it's really heating up in here
making space for ritual // week 2
a weekly anchoring practice to stay rooted in seasons of change // week 2
Welcome to our second segment of making space for ritual. As I set out to make space for our Intuitively Wild home IRL (SIGN UP FOR THE WAITLIST HERE!) I am committing myself to staying present, intentional, and soft.
Devoting ourselves to a life of spaciousness amidst a huge life change and the chaos of a crazy world takes daily commitment and remembering. So here we are - showing up and making the space for that intention, together. (Make sure to check out the other posts in the series for context and depth: announcement post & week 1.
Guided by the weather, this week was a little all over the place.
The weather went from the breaking record hot - I left my flameless candles in the car and they melted to my dashboard kind of hot - to rainy and cloudy and grey again. The sunshine is so enticing, drawing me in like a moth to a flame. Yet, after a few days of fiery energy (in every sense possible), I’m finding the rainy clouds are just as nourishing when I let them be.
My schedule has been packed and scattered and chaotic and I’m reminding myself that ease, grounding and presence is always at my finger tips, if I allow myself to make space for it.
So, I did…
HOW I MADE SPACE
🫖🕯️
—> LESSONS LEARNED
Control. The never ending lesson I am learning right now - more specifically, the releasing of it.
Simply put - all we can control is our intentional actions. And I specifically say intentional actions, because many of our actions are automatic reactions.
Responses from conditioning or trauma or past patterns that we do unconsciously, or without being able to control them. When we are able to slow ourselves down, pause, and, from that place, respond with integrity - then we can control our responses. When we are present. When we know who we are. When we know how we want to show up and impact the world.
I’m learning more and more how important it is to align our actions with our intentions. To not only talk the talk but walk the walk, as they say. And, how important it is for me to surround myself with others who do the same.
Who show up with intention and integrity. Who align their actions with their intentions and build a life based on their values.
Who live heart-led, present, grounded, intentionally.
We do that by choosing. By choosing to be intentional. By choosing to take responsibility for who we are. To know our values and take the time and energy pouring our attention into walking the walk.
**And yessss… that’s what we do and connect with at our ceremonies - we learn who we are, what our values are, and how to live connected to them.
—> CHALLENGES NAVIGATED
Sometimes, you are just going to be the villain in someone else’s story.
Again, coming back to this theme of releasing control…
You can not control how people perceive you. You can not control how people will respond to you. You can not control how people will show up for you, speak to you, speak about you… you can not control other people, full stop.
This week I’ve had to get strict with myself - to put my blinders on. To focus on the people around me who support me and who I want to support. They’re there in abundance. I don’t need to waste any time or energy convincing someone else to be my BFF when they’ve decided I’m someone who I’m not.
So I’m putting my blinders on from anything or anyone draining or depleting me.
This does not mean to be naive or by-pass what’s happening in the world or in your life - it means to be intentional with how you are impacted by the world and how you are intaking the world.
—> (SELF)APPRECIATION
I’m proud of myself for trusting myself. For having my own back. For not abandoning myself and my path when I feel judged, scared, unsure. For continuing forward. For showing up even when I don’t always want to. And for showing up with presence and heart.
I’m just proud of myself for doing my best and choosing to show up in my life even with the things that used to keep me paralysed, turning against myself, running to hide.
—> GRATITUDE FELT
The peak of this week was Wednesday’s Summer Solstice and Cancer New Moon Ceremony that I held with my dear friend
We named it Entry to an Abundant Summer and wow did that prove to be the perfect title. The whole theme was on abundance and nourishment, what that means to you, how to connect to that, and how to disconnect from what blocks us from leaning into this energy fully.
I share more of my reflections below, but I left that ceremony feeling so abundant, so nourished, so grateful. This was the first time Hollis and I met in real life, after connecting online, and it honestly couldn’t have felt more natural. I’m so grateful for relationships that feel supportive, nourishing, reciprocal and intentional.
I actually believe that is one reason our collaboration was so seamlessly special - we both have decided to live a life of intentional words met by intentional actions.
Speaking of, I also want to give a shoutout to my dear friend Renee who came to the event and was a guest on last weeks podcast. I am SO grateful for this friendship and it was truly just a joy having this conversation together. Highly recommend this one - you can listen on spotify, apple, or watch it on youtube…
—> LOCAL HIGHLIGHT
The event was held at a beautiful space in Gardner New York called Crescent. The studio space was overlooking the mountains to the front, the garden in the back and nestled in nature. Watching the sunset there, with the crickets chirping and fireflies dancing, was the perfect ending to the ceremony. Jenny, the owner of Crescent, hosts and holds wonderful offerings in this community space which can all be found on the website!
—> RITUAL
This past Friday, I wrote about creating your Summertime Success List. This will help you gain clarity on how to prioritise and pursue your most abundant and nourished summer, without holding yourself back. Grab your journal, pen, and some tea and allow yourself to make space for this ritual.
—> INTENTIONS DECLARED
Through my reflections at the ceremony I discovered that to me -
nourishment means safety and abundance means freedom.
There is always abundance around us, always. Specifically, an abundance of blessings. We can only tap into it and actually feel the positive impact of that abundance if we feel nourished.
We can only nourish ourselves if we know what it is we actually need to be nourished. If we know ourselves, if we follow our intuition, if we connect to the present moment. Then, when we are tapped into that intuitively led nourishment, the well of abundance around us automatically floods in.
Not when we are living on autopilot, engaging in behaviours, relationships, mindsets, that strip us from who we truly are.
Which leads me to my intention…
I trust myself and my intuition with unapologetic confidence and heart led courage.
Intentional Action -
To do one thing with confidence and courage that either brings me joy, moves me towards my goals, or brings me out of my comfort zone - everyday (this upcoming week, yes, but I also set this intention for the rest of the summer).
What’s your intention for the week?
—> & poems podcasts prompts plants stories songs statements people places ponderings - pieces of life - … that grounded me this week
I had this song on repeat. It really got me through the week when I needed a mood booster.
Finished this whole book in less than a week. Each sentence was like reading a spell.
This quote shared by my Priestess Teacher
in our summer solstice ceremony last week - “when we dim our light, we are taking away light from the world” …the world needs more light.This bug repellent incense I found that has single handedly protected my sanity this week. (it’s also $13.99 which are my numbers so…)
And this post shared with me that had me saying, yes:
Can’t wait to reflect and make space together next week.
See you then xx,
Rachel