Gimme some honey

A feeling, is often created by our own thoughts. So why not change our thoughts and and beliefs to convince ourselves that we are at home anywhere?

Maybe the reason I feel this way so easily is because I grew up where I am still currently living. I know this city like the back of my hand, and I no longer feel afraid anywhere, or even unsure. As well, I have spent a lot of time in nature, connecting to this piece of the earth so well that I have a a very supportive and encompassing feeling from the place I live.

Regardless of how connected you feel to a place’s natural areas or how long you have lived there, I believe a person can feel at home – which is essentially at ease – anywhere they travel, live, work, etc.

One way to harness this power is to walk where you are going daily, instead of drive directly there. If it is in walking distance, great, but if not then drive and try to find the rest of your way by walking. I know it seems like a hassle at first but you will find it rewarding, refreshing, and grounding.

Another way is to simply relax and be confident where-ever you find yourself. Whether it’s in a store, lost in a field somewhere, or at a new friends’ house. Forget the fact that it’s completely new to you, and just find a point of calm/interest/nostalgia and go there in your mind. Then, do something that comes from your soul with the environment you are in. Be active in your environment; maybe that’s talking, playing, exercising, or reflecting. Do something that will make you remember and cherish that experience. Try to make the most out of it. When we are afraid, we don’t take advantage of whats in front of us. But when we are courageous, we overcome these fears and we do something in the environment we are in, resulting in a greater comfort-ability and that sought after ‘at home’ feeling. So basically don’t be afraid to calm down and do something you enjoy, even in completely uncharted territory.

Another thing is to simply tell yourself there are lots of reasons why this place feels just like home. After all, everywhere you go you can still find grass, trees, cars, soil, and water. Think about nature and how you can find it everywhere. Think about people and how you find them everywhere! Heck go pet a dog and I’m sure you’ll feel all cosy inside. Don’t feel afraid to feel cosy at any moment.

The last one is to treat yourself and treat others with kindness. This one is a bit deeper, but it really gets to the root of why we feel unsettled. Trust yourself and remember you are always there for yourself and that its okay to make mistakes. Have self-love constantly. Remember there are good people out there everywhere waiting to meet you and connect with you. Humans are so much more sensitive than any of us really acknowledge, and that thought alone makes me feel more comfortable because it means we have very high levels of compassion for ourselves and others.

Now go rock it out! wherever you go 🙂 I hope you liked the special colours

I can’t stress enough how important the art of surrendering is. When we can master the art of keeping moving, while at the same time letting go always – and having an air of non-attachment as we move through life’s challenges and gifts – we find that we are much better at coping with things. Our life starts to flow and meander in such a beautiful, effortless way because we know how much it changes and we are choosing to embrace those changes instead of fight against them. We are accepting the fact that not everything will go our way, surrendering to this idea while at the same time continuing to surge forward. Surrendering means being okay with leaving those things that didn’t go so much the way we wanted in the past, and moving on anyway. We aren’t grasping and fighting and staying stuck in our stubbornness, because trust me I’ve done this and it only makes this harder. Our lives have a large element of mystery to them, sometimes more than we care to accept, but it is true that there are always going to be unexpected circumstances, so if we embrace them and look at them through a lens of grace instead of criticism, and we try to understand the occurrence instead of judge them, our life takes on a state of easy flow for sure. I wrote a post a while ago about surrender as well, so you can go check that one out to get more ideas on this wonderful key to life. xoxox CLARE

I have spent so long believing it wasn’t. Or I would halfway believe it was. But once I fully embraced and believed it was, things started happening for me, finally!

I think when we get pulled into the idea that everything is hard in our lives because of our evidence from past experiences, and continue to believe that, we get stuck there. It can be difficult, and things keep going wrong so we let them drag us down, letting these bad things shape our worldview. We start to believe that we don’t deserve anything good, that we are destined for a miserable life, that someone else deserves a better life.

This is not the truth, not one bit. WE simply have to flip these limiting ideas and thoughts around. We have to start embracing an expansive, limitless mindset and know that we deserve wonderful things to spontaneously arrive in our lives – in order to receive them and in order to have a beautiful life. We also have to be courageous, we have to be brave and we have to be open to people and experiences, because this is how the universe operates. It rewards those that are willing to truly live, to elevate humanity as a whole. Do you see what I mean? When we start to believe that we can have whatever it is we desire, we really can. And we can’t do it half-hardheartedly, or we won’t be able to change our lives. Life is all about trust, it is about purity and innocence of mind, being and action. Think of a time when you had the intention of trust or just surrendered and trusted, didn’t everything go right? Didn’t you receive more than you bargained for? This is because this is the energy that the universe is operating at, and it can only reward you if you work hard enough and get your energy positive enough, in flow enough, breathing trust into it, so you can meet it at its vibration.

Being receptive to the environment around you is an effective form of mindfulness. It also aligns you to a higher power, to where you need to be and what you need to be feeling and thinking. It helps you to come to the realizations that you need to at the right time, in the right way, because you are surrendering to what the earth has in store for you that day, you are surrendering o the path you were meant to be on. So in order to fully embrace this path, we need to be able to tune into what nature is trying to tell us. This means we cannot control, rather we need to slow down, and incorporate all of our senses in a systematic way so that we really can see the layers hidden beneath what is around us, what the earth is trying to tell us. Often times, I find myself searching for answers, or some complicated message. But really, I find simple truths when I let go enough to hear them. Simple, and really what they are is so comforting and calming. Nature goes at its own pace, it doesn’t rush for anything. It takes all of the necessary steps. It embraces the weather, is wise enough to know when it’s time to rest and when it’s time to shine. I find myself understanding strong balance nature has, and I am learning that in order to have this balance we really do need to let go and surrender, ride the waves of our lives as gracefully and gently as nature does. These are just a few of the many things I have learned from taking mindful walks and bikes through riverbeds, but I want you to discover some of these lessons for yourself, in your own special way. Nature has so much to teach us, but we have to approach gingerly and listen and be still and be so patient in order to learn these lessons. And once you do, it is such a beautiful, amazing gift!

I think that nature is pulsating with a rich energy and it is just waiting for us to put its arms around us. I think the most connected I feel with nature is when I feel hopeful, that is when the wind is really trying to whisper to me, when the leaves dance and I know my spirit guides are too, because they are so innocent, and proud, and rejoicing in the realizations I have come to. When you are open and receptive to new lessons and perspectives of life, that is when nature really reaches and extends it’s healing energy to you. Because you are putting so much effort into growing and no longer victimizing yourself. When you stay positive, when you feel like you can’t keep going but you do, that is when the miracles happen. That is when the trees sing for you and your angels and spirits applaud you.

Listen —

listen to the sounds, to the melody that the birds, trees and water compose. How soft and sweet it is.

Look —

simply appreciating the beauty and complexity of nature is enough to inspire anybody

Feel—

feel your cells becoming invigorated as the fresh air and wind cleanse your skin and lungs

Think–

see what new ideas come to mind

Smell–

everything smells so earthy and fresh

I love dancing so much. I just learned that it is a form of Reiki. It makes sense, as you are connecting to an inner lightness, to something jovial and uplifting. You are also moving around the energy of your body, and cleansing old energies from your aura and energy field. Before, I used to just do it to feel good and have fun, but it’s amazing to look at it from the Reiki perspective as well. My mom brought us up this way, we would have at least one night a week where she would turn up a random cd and we spend the entire evening dancing in the living room! What a great idea and how wonderful for us young-ens. She really taught us to appreciate music, and what activities you can enjoy alongside it. I really believe dancing in the living room is something, and one thing everybody can do for their mental health. It’s an amazing feeling to be able to shake the day and the worries away, and really enjoy just being with yourself, discovering your inner creativity, and hopefully someone else to share it with. But dancing alone can be great too, lord knows I’ve done it so much in my solo apartment and then you really feel free to dance how you like!

Dancing makes you feel sexy. You are in touch and in rhythm with your own body, with every step and move you make. What could be sexier than that? There is something so sexy about feeling comfortable in your own body, enough to dance how you like. When you are connected with your own body, you can really learn so much about yourself and the mechanics of yourself.

Dancing isn’t just about your body though, the mind-body connection is prevalent. When you feel connected to your body, you are learning about yourself through both the intuitive and analytical sides of your brain. You can start to learn how you think and feel in the present moment when you are creating and having fun.

This means that when we dance, we are deepening the relationship we have with ourselves. We start to learn what makes us feel good, have fun, and look good! We also learn how we treat ourselves when we make mistakes, because we are inevitably going to. Even professional dancers make mistakes.

Some other really positive things about dancing are that you feel beautiful when you do it (hopefully lol, we all have our days), it helps us process anxiety and it helps to let our emotions flow. I am someone that has suffered from serious anxiety for years, and I can say that it often helped my anxiety dramatically but bringing me back to the present moment and releasing stagnant energy. It also helps us to feel and process emotions. Music is usually quite emotional, so if we are dancing to it and listening to the lyrics, it gives us an avenue to express our own emotions by helping us to relate to the artists. A lot of times, I believe our emotions, especially when we are overly emotional, is just energy that has not been channeled correctly. If we provide opportunities to allow it to flow through us instead of get stuck in us, like dancing, than we are so much better off.

This another form of self-love that can be so healthy for us women, and men. I think it’s more women that get called babe, but hey who says men can’t either, I’ve definitely heard that too. I started doing this about 3 years ago, and never stopped using it (on and off) since then. It is super helpful when I am going through a rough time, because it really makes the feeling of being there for myself tangible. It instills immediate calmness and self-compassion within me. It’s like a magic way of soothing myself. So here are some examples of when and how I use it:

Say I was having a really bad day, and I couldn’t even get myself up and do the dishes I knew needed being done. I would say, “It’s okay babe, you’ve been through a lot today, why don’t you rest an hour extra and try later”. In that moment, just giving myself more time because I was considering how hard it had been for myself that day.

Say I was late to a meeting. I would say, “Babe, don’t worry about it, You couldn’t sleep, and everyone has been late. You don’t need to be perfect every day”. In this case, I was acknowledging my lowered mental state and thus the reason I was late. It was something I couldn’t really control, and fighting to be on time would have done more damage to my already fragile, fatigued mind. It would have been too aggressive towards myself to force myself to be on time that day, and also recognizing that other people are late too helps. I’m no alien for being a little late! It happens. As long as you let them know, it’s really no big deal.

(side note- I fuck up a lot. So I have had lots of practice with this nickname for myself. I am highly sensitive so I have learned a ton about how to have patience when I mess up.)

Say I started crying for no reason. I would say, “hey Babe, you are doing great considering you are on you period. Look at all of the things you still did today ! That really is amazing considering the pain and hormonal turmoil you are in.” You don’t have to be on your period to cry, it could be the littlest thing set you off, or could be just that particular day and the way the cosmos are interacting with your emotional self. It could be one thing a person said that triggered something in your subconscious. Sometimes we just don’t know. Acknowledging that we are human is a big one, that yes actually, we are humans with emotions and it is healthy to express them.

We are only human, so maybe we don’t need no reason (listen to the song, perfect strangers ft. jonas blue after this, I’ll link at the end). I think to have self compassion, I know I was saying reasons, but at the end of the day it’s just plain hard to be a human. And sometimes it’s even super hard. So even if there is no particular reason things aren’t going well or you aren’t proud of yourself, it’s okay. You can say “hey babe, you are only human, you don’t need to have a reason”, or “hey babe, you don’t need to do anything, sometimes it’s enough just to be”. We go through so much as humans, especially once we get to adulthood and we have to deal with so much that we don’t need to have any concrete reason at all to love ourselves and to give ourselves a break. There, now you get it, I’m sure.

So I have learned a lot about manifestation very recently, and I also have been practicing it for 4 years now. I think lets do this in bullet points. Some of these you may already know. I am trying to get down absolutely everything I know so I’m sure you will learn something new.

-Think and visualize what you desire, then let it go

This is because when you constantly think about what you want, you are in a place of lack. So you need to let it go in order for it to be able to come to you. Focus on other things. This is great because it means we actually don’t have to put so much energy into manifesting something as we think/ When we let go, we are in a state of receiving.

-Believe, Act and Feel as if you are already have the thing you want

You need to be in the energy of having that thing in order for it to come quickly. Energy is very real, and we can manipulate how we like. If we are at the vibration of already getting what we went, that is, everything in us and about our lives is leading the universe to believe we have that thing, then it will naturally flow into our lives because the universal energy has to match our own.

-The reason behind what you want has be because you want to give, a generosity to other people

The universe helps those that are working for the greater good. It runs to the aid of the people that truly have good intentions first, because it is a pure, innocent energy. So if we can find something of service behind our manifestation, then we will get it much sooner.

-Visualize, Visualize, Visualize

You have to know what you want, and keep it in your minds eye. The universe and your spirit guides cannot help you unless you really know what you want and you have a clearer picture of that.

-DO what you love

While you are waiting for your wish to manifest, do what you love. You will be in a better place to help others if you do this, and you will be in a more abundant energy. You will be connecting to a state of flow, and this is when we are in a state of recieving.

-Know that you deserve what you wish for

Plainly put, you have to feel you are worthy. And it has to be a genuine feeling, just think of all that you have been through. Trust me, you definitely deserve whatever you are trying to get.

-Even when you still don’t have it, and you start losing hope, be grateful for what you do have

When you are grateful already, you naturally attract more because you are in a state of abundance instead of lack

-Be patient

If you truly believe and trust you will get what you want, you will be able to be patient and just enjoy the journey. Because there are so many other beautiful gifts along the journey just waiting for us to soak them up.

Okay, so that’s all I can think of, without repeating anything. I know this will help and congratulations in advance on getting what you dreamed of 😉

Being an independent person means that I feel comfortable going places alone, I feel rejuvenated by it and definitely am past feeling insecure about it. Being able to go places alone, stand on your own two feet, and enjoy what life has to offer means that you are open to new experiences that are so much richer. When we trust the universe and know that we are protected and will be cared for wherever we are, we learn that it doesn’t matter who we are with, we are always connected to the continual pulse of life. A great approach to expanding this avenue of freedom is through practicing serenity. When we are alone but we are in a self-discovery mode, when we are relaxed and tuned in with our own emotions and selves, when we listen to ourselves, things, people, ideas, and oppurtunities flow so naturally to us. IT’s like we are super-magnets. THis is because we are enjoying ourselves and our own energy so much so – we are completely basking in it and loving it – that we become super-attracters. And I think that while enjoying this time with ourselves that we allow calmness to flow through our inner ocean, we are that much more able to recieve the gifts the universe has to offer.

The reason I say this is because the other day, I went to the community lake by myself. I really was not anxious, I decided to let that go and just enjoy my own energy as well as nature’s. Multiple times I thought of leaving, but something was telling me just relax, just stay a little longer. No rush. I couldn’t get myself to leave. The longer I stayed, the better and more calm I felt, and the more I realized there really is no need to rush. There is much more joy to be had when we trust and let go, and have patience in a way. When we surrender. It felt like sinking into the earth finally, letting its arms embrace, dissolving all of my worries. Being fully present and supportive of myself. The spirit world was there to catch me because I had the courage to let go, to do things a little differently.

So it was in this serenity, and a level of almost not caring, that I didn’t overthink, and was able to live and enjoy life fully. I walked over and rented a paddle board, just instinctively, I hadn’t even planned on it. But I was surrendering, and that’s what felt good, so I was drawn to it and I naturally did it. Then, as I carried this same sense of serenity with me, I slowly paddled my way around the lake, on the outskirts of the semi-circle of lake-front houses. I smiled at a couple people, and their smiles were so genuinely friendly. Then I saw a lady and complemented her on her garden, and we went on to talk for 20 minutes about life, about how it’s so important to be open to new experiences and people. And I really believe that these encounters happened the way they did because I was really connected with and listening to my soul, and I was in calm emotional waters, not anxious or worried. I was also letting my emotions flow freely, and did shed a few tears out there. But those two factors – inner connection and stillness- led me to such a blissful evening. I know it’s not always easy to go into days with this type of energy. And I know part of it was because the daily moon was in Virgo. But all I can do, or anyone can do, is learn from this experience, treat it almost like an experiment, of how to recreate wondrous events like this in the future.

It’s very important to keep the peace in your environment and in your mind. Today, I experienced so much debilitating anxiety, where I felt like I couldn’t do anything. My mind moves so fast sometimes I don’t even realize where I am. I have gotten much more aware and better with dealing with it, but it still gets to me some days. But then, when it gets really bad, I am reminded somehow that it doesn’t have to be this way. My running around trying to put away everything (chaotic environment) and my ruminating in my head(chaotic mind) is something that surprisingly, I have a lot of power over. All I have to do is become aware of it, and then do something that calms me, or picture someone or something that calms me. I also have found realizing the extreme importance of keeping my own inner peace helps me to actually cultivate it. The self-compassion part of it is what changes my actions and thoughts from frantic to peaceful. It doesn’t have to be that way, I can feel calm and at ease, and I always deserve to feel that way. I have been through too much in this life to not allow myself to feel peace.

Some things that helps me cultivate peace are:

-Nature

-Yoga

-friends

-family

-animals

-books

-music

-taking time to relax

-sitting with myself, hands on my knees, focusing on one point(drishti)

-painting

-podcasts

-self-care (e.x. doing my hair)

-eating lol

Taking the time to create peace in your life, to have inner harmony, balance, and stillness is so important and we take it so for granted. We think doing a lot and talking a lot will make us happy, when half of the time taking peaceful, mindful moments are where a huge source of happiness and contentment lies. Being in the energy of love also really helps. Taking deep breaths helps. Just pick one thing you can really connect and sink into, spend some time digital free and feel the abundant bliss that is available to us always when we take some slowed-down, indulgent “me time”.

For the environment piece to peace (haha), it is important to create routine and structure in your everyday life. This includes a daily routine, and and organizational system in your living space that is not too strenuous, realistic, but also keeps everything in its place. Its back to the old, untidy space = untidy mind. If you are feeling like it is particularly difficult to cultivate inner peace, look around and see what ways you can change and rearrange your space to serve you better in everyday life. For example, maybe its keeping all of you books you are currently reading in the same place, or creating spaces solely for certain projects or activities. For example, my coffee table is designated for manifestations and to-do-lists. Having areas where you know things/activities go or are being done is so helpful. Then when you clean up its that much faster, and then when you are just moseying about you mind isn’t thrown off with all of the random stuff everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, I’m far from organized, and I admire that part of myself, but if I can at least have some morsel of a structured system in my living quarters, let me tell you it goes a long way when you are naturally scatter-brained.

A big part of peace is also simply letting it go. Take a deep breath now. In, then out. In again, now let go a few things. In again, now let go, let out the rest of it. Ahhh. PEACE

I think this is a great way to get in touch with our intuition and to live in the natural life flow. I think there aren’t too many things we should have to force in this life.I think that we have a deep cellular wisdom – nothing to do with our intellect- that energetically pulls us toward things that we should be doing. Also, to people we should be around. I think at least half, if not more of the time we are trying to avoid our desires. We think we don’t deserve them, don’t have time for them, or they don’t mean anything. Or we don’t know how to use them. I think we need to gently begin to teach ourselves how to interact with these people, things, or activities that magnetically draw us. I think we need to always be open to what the deep ancient wisdom of our soul and bodies want. We need to be kind to this part of ourselves that is searching for creativity, searching for new things. It’s because we may never know how talented or how connected we are to those things.

Ok, so we know what we need to do, but how??? Well this part takes some meandering and fiddling with. It takes a deep patience with ourselves, a self-belief and understanding. It takes the ability to constantly work with and adapt to our thoughts, ideas and actions. It is a constant readjustment and learning of what works and what doesn’t. This part of ourselves is always changing, and the way we express our desires changes as we learn more. So in order to find our truest desires and the avenues to express them, we need to be open to the constant evolution that takes place within ourselves surrounding these ideas. We have to be ready to constantly pivot, to move the puzzle pieces around until we find the right fit. What I am saying is that it is a bit of a process to get to a place where what you are drawn to actually provides you with the fruit of your labor. But eventually, the things you find your subconscious mind being ever so slightly nudged by, will become the keys to your passions, growth, and successes.

It is imperative that we pay more conscious attention to what we are drawn to in our daily life because these are going to be the things that we are energetically connected with. Ever notice how when you let go and laugh a little kids show up around you? Or how when you are having a bad day, grumpy people surround you? OR how when you have an intention of inspiration, so many inspiring things happen that day? The energy we decide to be in determines what opportunities are presented to us, and what situations, people and experiences happen each day. Our energy and thoughts effect our lives, more than we can really ever appreciate. This is why it is so important to be in a positive energy, and from there we can see what things in life we are running into, what ideas we randomly think, because everybody will be drawn to unique things that are a specific match for their gifts and talents.

For example, I have been suffering from anxiety for the past few years. It started from being in university, and was exacerbated when I was in an unstable relationship. Long story short, I’ve had anxiety for a long time, and recently I finally feel like I have a handle on it and I am ready to heal that part of myself instead of be a victim of it. I also have started to really realize all of the gifts behind anxiety – how creative it makes you, how receptive, how spiritual. There is always two sides to the coin, so why not with a disorder. There is duality to everything, and the flip-side to the set-backs of anxiety are breathtakingly beautiful. And yet, it was only when I started to realize this and when my subconscious mind was in tune with how cool of a person I am because of my anxiety, that I was drawn to a book entitled ‘The Gifts Beneath Your Anxiety’. It was truly divine timing, because before this I was only trying to cope with my anxiety, I wasn’t as accepting and nurturing of this side of myself. But now, I am so excited for the things I will learn and how much more powerful I will be.

So this is what I am saying, when you are open to the things that are tugging at you, just waiting for you to pay attention to them, you are infinitely rewarded. Maybe not immediately, but you will be. And the things that are you truly meant to be chasing, you will know deeply they are right for you. This is because you will feel an intense excitement and enthusiasm that feels new, but also ancient at the same time. Your body and soul knows what you need to be doing, you just sometimes need to let your mind get out of your way, to step aside so you can find what you are truly passionate about. I urge you to be more receptive, like water in your everyday life, and gives these ideas a chance , these ideas you simply dismissed before. It will be a journey, but it is so beautiful and worth it that you won’t want to stop after you start. 🙂