Last weekend I took myself on a 2 day self retreat to the mountains to connect and ground with the changing of the seasons. This time of the year calls me inward as the colors begin to fill the trees in celebration of their slow release to death. As I drew closer to my destination the sun was setting quickly and I knew I would not have cell phone service. Prepared for that, I had the directions saved. The joys of having no cell phone service meant I could completely focus on doing my inner work, connecting with the trees, mountains and rivers that surrounded me. The world slowed down if only for just those two days. The river sang melodies of the simplicity of flowing effortless. The trees wavered in the wind gently releasing the leaves that were ready to drop, trusting the wind would take them where they needed to go. The fire burned longer as I sat with it into the night revealing the glory of the stars. I even had two cats that kept me company during my time. So much wisdom lies in the simple things when we can tune into the beauty.
What was shown to me as I ventured into town the next day without access to my GPS was how much I have been relying on an external source of guidance to show me where I needed to go. I had no idea where I was or how to get to where I needed to go for gas and water. I asked for guidance from my inner knowing and my guides only to end up exactly where I needed to be. This sounds like a simple lesson, but it was a powerful one for me. You see, not too long ago I had been through so much unhealed trauma that I couldn’t trust myself let alone my intuition. Just the other day I caught myself saying, “I can’t trust myself with ….” Far too long had I been trusting on my instincts for survival mode that I became totally dependent on using external sources as my guide, a GPS for instance. For some it may be books, courses, the news, or whatever we turn to to help us understand what’s going on in the world or make better sense of what’s going on inside of us. What if we simply went within and connected with the nature around us and asked ourselves what we wisdom we need to get where we need to be? Please hear me when I say I am not against outside knowledge and wisdom. There are tremendous resources at our fingertips to assist us on our journey. What I am saying is that the greatest source is within us when we tap into it.
Moving from our primal instincts for survival to trusting our intuition on the deepest level has much to teach us as well. This can be a taunting task for anyone who has experienced trauma because we instinctually “learn” through trauma that we cannot trust ourselves. We go through the cycles of self-hate and shame because of the experience only to keep us in the loop. It is only when we come to a place of self-love and compassion to observe the pain/fear/anger/sadness/grief can we move into trusting ourselves again. There is no comparison when you can check in with yourself and know that you know where you need to be, what you need to do and how you need to do it instead of relying on an outside source to tell you. It is empowerment on the highest level to embody yourself with your own inner knowing no matter what everyone is doing.
Join me Oct. 21st @ 7:30pm via Zoom as we delve into how to strengthen your intuition. Learn practical tools to connect within, to love and trust yourself on a deeper level followed by a guided visualization. Click on the RSVP below to receive the Zoom link via email. This is a FREE event, donations are greatly appreciated via Venmo (@shawnmcs) or Paypal (@shawnmcstravick).