Yesterday, amidst my morning routine, I was out for my 6am walk. Since the morning of my ‘Life in the UK’ test I seem to be focussing my attention during this window on deliberate spirit connection.
I met with my gorgeous and brilliant pal Rachelle recently. Rachelle is someone who I feel most similar to in terms of our life choices and for how our lives have unfolded. She inspires the living daylights out of me and she must be the greatest story teller I know. If only I could share her most recent story - it's phenomenal!"!
We talked deep (as all my conversations seem to be) and again got onto the subject of what is it that keeps her going despite all the challenges and adversity along her path. Without so much as a thought she answered ‘my relationship with god’. She went on to give me more examples of how certain things had unfolded as a result of her faith in god. This hit a spot in me that feels all too familiar, that space within, around and in everything that I describe as spirit. For the things that Rachelle described and some of the things that have unfolded, it would seem there is no better explanation for it but ‘acts of god’.
“The thing that had gotten her through the tough times was her connection to and belief in god, and in prioritising that.”
In 2017 shortly after moving to Burntisland I was craving connection in the community. I roamed around finding my place and my people. During that time I attended the Christian Alpha course being run by the church two doors down from where we had moved (I know, what are the chances). I attended those Alpha sessions with a partly dubious but mostly curious and open mind. I loved the community aspect, as truth be told I appreciated the topics that were being discussed each week. Things like faith, belief, surrender, acceptance and so on. Concepts that certainly had a place in my life and areas I felt richer for having explored and discussed through those 6 weeks.
On a couple of occasions I took my son along with me (then three years young). When walking down to the session being held at ‘Potter About’ café one day, from his pram he said to me “mum, will there be angels there?” I hadn’t even really discussed where we were going. Another time Poppit and I were invited to the opening of the new ‘Forth Road Bridge’ by my friend who was involved in the church. I had no idea that it was a church group outing, and it wasn’t until we got on the bus that it became clear. The bus started moving and my son said out loud “mum, what is god?” Again, I hadn’t said anything and I was still carrying my dubious/curious mindset with me so this question threw me somewhat. I just looked at him and then around the bus to all the eyes and smiles looking back at me like they knew something I didn’t.
I appreciated those sessions and that community so much but it didn’t feel like the perfect fit for my son and me. There were things that I couldn’t make sense of, and it didn’t feel ‘right’ to continue as part of the community. What this experience did give me, however, was the feeling that even as a single mum on the other side of the world living in a new town, I'm not alone; I am part of something bigger and very significant, something not seen by the eyes or physically touched, but sensed.
Shortly after I found Nia (as part of Island Moves with Karen Small), I was part of a community of women sharing dance and conversation, and very quickly it felt ‘right’. I got to take my son along to the classes and I was doing something really positive for my wellbeing: WINNER! That summer I attended a public Nia class with visiting Nia teacher/Black Belt trainer Britta von Tagen (see blog about that time) . I didn’t know it at the time but what I experienced in that class was none other than spirit energy moving fiercely through me. I’ve had that feeling many times since, in dance classes, during coaching conversations, and through the words I write. It’s completely delicious! And here’s a pretty cool fact: the Nia classes and centre of Nia in Scotland is located at the Space Upstairs, Burntisland - the direct upstairs from where Potter About used to be - the exact same building. Cool, eh?
Back to my morning walk.
Those wee small hours are without a doubt the time when I connect deeply with the spirit energy I sense in and around me. It became clear to me that my morning walks/runs represent a moment where I’m deliberate about being in a time and space with my soul. The moment this thought occurred to me, I felt the sweetest sensation wash over me. It was like an energetic thumbs up that I'd heard the call, and had in turn been acknowledged.
Living a spiritual life and building myself a spiritual practice has been a work in progress for me and is an area I invest deliberate time and attention into.
As the days/weeks/months and years roll on, I am more and more committed. It feels like the only thing I can truly count on, no matter what is going on in my life.
I easily connect with spirit energy when delivering my dance classes, events, in coaching sessions and when I sit down in the spaces I carve out to write.
I get shivers down my legs, this tells me I have tapped into a realm outside of my ever-busy mind, moving body and wavering emotions.
A 1-2-1 coaching session always, always, always involves us delving into spirit energy. I’m guided by something somewhere to ask certain questions, do certain things and explore ‘intuitive hunches’. To not follow these would mean being untrue to myself and to the powerful person sitting in front of me.
It’s difficult to put into words, but it’s almost as though I see a soul apart from my own, away from all the layers that life throws on a being. Words could never do this justice; but. If you'd like to experience it for yourself, why not book a free 1-2-1 exploratory coaching call? I WILL see you as the person you are here in this world to be.
At the end of my time with a dear friend recently, we shared our ‘main takeaways/insights’ from our time together. Something they shared was:
“I always wonder how you manage, you do it all on your own and you support so much and so many, I always wonder who supports you, this weekend I figured it out. I think you are supported by yourself, your Kiwi resourcefulness (your culture and heritage), and your positive open nature, which of course IS ‘God’-given but it’s also how you’ve been shaped by your own experience. You support You; AND you have a way of wielding it from your community, and a way of creating work that also supports you".
And on hearing those words my immediate reaction was ‘yes I'm entirely deliberate about what I do, who I surround myself with and how I spend my time, all my choices are deliberate and i’m sent the challenges, situations and people necessary to lift me up so I can use the lessons to lift others. Ultimately it all feels driven by what I can only describe as spirit energy.
My friend's reflection and the conversation with Rachelle where she shared the importance of her conversations with God unfolded within the same hour. One hour after that I invited a crew of disco-goers on Burntisland Beach to shave off all my hair (another nudge of something I just had to do) and as it stands, I’m not sure I'll ever grow my hair again….maybe I will, maybe I won’t - and yet something somewhere is telling me that this is necessary to feel a more consistent connection with spirit. Right not its right for me.
What this proves to me is that I'm exactly where I'm meant to be and that my commitment to my spiritual practice helps me to make sense of everything. And that in the times that feel dark and difficult, that so long as I'm creating the space and making time for my spirit and paying attention to the world around me, then it’s the best I can do.
When I hear the calling of my soul in the words and actions of those I surround myself with, it reminds me to keep my heart open and to remain curious - which is me following my truth.
If you’re feeling the urge to tune into the sound of your soul why not book a free 1-2-1 exploratory coaching call?
I WILL see you as the person you are here in this world to be.
Thank you for your time today
x Bron
Commenti