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.

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.)

Are your kids suddenly home?
Today’s Monday and, since many people are currently under quarantine and house bound with their kids at home due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there’s a lot of posts regarding school schedules, new routines and how to juggle work and education over the coming weeks.
But here's the thing that is drawing my attention...
Please remember your kids are nervous.
They are energetically picking up on the fear, stress and uncertainty and, even the fact that they are home and not in school when they usually are, is creating nervous tension within them.
If you are finding yourself stressed about getting schoolwork done, and feel like you have to put the teacher hat on right now. Please stop. Pause, hug your darlings and tell them it’s all going to be ok. 
Put some music on, have a dance party, go for a walk. Talk. Laugh.
 
When I started homeschooling 12 years ago, I went into School at Home mode.
I had my chalkboard, I had my school supplies. I was ready. I made study plans every night and with held treats if they didn’t get done.
When my daughter had tears pouring on her pages, and scribbled the words "I hate my life" on the sheets in front of her… I decided there had to be another way.
Oh, her older sister LOVED the system. She was ready, pencil in hand. But my younger girl, she wanted emotional balance first.
So, she learnt through experience, through exploration. She created and we looked into the lesson after. She asked questions and together we found answers.
During this time of extraordinary circumstances, your kids are going to need emotional balance first.
While trying to do school at home may feel like balance, you, as the parent, have to provide the space for comfort, ease, safety and even fun, light and laughter during this time. That's true balance for children.
Please focus on this first.
Please release the To-do list and create balance first.
Please let go of the action focus and build connection first.
 
You know, when our kids are grown up they will look back and remember this time as a moment in history.
Wouldn't it be nice if they looked back with pride, that, in their home, they felt safe and made happy memories with their parents. Wouldn't it be a wonderful lesson for them that, even in the face of fear, worry and stress, their family stayed brave and sang through it all.
Circumstance doesn't create happiness. Focus and intention does.
​And sometimes, we just have to be brave and act gallantly. 
My kids are asking me to figure out some ways to create this as a special time. To cancel work and sit with treats to binge watch series, so that whenever that series comes up in history they will remember the time we shared.
To bake things that will spark memories of safety, security and home. (Baking is a great math lesson by the way… and science… and home economics… and life lesson.)
This is a time for the smells of home. For your child’s heart to swell because they know they are safe with their parents and family.
Look for the lessons within life, rather than imposing them into life. Connect with your kids, and create emotional balance first, above all else.

I'm putting a number of resources for parents in your position in place at the moment. Make sure you come over to the Spiritually Aware Parenting Facebook Group where I'll be sharing regularly. Also feel free to email me if you need to chat. Love and light.
Also, if you want to have some light, fun and flowing tools to help your children create inner connection, balance and awareness..
​I'm offering 50% off my course Spiritual Kids for the duration of this crisis, so you can have some spiritually inspired, crafts, exercises and experience prompts for your time at home. <3 

 Within my focus to help you clear what's been holding you back so you can feel light, ease and in flow before the end of this decade... there's something I need to talk with you about.
It's big... are you ready?
Forgiveness.
Gulp.
Yup.
Well actually, I don't necessarily call it the F-word, because I find that, like so many words, forgiveness can have different feelings and intentions for everyone.
The word Forgiveness can sometimes trigger a sense of blame or a sense of self loathing, it can sometimes spark defense within one person or the sanctimonious "I forgive you!" which can carry a new weight within.

And yet... within the deep sense of forgiveness is the pure, unwavering, blissful sense of
RELEASE.

I always encourage my clients to focus on RELEASING... releasing themselves, releasing others, releasing situations, releasing energetic response, releasing the stories of what is.... the inward releasing which creates Presence and WHOLENESS from the inside out.

I truly believe the focus of Forgiveness is actually based in loving releasing. 
Imagine that with every negative experience you have with someone, energetic cords link you together. Each time you are with the person or in a similar situation, these cords get reactivated and practiced, sparking away.

When you practice forgiveness... or releasing, you shift the energy, release the cords and allow new life to flow through your experience.

This has magical results, transforming relationships, creating light conversation where before there was only tension, or even simply letting the energy fade away, so that you don't seem to even "bump" into each other anymore.

A traditional process to "forgive" that is mentioned on social media is the Ho'oponopono prayer. 
The idea being that you hold someone or something in your mind within these phrases:
I'm Sorry. Please Forgive Me. I Thank you. I love you.

I have heard incredible stories of transformation with these simple words, so I want to encourage you to simply try them on. See how they feel and if they resonate.

However, I will also make space for the fact that when I first tried them on, they didn't resonate. I felt like the please forgive me phrase kept me in a feeling bad space and actually made the focus on releasing only myself. Each exchange we have with other people is a co-creation... so I like to offer these phrases instead.

I'm Sorry. I Release you. I Thank you. I love you.

 I appreciate the transformations the traditional version has brought to many, but between translation and past triggers I find that this can hold back that deeper shift that is so magical for some people.

Here's the intention behind the statements;
Holding someone or a situation in your mind surround it in...
I'm Sorry. (By saying Sorry you are noting that everything is a co-creation. You were there in the room so your energy was part of the combined energy. Like chemistry, two compounds create a reaction.)
I Release You. (Imagine the cords unhooking from your field and being released back to the person. See them fade. This doesn't necessarily mean they will be out of your life forever, rather it is simply claiming your energy as your own... and returning their energy to them.)

I Thank You. (Each engagement, even a negative one, creates growth and new insight. We learn so much through contrast, we learn what we want through what we don't want. We GROW. So giving thanks for the experience acknowledges the growth.)

I Love You. (Imagine surrounding the situation or person in love and light, allowing them to be whole and released from you, see the love flowing around them... and the love flowing around yourself. )

Have you ever practiced a Forgiveness/Releasing Process? How have you found it? Did it create shifts for you? 

I have been working through this process with clients and members for the last couple of years, but I really started hearing about the impact it was having when I included it into my course Step Into Your Light. 
I included this within the Releasing Your Shadows section, which is the second part of the course and designed to let go of what's not serving you and open up the doors to feeling present and aware as the person you want to be.


I've included Step into Your Light as my contribution into the  Positive Parenting Premium Ecourse Bundle Sale  that takes place next week. 
Between the 22nd and the 24th you'll get access to my course + 18 other courses all created with the intention to give you tools to be the parent you want to be and support your children in their journey positively.

Here's a link to a preview of all the courses you'll get access to... along with Step into Your Light.
I love being part of this experience with fellow bloggers and parenting experts.
You basically are getting 17 courses for the price of 1 so you can pick and chose.
(actually, the $97 fee for signing up for the bundle is less than the regular price of my course enrollment alone!)

I always love the deep sigh of sweet relief that follows truly releasing someone or something that you have energetic ties to. Forgiveness is actually the ultimate act of Self Care.
​This is a true and deep reset, which creates new space for life to flow effortlessly into the direction of your desires.

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.