“The Fire Element which follows in the cycle of creation is that future becoming real, the stage of the cycle which sees our hopes and dreams fulfilled.” – JR Worsley
Ways to tend to your inner fire this summer
Self Care practices for radical rest in-between protesting and calling and emailing your government officials.
These are merely suggestions and intended to heighten your self-care experience by allowing yourself to take in what the season naturally, and graciously offers us, without question, every. single. year.
Practice Mindfulness. Ok, I know, it’s such a basic suggestion and I’m *almost* embarassed to recommend it because it is SO obvious but, honestly, really hard to practice. So this is more of a reminder to be mindful and present. Think of those endless summer days when you were young and they days lasted for what felt like forever. Each moment had our full presence. So bring that focus back. A relaxed and gentle focus that allows you to take in all the good around you. A few things you can focus on to really help in harnessing that fire energy this summer are witnessing the beauty of a flower in full bloom, smelling the sweet fragrance of flowers in bloom, meditating on the color red and pink, a visual meditation where you watch fire (I use a candle), take a walk in nature and watch everything at play. It will be great I promise.
Spend time with those you love. Fire fuels passion and love. Connecting with your people, whether they are family or friends or your pet family, allows you to relax, be vulnerable and share experiences. This allows for more joy, and more joy is always a good thing.
Do the things that bring you joy and happiness. That could be creating art, dancing, skinny dipping…whatever it is, do it (but safety first please).
Connect with Spirit. Whatever that means to you, whether you believe in God, or the Universe, or just believing in the power of love, connect to that and feel the warmth of connection all around you. That energy exists within you, and flows through you, your relationships and to all the people you come in contact with. It is that inner fire that burns deep within each one of us and allows us the ability to feel at one with the people we interact with.
Laugh more. Joy and laughter help to dissipate stagnant energy and allow for more lightness of being to come into our mental spaces. As long as it isn’t harmful humor, go ahead, make your jokes.
I hope that these suggestions prove to be helpful in your self care practices this summer. I’ll be focusing on one each weekly, so be sure to stay tuned for that.
If you feel like you need more assistance in your mental health self care routine, you can contact me for more information :
The seeds planted this winter sprouted this spring and are reaching their fullest expansion as the summer season unfolds.
Normally we would be celebrating the new flowers decorating our gardens and enjoying joy filled moments in the endless sunshine while connecting with our friends, loved ones and communities. These characteristics are typical to fire season, aka. summer.
This year I am still seeing those qualities but see it all manifesting differently. Right now, we are coming together and strengthening our connection to the greater good as well as deepening our connection to ourselves and our surrounding communities.
Anger, rage, frustration, grief, and the deep rooted trauma of witnessing countless acts of violence against people of color fuel a global movement that needs to be sustained to order to create lasting transformation and not only destruction and dismantling of systems.
As we approach the summer solstice where fire and summer are in its fullest expansion, it’s important to take some time to allow for rest. Burnout is real, and it is a result of pushing further than what you are capable of in this moment.
T.S. Elliot said “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” In this time, it’s imperative that we push our boundaries and move beyond comfort zones to initiate radical change. But in pushing ourselves, remember to take breaks, breathe, expand and go inwards.
We started this season with the gusto of birth, death and survival and as we fight for life, specifically black lives, it’s important to make time, and fill space with moments that fill you up with joy and happiness to recuperate from the much needed work for burning up old, outdated and hateful structures and systems that have plagued the global consciousness, and transmute them into something stronger, and built to serve and uplift black and brown communities on a local level, which will then go on to positively effect the global community.
Tending to your own inner fire will give you the endurance, warmth and connection to push onwards.
Fire, the element of summer, represents love, warmth, connection and is capable of creating great transformation. When tended to properly, it can burn for ages. Let your fire burn strong, do the work, and rest and recoup when needed.
It has been quite a while since I have reached out. Like many of you, I have had to navigate through the uncertainty that Covid-19 has brought upon the world. What comes up is different for everyone. It has been heavy, and finding the light can be difficult.
Personally, I have been taking time to rest, spend time with my parents who are both in the most vulnerable population due to their health issues, and also allowing myself to remain open to joy and possibility amidst the distress.
I have went through it all. Grieved my former practice and way of doing things. I felt the anger and frustration of losing control and having to let go and surrender, the fear of loss, and facing my own mortality and the mortality of the people around me and across the globe. I still feel the guilt of thinking of myself during this time while countless others suffer. I feel and have felt the weight of it all. I do my best to surrender to it, and take things day by day, and sometimes moment by moment. Each day is different, and I find my own anxiety levels fluctuate and some days are better than others. Meditation, herbs and deep breathing help.
It has been approximately two months since unofficially closing and I’m not entirely sure what the future holds. I have learned that I am OK with that and hopeful of the future regardless of how this all shapes up. Overall, I look forward to connection, either in person or virtually.
In practice I have taken a pause and slowed down. With my parents’ health and my being in close proximity with them, I have limited in-person treatments. It have been difficult and to be honest, I miss you all tremendously. After reviewing public health protocols and setting up the office to follow those guidelines, I can happily say I am offering in-office treatments. I am also offering video consultation calls via Zoom. At first, I was skeptical of the tele-health model, but I have done a few this past month and found them to be so helpful. Especially for those patients who, like me, need to limit their physical contact with others.
For in-office visits, I will be wearing my mask, wiping down all surfaces with disinfectant before and after each visit and washing hands and using sanitizer often. If bodywork is needed I will be wearing disposable gloves. I have also allowed for time in between each patient so I can properly disinfect between sessions.
For Video Calls, I’ll be addressing general health concerns, offering herbal formulas, meditations and acupressure points that I can easily guide you through. With how isolated everyone has been lately, those video calls can be powerful. I have even expanded to herbal pharmacy to accommodate more orders that can be easily shipped. I’m most excited about this because I have been wanting to focus on the pharmacy for a while but didn’t have the time.
I’m doing my best to adapt to this new (not)normal without diluting my offerings and I think I have been able to achieve that. I’m excited to share it all and reconnect!
Everything around you may look the same and yet different, a little surreal and mostly confusing. I want you to know that I am here, I understand, I am with you, and I am here for you.
If you feel called to schedule either a video consultation or an in-person office session you can email me, or send me a text at (619) 491-6474. Regardless of scheduling, I’d love an email from you to know how you are doing, and how you’ve been holding up and if there is any way I can help ease this process for you.
