over and over, everything about this situation screams imbalance!
(Even if you are a homeschooler and used to spending lots of time at home, kids are picking up on the energy of the world. They aren’t going to their classes, or even to the grocery store. Things are different, even if they don’t “look” like they are.)
So, that’s why the unfocused scattering.

Are you feeling like the energy of your kids is bubbling up and about to explode?
Do you ever feel like, in their chatter and pent up playfulness, that you yourself is building up in intensity?
Energy is riding high right now and children are picking up on all that’s flowing around them.
​
Yesterday I went in for the Q&A live session in the group, and we talked a lot about how to help your kids feel more grounded and stable in the energy that’s circulating around them.
You can watch that replay here.
Meanwhile, the key to creating stability and grounded energy for your whole family, is to find that balance within yourself.
There’s so much overthinking right now. The energy is building and minds are chattering.
Self balance is always found when you shift attention to the Inside Out.
What does living inside out mean?
Hmmm… really this has to be felt more than explained.
So, here’s a little exercise which you can practice to stretch this experience. (I shared this for both the Breathing Space members and the Step into Your Light Program a couple of weeks ago, so if this feels repeated I apologize.)
The Octopus is a powerful mindset tool to help you shift from what’s outside of you to your inner perspective.
Here it is:

How are you? Are you finding balance in this strange shift?
It’s ok if you answer no.
It’s also ok if you answer yes.
It’s even ok if you have been sitting watching way too much Disney Plus these days and haven’t gotten out of your pajamas for too long to admit.
(and yes, you can email me your answer if you wish!)
These are not the days for “shoulds”.
These are the days for unfolding. For Listening. For Allowing.
We're at the end of the first week of the Coronavirus lockdown here in the UK, and what I've discovered is this: This is a time of a great suspension: a Pause. A space of being more than doing.

Difficult with kids? Possibly.
Or maybe just DIFFERENT, rather than Difficult.
Because, I want to encourage you to, as much as possible, give yourself permission to float.

Yesterday I went into our Facebook community for my daily live to talk about learning to swim last year.
See, growing up I held the belief that I couldn’t swim.
​ My mother had talked about herself having lead feet, they’d just sink, and the belief was soon claimed by me.
I would swim only as far as I could as long as I could touch the bottom of the pool or lake.
​I had to feel the floor beneath my toes. Otherwise, it was too out of my comfort zone.
Too out of my control.
Well last year, as we were worldschooling in Spain, we rented a house with a community pool.
Each day my family was playing up there, and I decided I would shift my belief.
I would swim.
Sure, I would use some floaties for the first while, but the deep end soon became a friend and I would swim in blissfulness, floating around and enjoying the sense of freedom.
My son learnt how to swim last summer too. 
After always holding it with fear he finally exclaimed:
Oh! I thought I had to do the swimming against the water, but actually, I just have to trust the water to hold me up!
Ah.
Floating.
I find myself needing to learn how to float differently these days. How about you?
Being is taking over from doing, and yes it’s more than ok to let go of control.

Its ok to not know how to fully show up in a Pandemic.

It’s ok to listen to the call to be quiet. The call to receive. The call to adjust.

To be Held, Supported and Loved.
The water is holding you up.
Spiritual flow, isn’t going to let you sink.
The more you relax and focus on just floating into the life flow, as it cascades over and through you, grounding your feet and surrounding you in wholeness, you’ll be carried through this.

Oh sure. Life may shift, change, transform, but it will flow.
Resistance just leaves us splashing against the current.
Breathe deep. Play with your children. Sit in a chair, stare out the window, watch the birds build their spring homes. Watch the wonders of this planet as it heals during this time.
Focus on Love.
And within that… Be.

But you don't have to do this alone either. The world is uniting in this chaos.
If you need anything you know you can reach out at anytime.
(Also, make sure you register for the CREATING STABILITY IN UNSTABLE TIMES 7 day challenge over Easter. I'm emailing participants a number of downloads and exercises for you, your kids and your whole family.)

My To-do list, that sits on my desk and gets written each weekend, has been pretty much disregarded over the last few days.
I've felt called to something, but finding the words to share have been a little static-y. 
So far... my calling has shown up as
- Doing lives with calming meditations.
- As well as  offered tools to release fear.
- I'm also encouraging my community to see sick people as whole, to support their healing. (Where attention goes, energy flows, so if you see someone cough, please see their healing,
not their sickness!) 

At the same time, I'm not going to be yet another "how to deal with the Corona Virus" post on your newsfeed. 

Rather, I want to ask you if you have felt the shift to balance yet?
While many people are feeling confined to home and restlessly (and worriedly) looking at what the coming weeks and months look like, I want to ask you to go heart center consider something;
What if this is the time for your inner most desires?
What if it's time for that project you've always wanted to do? What if it's time to read that stack of books or explore some new course of action? 
What if its time to just play with your kids, because "quality time" is something you always think you don't have time for?

I know how stressed many of you are right now. 
You have work to think about and bills that might mount up. You are worried for your loved ones and community. There can be so much to worry about. 
But stress and fear is showing to create more of the problem as it weakens immunity and puts you physically on red alert.
I believe going within, and seeing this all from the Inside Out, may just create an opportunity for change.
Look, it will never be the perfect time to create change.
It can't be.
When you have a pattern of work and stress and busyness in place, then momentum builds from there and your desires will always be second place. (or third or forth).
You know me. I'm an optimist. In fact, positive outcomes have become second nature. (I wasn't born with that gift. Honest. It took some serious re-programming).
So, what if, it's just time. It doesn't have to be "perfect".
Time to explore your passions, your interests, your curiosities.
What if, while there's rumbling panic outside, you create a sanctuary within, even for just an hour a day? Or 30 minutes. Wouldn't that make your heart feel lighter? Would it bring some joy or relief? Wouldn't it feel more open?
I want you to consider something:
What have you been talking about lately that you want to see changed in your life and how can you create that change RIGHT NOW? In your home, your routine and your habits?

I can't think of a better time to create the change you want to see in your world.
While so many of the world are quarantined or unable to go out to events and such, there's a choice.
Hang around, watching Netflix, complaining on Facebook and focused on the fear.
Or... Decide.
Activate the inner desires you've been feeling pulled to and let this period of time enhance your life.

Where attention goes, energy flows.
Do you want your energy flowing to worry, stress or fear?
Or do you want to look back at this time in a few years and be proud of yourself, for claiming the moment and becoming the Change you want to See in YOURSELF!

I can't wait to see how you transform this world over the next few weeks.

PS- and don't forget, if Self Development, Spirituality and Inner work are on your curiosity list or something you haven't felt you had "time" for...
​on Monday I'll be leading a study group of the STEP INTO YOUR LIGHT Course material. There's still space and still time to join us.
I hope to see you there.

PS- Neat fact... 
Did you know that in 1665, Isaac Newton had to work from home due to the Plague?
That was when he developed calculus and gravity... 

So while everyone talks about quarantines, elderberry and wide-eyed fears, I wanted to offer my simple perspectives on feeling grounded, present and whole while the buzz of scary things is whirling around you.
I recently put this graphic together after having a conversation with a good friend of mine regarding the current panic of the coronavirus.
The reason is simple. 
No matter what, everything in this world can be either focused in love or in fear and when the world is building momentum on fear, then you have to do what it takes to find your way back to LOVE. 
What’s ironic is that FEAR itself is scientifically proven to weaken a human's immunity anyway, it creates stress which jumps your mind and heart into fight or flight mode.
You can start fighting mere ideas of fear rather than using this emotional tool for when you intuitively know there’s something to defend against.
In order to find your way back to your heart center, to find the comfort of love focus and the knowingness of aware living, there’s a few steps that will help you climb down from the panic fence and reclaim your heart and mind to feel calm.
Here's my 5 steps to calm a fearful mind. Also known as THE FEAR TOOLBOX

You can't put a happy face sticker on feeling scared.
Rather, it takes acknowledging it and moving through it.
I want to encourage you now to turn off anything that is trying to make you scared. Rather, go within your heart and ask it what it knows.
This is merely one element I work through in my course STEP INTO YOUR LIGHT. 
It's important to listen to your heart, your own inner guidance. But so often it's buried under layers of shoulds, past stories or implied guilt.
If you are struggling with finding your intuitive guidance, feeling centered and remembering how to spark your own inner voice and connection to love, than I want to take this opportunity to invite you to join me for my upcoming study group of this course material. 

Throughout this course I offer you simple tools and processes, where you can release what scares you and chart a course for your life based on connection and love.
In our private Facebook group, starting March 16th, 2020, I'll be offering you space, support and accountability, so you feel safe and prepared as you dive in heart center. 
There is no better time to build up a strong foundation of love, light and inner, spiritual connection than when fear is pounding at your mind. 
I truly hope you will consider joining me on this empowering, magical experience.

Everyone I talk to lately is asking me about this huge energy shift that seems to be swirling around the last week or so.
From sleeping issues, to deep dreams, a feeling of restlessness in their bodies or minds, a scrambled sense of focus, or a quicker sense of irritation are some of the reactions to it.
At the same time, there's also a sense of a divine purpose, a calling to something that can't be described, a quest to dive deeper within.
And kids are feeling it too.
I've been asked about sleep issues and listening troubles. Children are feeling the restlessness in the air, like an energy overload.
My own family have been reacting to it, with disturbed sleeps and a feeling of energy tension from the chest up.
So, how is it flowing for you?
The advice I'm offering most of my clients these days is to focus on grounding.
Focus on your feet, walk barefoot or in socks, imagine light traveling down your back, imagine you are a tree with deep roots going into the ground. Focus on your fingers, on your 5 senses, be in your body.
Create. Dance. Jump up and down.
Ground.
This will then allow you to be a conduit of the energy that is flowing. It can flow through you, rather than being bottle-necked and built up.
Does that make sense?
Where attention goes energy flows. And when we hear about powerful energy or mercury retrogrades or cosmic shifts our attention goes upwards. With almost a defense in place we brace ourselves...
"Ok. here we go. I'm ready."

When really, if you allow that energy to empower, fuel and at the same time flow through you, releasing things that are getting in your way.
At the same time it will simply give you what you need and release the rest.
You can help your children by simply focusing on their feet, getting them exercising, running and dancing, and then foot rubs or just holding their feet at night, so their attention allows flow.
A great way to tune in to see how energy is affecting you is to look at literally how you are feeling.
Over in the Facebook Group, I recently posted a poll to see how members feel on bad days.
I know, I don't usually focus on the negative, but acknowledging and knowing how triggers pop up for you is really powerful, as with that awareness you can put tools in place.
Emotions are your spirit's way of telling you how connected you are at any moment, like a heart centred language. By observing how you feel, you tune into this inner guidance system.
The top responses were;
Frustrated.
Scattered
Exhausted
and with negative head chatter.
These are powerful energetic states, which, once you know their messages, you can shift your attention and use them as guidance.
I'm going to be exploring this through a few avenues over the next couple of months. I'm planning a free class, as well as some elements for the Breathing Space Membership.  (Sign up for the newsletter to keep in the loop.)
However, I want to encourage you to consider something, that dives in deep right away.
I have space for a couple of new clients, starting in the next couple of weeks, for my initial 6 week package. (As well as a January Special offer)
Over our time together, I will help you:

• Tune into your emotional guidance system,
• Put some daily inner-self care in place,
• Shift the patterns that keep you in an energetic and emotional merry-go- round and
• Tune you in to the spiritual, energy conduit that you really are.
• Use Energy Healing tools to clear out old patterns and what's holding you back.

Why does that help with your parenting?
Because, when you are aware of your truest self and the energy that is there to support you, refuel you and rejuvenate you, you will feel more present and empowered as yourself and as a parent.
You will also have a deeper insight to your children; to whom they really are and why they are acting or feeling the way they are.
Everything shifts, empowered by the universe having your back.
The universe's energy is always flowing for you. It's just sometimes, everyone forgets to plug in and allow it to fuel you!
I highly encourage you to "apply" for this 1;1 time with me. 
​Sending you deep love. - Christina

If a busy parent develops their sense of self love, spiritual connection and a deep awareness of their whole selves, they can freely create a conscious, fulfilling, life of flow and relief with their kids. 
When a parent is stressed out and spread too thin, they are simply trying to get water from an empty well.

Whereas, when you connect to your spiritual resources and inner self, energy flows to you, fuels you, replenishes you and keeps you present and calm.
Children respond to a present, grounded parent...
whereas they can't when their mom and dad feel scattered and all over the place.

It's a strong belief within me, I can tell you that.
But have I ever told you why this is such a powerful belief?
Why do I feel this is the conscious parenting secret sauce?

Because I've been on both ends of the scale. 
I often will talk about having 2 little girls under one. I'll talk about feeling scattered homeschooling as well as running a business.
But I don't think I've ever discussed what led me to truly trusting in the power of going within. 

In 2010 we took our first worldschooling trip to the UK, but in so many ways it was one of escape.
- We'd been working on fixing up our house, a money pit, and my husband was facing burnout.
- Our dog had been killed by a neighbor.
- Our goat had died in giving birth... along with 2 of her kids.
- My family was gripped in heartbreak with some extended family issues.
- CPS had been called by neighbors concerned about our daughters not being in school. (before homeschooling became a thing in our province.)

I was spread so thin I would find myself shaking. I was running around after everyone's needs, and each time the phone rang I would feel myself tense up and start to panic.

Last year, just before New Years 2019, I offered a workshop on setting Intention for the New Year. 
I was passionate about helping parents dive deep into their desires, tune into how they want to feel, and set that as a goal and anchor for their year.
And I still am. 
Some of the desired feelings and intentions participants set were: 
Calm.
Focused. Joy. Presence Healed 
Whole, Self Confidence
Fun.
Throughout the experience I then encouraged participants to imagine how that feeling felt, and what that looked like in December. 
From the position of January, that felt so light, easy and fun.... it was hopeful and intentional. 
And here we are headed into September.
While some parents are dancing with their intended feelings, others have come to me saying they lost the plot. That they lost sight of where they wanted to go and got stuck in running the hamster wheel of where they are. 
 No harm done, I always say.
You can always line up.
You've just been getting a clearer idea of what you want, based on what you don't want. 
You can always line up with intention. It's waiting for you.
It's September.
There's just enough time to put some things in practice, release some  resistance and open up to the person you want to be... before the holiday season. 

With the last full moon and it's partial eclipse over I have had a lot of moms come to me and say...
“Christina, I released what's no longer serving me. I let it go. Why does it keep showing up?” 

I hear you. One of the energies I released was stress regarding a tooth that keeps playing me up and I found myself calling a new dentist. (releasing comes in various forms, I was hoping it would just go away.)
When I sat to write this post I held the topic of Releasing and Healing to my heartspace and got back: 
“Releasing takes releasing, not revisiting to see if you've let it go yet.” 
And, like my tooth, sometimes the releasing takes the discomfort of having something showing up again and again so you can release it once and for all. 

So often we look at what doesn't serve us... beliefs, situations, habits... and tell ourselves that they truly must go.
But what we forget is that in order to release them we have to create a new story where they don't exist at all.
Spirit releases them the moment we decide they must be released. Our spiritual greater part moves quickly to the relief and newness of living without it. 
But then... our humanness gets in the way sometimes: 
We think about what we released, we remind ourselves on how it was, we talk about it, we consider it, we revisit and revisit... we can even be “glad it's gone.” 
But where attention goes, energy flows.
So by putting the spotlight on what was released, you draw it back to you.

Have you ever noticed that when you tell yourself you aren't going to do something, the opportunity to do it again shows up really quickly. (Like when you tell yourself you'll stop yelling or losing your temper, just before your children start to argue.) That's just how it works.

So, how do you truly release things? How do you create that shift? 

So here's the thing. Last week I broke my own rule.
I didn't meditate. (and before you start to think I'm talking about 20 minute downtimes... let me say this is a 2 minute thing for this busy mom.)
I had 3 mornings in a row that I had something to do, and quite honestly after the first 2 times of jumping up and running out the door, I literally had already forgotten my own practice.
I'm not a morning person.
​I take my mornings very consciously. Mornings start with eyes open and “How do I want to Feel Today...”
or maybe even more so... 
“Good morning God.” (Yeah... I call Source/Spirit/Universe God within my own heart. It became my spirit vocabulary when I was really young... but I use all terms readily.)
After that... Cuddles with my husband.... love expressions. Get up. Take the dog for a walk.
Then I have breakfast with my darlings. Possibly check my phone for emails. 
Day plan discussions.
Then, I go upstairs and before work I stop, drop, breathe and do my inner connection practice.
2-5 minutes later, I'm ready to go.
So, actually, it's not really meditation. It's more that sense of drop and remember.
Remember who I am. Remember the Spiritual flow that is flowing. Remember my breath.
And ALLOWING.
So, what happened when I ran without dropping...
Oh it wasn't pretty. 
I felt the stress building, but it was that run away train building that leads to heart pumping tension and headaches.
I even noticed I wasn't remembering anything the way I usually do. (Honestly, I climbed into bed and had to wonder if I'd said goodnight to our eldest. I hadn't and she was waiting for me to turn out her light. An honor to be had by a near 17 year old.) 
My thoughts were scattered. My focus all over the place. It felt rushed and...
outside of me.
Yeah. Life was being lived outside of me. I felt more reactionary. More easily triggered. 
Luckily I noticed before meeting with clients or with my membership program. Then I was able to call myself back to center.
What this really did was validate the importance of that inner connection practice.

People tell me all the time, “I don't have time to meditate” as they imagine deep meditations lasting 20-30 minutes.
Got it. They are nice to take part in, but if I try someone usually walks in half way through. 
Busy parents, need quick reset buttons. If you have time to brush your teeth you can reset. (In fact, do it while brushing your teeth. The universe doesn't mind!)

Reset buttons to remember your truest self.
Remember the resources and spiritual flow cascading to support you.
And Connect to the Divine. So life flows better.

It's simply a habit. A new pattern to set. A new practice to establish.


In case you didn't know I'm offering a Free class on one of my favorite Inner Connection Practices on Sunday.
I'll be live at 2pm EST, but if you can't make it then there will a replay sent out to with a PDF and an image for you to put on your phone as a reminder.
If this sounds like something that you could use then please sign up for it here. I'll then send you the information on Friday.
​Now, it may be you already have your inner connection set. That yoga serves you, or just that morning coffee pause... maybe you wait until kids are at school... or for that night time sink into your pillow. 
Your authentic spiritual connection is what matters here.
What gets you heart centered? What gets you filled up? 
I would love to hear your processes and what spiritual connection looks like to you.

Living Inside Out. Allowing. Knowing. Intending. Connecting.
To live inside out means you tune in before reacting.
You shift focus before stress overtakes you.
You breathe deep and find inner resilience, before trying to push to make something right.
To live inside out means you trust your inner world over the outer.
You know that your higher self, Universe, God, Goddess, Spiritual connection has your back and it's really about letting it in, allowing the solutions to flow.
We can all shift back to living Outside In.
We can focus on a problem until we're blue in the face.
We can get out the pros and cons list, intellectually weighing up the Hows of it all... the What Ifs...
the What could go wrongs.
But, there's this innate relief that happens when you simply pull in the oars and... float.

A Space is created, a space for the universe to provide.
When we're banging our heads on a problem there's literally NO ROOM for a solution to flow in.

And yet, knowing that... knowing that we have to let solutions in, knowing that we have to “reprogram” our brain to let go of resistant thoughts and practice mindful Being...
can easily turn into knowing we need to live inside out, but looking in through a window.
The lens of intellectualizing Spiritual practice and mindfulness is a bit like putting our hearts and spirits under a microscope and asking... am I at peace yet?

Living inside out, says live the inner peace, let it flow over you, and you won't have to look to see if you are there.

We're a thoughtful bunch of people in this world. We think out everything.