Category: Animal Teachings

4/13/2020 0 Comments

Living Seasonally

by Melanie-Dawn (Ollenberg) Bessa

Imagery of the Earth's seasons and cycles surround us every day, poking and prodding us to pay attention to the messages that each season has to offer. Seasonal Living is about listening to those messages. But with all that's going on in life, it's easy to pass these messages by, and it gets harder and harder to even see why listening to the signs of the seasons and living seasonally is so important.

Why should I live seasonally?

Each season has it's own unique attributes, purpose, mythos and medicine. When we shift our inner world so that it aligns with the natural world, we open up to a power that is deep, real, and empowering. As a divination arts practitioner, reading the signs and symbols in the world around me has become a very natural part of each day. But I remember when I didn't have this connection - it was a lonely, overwhelming, and confusing time. If we open up to listening to the messages in the seasons and cycles of nature, we will find some real gems to help us cope with our human experiences. Here are a few that come to mind:

1. We are not and never will be, truly alone. When we open up to the life that surrounds us in all things, we see how interconnected we are with it. Like trees sharing a communication system beneath a forest floor, we are not separate from nature but a part of it. Separation is illusion.

Bees are a symbol of community, brightness and personal power, while Echinacea is a medicine for strengthening one's core integrity, integrating a sense of Self, and strengthening the immune functions. What a strong and affirming message to hear when I was asking myself if a particular business partnership was the right fit for me.

The nature is your nature, and all of these wonderful poetic images of mythology are referring to something in you. When your mind is trapped by the image out there so that you never make the reference to yourself, you have misread the image.

~Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

2. All things have a time. There is a rhythm to all life, including our own. Tuning into the rhythm of the sun, moon, stars, and the cycles of growth and decay, connects us with a deeper pulse and the ability to cope with the ebb and flow of our own life in all it's stages.

3. Awaken the sacred in everyday life. When we live seasonally, we realize quickly that all of nature is sacred, our own included, and that the sacred surrounds us and moves through us. Connecting with this truth through seasonal living is awakens a deep truth and awareness that we can access wherever we are.

4. Access the plethora of medicine and wisdom that nature provides. Each day we pass by medicine and wisdom teachers without realizing it. The animal, plant, mineral and water kingdoms are rich with medicine and teachings, guiding us and mirroring the wisdom that lies within, every single day - we but need to listen.

Personal reflections on living seasonally

To live seasonally, it might be as simple as noticing and accepting what you have in that moment, and in that specific time of the year. If it's pouring rain outside, you might choose to go within, or to step out into the storm and wash it all off. Try taking advantage of what each season has to offer, doing things best suited to that particular season.

If you're wondering how to get started, here are some reflective questions to ask yourself:

What am I yearning for and how does that yearning show up in nature? How does nature respond?
How can I show up for myself more, and how does nature support me in that?
What is the phase of the Moon? Learn how to incorporate the lunar cycles into your own monthly cycle.
What is the stage of growth or decay that is showing up in the season? How does it reflect or mirror my own processes?
What myths and archetypes are associated with the season, and how are those myths playing out in my own life?

All of these reflections and contemplations are empty without a very important ingredient - you are required to spend time in nature - walking, breathing, sitting, and sensing. More and more, you will see that living seasonally isn't about a place you have to go or having the perfect conditions. It is around us and within us all the time, with every step. Living seasonally is a state of being, and the foundation of life.

Melanie-Dawn (Ollenberg) Bessa

Melanie is a mother, eco-spiritualist, palm reader, reiki practitioner, and owner of the Inner Arts Collective.

About Melanie

Looking for other ways to enjoy the season?

Our Members are offering opportunities to tune in, nourish your soul, and keep connected to yourself and the world around you. All within the comfort of your home, while we work through this time of social distancing.

7-week e-series with Deborah Brodey starting April 29th

Monthly shamanic drumming circle with Michele Meehan. Next circle April 30th 6:30-9pm

Learn palmistry with Melanie-Dawn. Next workshop to be held April 26th from 1-4pm.

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4/4/2019 1 Comment

Self-Care Tips for Spring (by Melanie-Dawn)

Melanie-Dawn

Reiki master, Palmist, & community Steward

Melanie is founder of the Inner Arts Collective, and practices Reiki and Palmistry through her company, KoreChanges.

About Melanie

Over the last few weeks, a theme has emerged among my reiki clients. I’m sure the season has a role to play, with people emerging from their wintry hibernations and sensing some changes necessary for the journey ahead. I’ve never seen such a thirst for self-care and rejuvenation through. People are tired, and feeling a bit TOO tired to embrace the changes that are beckoning. And so it is, that about 7 out of 10 of my clients this month have been asking Reiki to be directed to replenishing them, and providing fuel and courage for the road ahead.

While every body responds in it’s unique way to Reiki, this common intention has brought forward some themes in the messages and insights which emerge across sessions. It is my assumption and hope that some of these insights might be helpful for you as well, as you search for the energy and rejuvenation needed for the shifts awaiting your embrace this Spring.

1. Give your Body Permission to Receive
Whatever you have been through, whatever has made you tired, try having a conversation with your body to let it know that you hear it. You understand that it's tired and worn down. You are listening. Speak to it with compassion, letting it know that it's held it together for a long time and you're grateful...and that you give it permission to soften now, to receive. Like the trees in their thaw at this time of year, allow your body to thaw as well...allow it to soften just enough to be able to receive what it needs - and if it tells you what it needs, respond with a plan to make it so.

2. Understanding, Using, and Releasing Anger
As your body softens, emotions may rise to the surface. You may feel your sadness, anger, and frustrations are closer to the surface. It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking this means you are digressing. Far from the truth. These feelings are your body speaking to you - telling you what lies beneath the surface. What is it telling you about your situation, what needs to change, and what resources you have to make it happen. Oftentimes, when we are most tired, it is the warrior that emerges to help and set things right. So, take time to understand the seat of your frustrations, and use it to light the pathway to set things back on course.

3. Take inventory of your accomplishments and celebrate them.
When you don't take the time to celebrate your many accomplishments, you have a high probability of burning out. When you celebrate, endorphins are released inside your body and you feel incredible. When you accomplish something and don't take the time to celebrate, you are robbing yourself of an important feeling that reinforces your success. On the other hand, a lack of celebration will lead to a feeling of emptiness that will result in less focus and decreased performance over time - not things that will help you to move forward!

4. Surrender Fear and Enjoy your Sensuality and your Passion
Change can be scary, and it is immanent. Many clients over the last several weeks have been stuck in a state of fear and yet, there is some excitement lingering about the unknown and the happiness that feels right around the corner. Black Panther has come through when matters of fear or a block to joy emerges, as medicine. Panther is here to remind us that for our personal and spiritual growth, we need to face our fears, surrender, and let the future take care of us. When we make room for the unknown, we open up to our potential, to possibility, and create a pathway for joyous manifestation.

5. Finding your Strength and Power in your Core, and sending that power down your feet into the earth to anchor it in the web of support that is gaia. With Spring comes the time to reconnect with the feeling of the earth beneath your feet, and the realization that we are not separate from the earth - but an extension of it. The earth is here to support you. Feel your power in your belly, send it down your legs into your feet, like roots into the earth. Sway your hips, feel your center, touch in with your anchor. Breath, walk and dance from that place.

While individual Reiki Sessions always have their sacred and unique energy, it is fascinating when there are themes across sessions, and I can't help but think about the impact that our individual healing efforts have on group consciousness. Perhaps individual sessions can give us a glimpse into the collective consciousness, and when we work towards a brighter future for ourselves, we are setting into motion healthy changes on a systemic level. At any rate, I do hope the insights gleamed through others will also support you in your path this Spring.

Many blessings,
Melanie

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7/13/2017 0 Comments

An Awakening Story by Deborah Brodey

19 years ago was a turning point in my life. I had completed my MA in adult education and had worked several years as a frontline crisis counselor. I was a change maker and was getting burned out fast. I was in a relationship which caused me great internal conflict and I wanted to make changes on many levels but was unsure of my direction. As well, I was having anxiety attacks. Finally, I made a decision to go to Vancouver for a break and a change of scenery. Before I left, I spoke with the man I was with about my anxiety. I was quite shaken and he gave me tobacco wrapped in a red cloth and told me to offer it in a natural place (Tobacco is one of the sacred medicines in many First Nation traditions across North America). He told me I would know the moment. So with tobacco in my pocket I left for Vancouver hoping that I would know the moment.

After three days of walking on the beach by the mountains, being with good friends and writing down my thoughts and feelings, I began to come back to myself and all of the anxiety subsided. On the third day, my walk along kitsalano beach was met by the most beautiful sight of a Bald Eagle perched on top of the totem pole outside the Marina museum. I was overcome by emotion and I felt an intense gratitude. I knew this was the moment. I reached for the red bundle in my pocket, which I opened and offered to the earth. I sat and was with the Eagle for a long time. It seemed that nobody even noticed that she was there. I didn’t understand what the significance was of this experience but I knew it was sacred, healing and important. I also felt that somehow life had sent me a message. I had been exposed to Native spiritual teachings through my work at a Native Women’s organization in Toronto and was aware that the Eagle was a powerful symbol as a messenger of the Great Spirit. What that meant for me was not clear except that I felt an urgency to discover more about the Eagle and its message. So I began my search about Eagles, beginning with searching in the new age bookstore for any clues.

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