Any minute now the knobby buds on the dogwood tree outside my window will explode in an ecstasy of white blossoms. Spring is unfurling herself with complete abandon in my part of the world. I’m in a puddle of gratitude.
It’s a Spring like no other and in so many ways. We’re emerging from a hibernation of not just a season but an entire year. The life we’re stepping back into is forever changed and so are we.
Maybe you’re in a fever of creativity and ready to burst forth with all you’ve been gestating during this collective underworld cycle we’ve been through. I’m inspired to see dharma sisters who have already composted the experiences of the last year into fertilizer, resulting in miracle grow gardens full of colorful offerings. Wow!
And perhaps you’re in a later bloom cycle and just beginning to poke your head out. You might be wary of too much too soon and see the wisdom in allowing the ground to warm up for a bit as you strengthen your roots and get your bearings in this new reality.
For many of us, it might be a more of a mix. Some days feel fresh, hopeful, and expansive. Others call us inward to tend to the on-going process of metabolizing all that we’ve been through and continue to confront in our rapidly changing world.
It’s been a wringer of a year since before last April. There’s much to feel optimistic about and plenty that we’ll continue to turn over for a long while to come.
So this is your Shakti Coach reaching out to remind you to be gentle with you, beautiful sister. Tend to what’s happening in your own unique garden without comparing it to anyone else’s.
Because after all, you might be getting more or less sunlight on yours, your soil might be in need of amendments, or perhaps your weeds are less prevalent because you spent the past year pulling them up by the roots.
However, the close-to-the-ground succulents are every bit as beautiful as the more showy, towering dahlias. And I’m quite sure they don’t compare themselves to the other and judge themselves as lacking.
I wanted to offer some inquiry questions I’m using with my coaching clients to hopefully support you in your process of emerging into this new season.
To jumpstart your own responses, I’m also offering you a view into some of my answers in italics.
We’ve had to let go of so much; what do you truly want to pick up again?
Saying “yes” only to the invitations that truly light me up, feel inspiring and align with my values of love, connection, contribution and sensuality. Trusting pleasure to be my guide.
Who or what are you choosing to leave behind?
My habit of listening to my inner saboteurs and merging with them, not distinguishing them as such and in so doing, abandoning my true power.
Who were you when you went into the cocoon last Spring?
Someone (still!) being unconsciously driven by a narrative of never-good-enough and thinking if I worked harder, achieved more, I could fix that and be happy.
What happened in your disintegration and re-creation process?
When the rushing stopped, when the calendar cleared and the external demands on my time shifted, when my heart broke open over our collective situation, I was left to confront myself, empty and raw. There, the harsh voice of my internal judge could no longer hide behind the busyness. Then the reckoning: seeing that the problem wasn’t out there but in here. I got to the messy work of dealing with the root of it.
In what form are you now emerging?
Sensual Wise Woman. More compassionate with myself, rooted and faithful. Humbled. Significantly upgraded in my intuitive and psychic abilities. Able to rest more deeply than ever in the ecstatic wellspring of my own Shakti. Becoming more capable of distinguishing the voice of my saboteurs and aligning instead with my internal sage.*
May this changing season also serve to nourish your sensual wise woman self. Because I know you are Her as well. We need many, many more of us speaking up, claiming our power, leading with heart. It is our season. I’m so grateful to be on the journey with you.
Curious about entering into the alchemical greenhouse of working with me personally as your Shakti Coach? Schedule an exploratory session with me and let’s talk about possibilities.
Eager to learn more about the “Shakti Woman Way” so you can live with more pleasure, love and authentic feminine power? Join our Shakti Oasis sisterhood.
Blessings on all that is emerging in you, as you.
With so much love,
Lisa Schrader
* For more about the saboteur and the sage, see the work of Shirzad Chamine on Positive Intelligence.
Photo credit: Hasan Almasi
