"I Return to Myself Without Abandoning My Heart"

This phrase, "I return to myself without abandoning my heart", has been beneficial when I have felt too sensitive, too responsible, unseen, misunderstood, or when compassion has pulled me past my own boundaries.

When I feel those emotions rising I get out in nature and walk through the trees or near water. Being in nature allows my deeper truth to arise and it softens my heart and my thinking mind. It aligns me with inner illumination rather than thoughts that can take me out of center and off balance.

I had an intuitive nudge in meditation this morning to find a rock covered in moss and go sit in stillness.

As I was wandering through the woods with Rosie, we took a left onto another path in the woods that I have not walked in years.

As I let her off leash she started running through the brush and when I caught up to her I noticed this rock covered in moss...she brought me right to it...magic?!?

I was being invited into the woods to sit still upon this moss covered stone and listen. Setting the intention to open my heart to compassion and unconditional love for myself and all who I come into contact with today.

Listening to my inner nudges from meditation and feeling into the shimmering light of consciousness brought clarity and brought me out into the woods and right to this moss covered rock. A rock I had never seen or noticed before. The stone was my seat and the woods were the doorway I was being invited to walk through to find stillness.

Sitting on this moss covered rock deep in the woods invited me into my heart by the Angels, guides, and my divine inner child. All reminding me that writing should be fun, flowing, and playful. It should not be one more thing to do on my endless "to do" list brought on by the inner taskmaster, the responsible one, the inner critic. Let go of thoughts that do not serve my creative spirit.

The woods have always been my playground. The woods have invited me to return to the freedom to be myself and to fully surrender and know I am supported by the wisdom of the trees, water, rocks, birds, woodland animals, and my spiritual team.

They all channel love to my inner teacher, the observer within who inspires deep awareness into the here and now. As I let love flow through me into all areas of body, mind, and spirit.

As I listen and feel the autumn wind gently blowing my hair, the sun's warmth on my face, the crunch of the fallen leaves under my feet. Leaves are the ultimate symbol of surrender and trust in the natural flow of life. Thousands of reminders to be gentle with myself and embrace with gratitude what the elements have always given so freely and brought me back to center.

As I sit upon this rock, Rosie jumps onto it too. She is always in the ebb and flow of life. She is hyper-aware of her surroundings, sniffing, and breathing into the ground and the air; listening and sensing life happening all around her.

She leaps with total abandon off the rock to chase a squirrel through the woods. Watching it climb effortlessly up the tree and out of her sight before she runs back to me leaping up onto the rock as she once again leans into me. Entirely present and completely aware.

The birds serenade us as they join in and their songs blend with the sounds of the wind rustling the leaves and the squirrels chattering back at Rosie from a safe distance high up in the canopy of the tree. Some trees are completely bare whilst others do not appear to have lost any green leaves at all.

The pond at the bottom of the hill we are sitting on has soft ripples upon its surface as the water gently flows clearing the green duckweed to one side revealing the sparkles of sunlight dancing. A dried up brown oak leaf falls down from the tree branch above my head and lands upon my lap for a moment before the wind picks it up again and swirls it away.

A blue jay calls loudly from distant trees somewhere in the woods that surround our stone throne where I sit still and listen. I hear it, but I do not see it. Trust in the unseen world. Blue jay is always calling to me daily, several times a day to keep communicating my truth.

Spread your wings today she whispers loudly. Anchor into this quiet domain and allow the rise and fall of your breath to carry effortlessly your words forth. Let go of judgements or any thoughts you may have conjured up early this morning or late last night...forgive them and let them go if they were not serving. Become curious and observe those thoughts as they come and go. No need to engage in them...just be the observer...watch them float by like the clouds in the sky.

The woods invite me back to myself and allow the quiet stillness of my presence to anchor and center me by tuning into the inner observer and listen with compassion