Doldrums, Memories and Honesty

Opportunities around slowing down and stepping into the life we want.

Hello Dear Friend,

Well, another week has passed us by, I hope it treated you with love and kindness. My week has been quiet, still recovering from my last session with the blahs… I must come up with a phrase for the times when I am ME addled, something snappy, and more fun sounding than it feels…

Do you have any suggestions? A fit of the blahs, maybe, or on a boat through the doldrums. Isn’t that what they used to call the times when there was no wind and the boats just had to drift? They would be waiting for the wind to rescue them, to give them the energy, and the direction they needed to continue their journey. That sounds about right really, but any other suggestions will be gratefully considered.

I have mostly maintained my tarot draw every day, and am about to add in the Inner Child tarot question every day too. Remember the course I took with Susannah Conway last year, or was it the year before?? The time spent recently working on the memoir piece for the LWS Memoir Summer Stream has reminded me of all the things I still need to heal from my past and of the love I need to send to my younger self. I am also going to revisit Shuna Marr’s Heart Space Room and work through the meditation to see what else has come to the top of the ‘needs looking at’ pile.

The other thing I committed to this week was returning to the development circle with one of the local Spiritualist Churches. This is to help me tap into my intuition and the spirit world, in order to strengthen my connections and build trust, on both sides of the divide. I will let you know how I get on.

To build on this connection I have a cunning plan with regard to my meditation practice… Why am I now thinking about Black Adder? For those who do not know Black Adder was a comedy programme which used history to set the scene for its humour, it really was better than my description. One of the characters, Baldrick, had a saying, I have a plan so cunning that you could tie a tail on it and call it a rat, but I digress. My plan is maybe not as cunning as Baldricks, but hopefully, it will work - I have liberated my spinning wheel from the wardrobe and some fluff which I bought, mmmmffgghh years ago. the plan is to listen to the Shamanic Drumming videos on Youtube whilst spinning. No distractions, simple repetitive focus on the fluff and the wheel, while my mind drifts quietly. Again, I will let you know if it works.

Honesty and Being Vulnerable

This week the theme of honesty, vulnerability and connections has continued, with this wonderful quote from Tim Kreider:

If you want to enjoy the rewards of being loved, you also have to submit to the mortifying ordeal of being known.

–TIM KREIDER

"Oof" in I Wrote This Book Because I Love You

Ouch, that really hits the spot, doesn’t it? The mortifying ordeal of being known…

In order to really enjoy being loved, he implies you need to be known. Yes, I am sure we have all had relationships, friendships even, where we have been reticent about sharing, about shining a light into those dark corners of our minds and our soul, but I don’t think it needs to be mortifying. Sharing can be cathartic, it can bring relief, understanding and closure, we just need to start sharing.

The things we feel ashamed of, embarrassed about, or even just uncomfortable sharing.

The things we feel others may judge us on.

The things we fear will turn people away from us, from our friendship and our connection.

The things we fear will prevent them from loving us, in whatever capacity that may be, friends or lovers.

Now, before you run off and take out a full-page advertisement to share your deepest darkest stuff, take a breath.

I am not advocating sharing everything with everyone.

But, to those special people in our life, surely our relationships can only be deepened by honest disclosure, spoken from the heart, with love and vulnerability. Again, not all at once, this can take as long as you need it to. While I have been writing this an email popped into my inbox from Dr Sarah Walton, I don’t think I have mentioned her before, she runs Soul Writing Workshops, encouraging women to get back in touch with their inner selves. But I digress, the words which drew me away from writing this were these:

She was asked at her latest book launch - ‘how we can heal from national and personal trauma.’ She replied, 

"By using our voices.
By speaking our truth.
And by delivering our truth with love."  

Dr Sarah Walters

This really reinforces the impact speaking our truth can have, not only in our relationships but also for ourselves and our own healing journey. Definitely food for thought.

For the next part of this letter, I want to share a couple of courses and a membership which will be available soon. They are all from people I know, admire and respect, no affiliations, just honest recommendations.

Jane Lindsey - Snapdragon Life

A person I have mentioned briefly in the past is Jane Lindsey, she is a wonderful human being who lives in a remote spot in Scotland. She has been many things in her life, but her focus in recent years has been to guide people gently into a seasonal way of life via her community Snapdragon Life. It is a membership which offers a slower, gentler way, of paying attention to nature and the seasons, with tutorials for small craft projects, courses, recipes for seasonal produce and much more.

She says:

The Studio Club is a place for people who are committed to creating a different kind of life for themselves.

A considered life, a slower, more sustainable life, more connected to the world.

It is, at its heart, a space where we can renew and restore our relationship with the natural world and with our own personal creativity.

The Studio Club is about using your head, heart and hands together in very practical ways to incorporate real changes into your everyday life.

Because the way you live your days is the way you will live your life.

It is not about aspirational Instagram posts or inspirational quotes or buying the latest lifestyle accessories.

It is about starting where you are and using what you have.

If this sounds like something you would be interested in please follow this link for more information. The doors will be open for new members next month.

A Wilder Way

If you are curious and would like to find out a bit more about Jane’s ethos and teaching style she is running a free four-week course called A Wilder Way. It promises to be a wonderful way to celebrate the Autumn Equinox, I have signed up and am really looking forward to the course, so I might see some of you there.

Awakened Parenting Journey - Shuna Marr and her daughter Roslyn

Are you on your awakening journey? On the evening of 6th September Shuna and Roslyn will be holding an hour-long webinar called The Awakened Parenting Journey Toolkit. I, as you may know, have no children, but here is a little bit from Shuna about the course.

This toolkit is for those on their conscious awakening path looking for an alternative to traditional fear-based parenting methods.

You may be a...

• Parent

• Prospective parent

• Grandparent

• Family member

• Friend

• Childcare professional

Whatever your relationship to the little ones in your life, this toolkit has something for you.

Dr Shuna Marr and Roslyn

If you would like to find out some more and maybe sign up, click on any of the bold writing in this section or click on the link at the bottom of the page.

Things catching my eye this week:

The raw and unedited life sharing which is Lauren Deborah’s substack newsletter, ‘Hi I’m Lauren Deborah’ her wonderful reflections on her life and the issues she faces, which I for one can really relate to. A great example of how sharing our innermost thoughts and fears can be done in a safe, supported way. I love listening to your substack Lauren.

Wishing you all a wonderful week, don’t forget the monthly Tarot reading will be dropping into your inbox as a separate email Wednesday morning, I can’t wait to see what the cards have in store for us all this month.

Until next time, as ever, may your angels and guides watch over you and protect you until we meet again.

Love and Light,

Tracy

Guided By angels will always be free to subscribers. If you enjoy it click the like button or share it with someone who might enjoy it. If you really like it and are able, please consider buying me a cup of tea.

Thank you for reading and for subscribing.
Until next time, bye for now.

Links:

Tarot For Your Inner Child - Susannah Conway

Heart Space Room Mini Course - Shuna Marr

Snapdragon Community Membership - Jane Lindsey

A Wilder Way - Jane Lindsey, a free four-week course

Hi, I’m Lauren Deborah - Lauren Deborah

Awakened Parenting Journey Toolkit - Shuna Marr and Roslyn

Anything in bold and underlined is a link to the relevant article or web page. None are affiliate links, just things I hope to benefit you, or people whom I admire and have worked with in the past.

Note: If there is a * these are affiliate links and will earn me a few pennies without adding to your cost.