How does one move something from theory to reality?
How does one take an idea and turn it into form?
How does one not only “think” about change but live into change?
How does one take intellectual knowledge heard in sermons, podcasts, books, etc —
and move beyond mere conversations of these “great thoughts” into REAL, tangible action?
While the world blusters about popular culture and success,
how does one honor their INTERIOR knowing and ACT on personal gnosis?
These two words have the opportunity to cause good change for our lives:
CARE and CREATE
Do you ever catch yourself or someone else saying, “I don’t care.”
As in, what’s your preference? “I don’t care.”
We need to care. Caring begins with ourselves. We need to care for how we treat our bodies. We need to tend our spaces with beauty and color. We need to care about rest — not sipping it every once in a while, rather, soaking in weekly abundance (remember that good old Sabbath we’ve been gifted?). We need to care about the food we choose to consume. We need to care about where and how we spend our time. We need to care about what we adorn our bodies with – not for other’s gaze – rather, to allow our exterior to be an expression of our internal reality.
As I study the feminine principle and ponder interactions I’ve had with women, it seems that caring for ourselves has been labeled “selfishness.” Selfish? Really? Caring deeply for ourselves and the choices we make each day isn’t selfish. This is soul-care. This soul-care causes change. How? Soul-care allows us to bathe in Divine love for the imperfections we carry, the oddities we hold and the beauty we hope to convey. Soul-care gives us an opportunity to deem ourselves worthy of love. To claim ourselves equal to others. We are not less than. Or greater than. Soul-care gives us space to receive Sacred Love as we are.
Now, enter in the word: “CREATE”. When we see the care that we bestow upon ourselves as a time of CREATION, we are activating something at the deepest level within us. Deep within our bones, there is memory of creating — a link to other cultures, to our ancestors, to the symbols that speak to us personally. We hold marks and lines that are as unique as our fingerprints. Creating is not for “some.” Creating is a human right. An innate quality each of us has. We create all the time, we just may not call it that. When we add INTENTION to our creating — well, it leads to something truly potent — an awakening of conscious living. As we nurture our spaces with love, as we choose our outfits with intention, as we make meals with nutritious ingredients — all this leads to higher levels of consciousness. When we pick up a paintbrush and flow line with question and intention, a vision arises from the depths — an artifact created from our own hands — we cannot deny the work we’ve done, the story we hold. We are here. We are conscious. When we are conscious, we ask questions of humanity, of the living, of Mother Earth… we lean toward love with a capital ‘L’ and share the abundance.
Slowly, slowly, when we ask and reflect upon ourselves, we make new choices and carve fresh pathways. Slowly, slowly, as we care for ourselves, we begin to notice what really lights us up and have more breadth to share from our passion center. Slowly, slowly, as we place boundaries and show up to the act of creating, our feet become more grounded and our wings are free to fly. We are no longer victims of selfishness, rather we are connectors of care & creation.
Today, you are invited to ask:
How am I at cause for my SOUL-CARE today?
What am I CREATING today?
As a conscious creator, I do feel change is slow. As I grow into this way of living — consciously creating with tiny rituals through the day, there are times when I’m disheartened by the choices I make. I don’t consider myself an expert by any stretch. However, more and more, I show up to a time of creating early in the morning which begins my day with soul-care. Choosing color in my space and outfits is easy — yet, these days, I’m asking about the source of my clothes and often buy gently used clothing because of the insane amount of clothes already created. I ask — do we really need brand new all the time? I ebb and flow through food choices — at times, conscious about veggies and their whereabouts and other times, a dive into junk food. Our food sources need to be looked at – the farm-raising of fish and the meat industry — what we ingest deserves some rumination. The work of conscious living is vast and spreads through earth, ocean, animal, plant, culture, race, gender, systems. There is much work to be done. I must be gentle with myself. Slowly, slowly, I make slight changes. Consistently, I show up and say “Yes” to Soul Care — to welcome Divine Love and imagine God beside me saying, “I love you. I desire all things good for you. All things good. Will you choose the good while consciously knowing I dwell in your heart? I desire this for you and all your brothers and sisters.”
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