Have you heard that there’s a Solar Eclipse today? Yeah - of course you have.

It seems like there are a lot of big thoughts and feelings about this eclipse.

I find these sorts of shared phenomena to be really interesting times to observe ourselves and one another becoming wrapped up in the narratives that dominate our corner of the world - one person’s source of doom, gloom and stay-inside-if-at-all-possible alarm is another person’s source of inspiration to take the day off, head into the woods and dance with the fairies (and everything in-between).

That makes today a great day to give yourself permission to step back and observe - with as much non attachment as possible - the parade of meaning-making on display in front of you (and inside of you) and let it point you back to the wisdom within you.

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Try this as a curiosity-centered practice (especially useful if you find yourself having a lot of judgments around what you or other people are or are not choosing to do around this unusual event in the sky) -

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Notice the dominant stories in the landscape all around you - make a list of the varying perspectives you interact with today (or in the days before and after the eclipse) including your own.

Notice which ones resonate with you and which do not - look over the list and take note of which ones you accept and which ones you reject; what are the common threads you observe between the ones you accept? And what do the ones you reject have in common?

Challenge what you think - this step can be a little delicate because we are not trying to prove ourselves - or anyone else - wrong or right; we are simply looking at the threads of connection that we’ve noticed and asking ourselves “is that true?” or “what else might be true?”; do this for both what you accept/believe and what you reject/do not believe - it can be very informative.

Observe what is true for you - if you’ve gone this far with this practice, you may find that you and those around you hold conflicting points of view around what is, in and of itself, a neutral event - congratulations; you are human!; contrary to what we are led to believe, it is not wrong or even unusual to hold conflicting points of view within ourselves - we are capable of holding multiple simultaneous and, yes, even incongruent thoughts and beliefs at the same time; the question becomes which ones will we continue to nourish within us and which ones will we not.

Consciously decide how you will participate in the day’s events - What actions, activities, rituals and practices make sense beyond the arena of your mind and what is expected? What does your body’s wisdom tell you about what you want or need? What are your emotions and your breath and your energy levels and your intuition indicating? What do you have the capacity for? What are you resourced for - both inner resources and outer? Choose something that you observe outside the realm governed by thoughts and appearances and do that; see what happens.

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This is a framework that you can apply to any situation where you feel stuck, judgmental or like your thoughts or energy are churning and swirling but leading you nowhere. It’s also handy when you have a decision to make and you find the needs of everyone else eclipsing your own needs, wants or desires - because, let’s face it, sometimes we are way more tuned in to what everyone else needs in a given situation that we are to what we need.

The interesting opportunity that today’s eclipse offers is a low-stakes situation to practice parsing things out for ourselves - this way we can challenge what is at work behind the scenes of our lives, observe what surfaces for us as we do and, ultimately, gain trust in ourselves and in the process before there’s a big life decision or other people’s feelings on the line.

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However you are spending this day, I hope that you can feel the presence of Love at your side.

Sending you Love,

Tawnia

PS: Examining meaning is something we work on extensively when you invite me to join you on your spiritual journey of life for awhile. If you find yourself wrapped-up in judging thoughts (about yourself or others) and bound by the absolutes of this-or-that thinking and that way of being in the world is not working for you, hit reply and let’s talk about working together this season. I have space for a couple of 1:1 clients and enrollment to The Wellspring is currently open is you prefer a group experience.​

Here's what I'm up to:

🪷 Need a new yoga mat, mat bag or other yoga prop? There's been some interest in placing an order for Jade Yoga mats this season. If you are in the local area and would like to get an awesome mat (or other JadeYoga item) at a discounted price, let me know and I'll send you the details. Browse what JadeYoga offers here.

꩜ Let's create the life you crave together this year! Work 1:1 with me for 6 months: Meaningful transformation - and the freedom to be in your life as yourself that accompanies it - is created one simple shift at a time; simple shifts that start where you are, honor what you value and do not demand that you clear the slate and start from scratch. The sum of these simple shifts becomes a life that feels more aligned, more spacious, and more attuned to what brings you peace - even when the winds of change inevitably swirl.​ I'm focusing my creative energies on supporting you to make 2024 the year you look back on and say "that's when everything shifted for me". LEARN MORE HERE

🖋 Shi(f)t Happens: musings on the spiritual journey of life: I started a new daily (more or less) public practice this week and you are invited to join me - I'm sharing more of what I'm wondering about, inspired by and turning over in my heart and mind. If you enjoy what I share here in this Soul-Centered Email Series, then you're going LOVE what I share over there - a little less polished, a little more frank and a lot more "me". CHECK IT OUT; IT'S FREE TO SUBSCRIBE

🧘‍♀️ Drop-in to a virtual yoga class this month: that's right - anyone can drop-in to each month's Moving Meditation and Restorative Yoga classes for just $15 with a single class pass; check the calendar for dates and times.

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Useful Links:

Visit the Virtual Healing Arts Studio​

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