Children who feel unloved and unprotected are like a half-filled cup. They become incapable of ‘filling up’ because they have come to believe they are unworthy of love. They try to please others, give to others, and care for others in a desperate hope that they may make themselves worthy.
~ Beverly Engel
Hello, Lovelies!
This Quarter I am using The Light Seer’s Tarot by Chris-Anne for my weekly oracle readings.
Our card to guide us for the week ahead is ACE OF CUPS. It’s a week for emotional healing, for filling yourself up, for self-nurture and, dare I say it, for emotional luxury – giving yourself opportunities to nourish your heart, and to indulge and delight your senses.
This week ACE OF CUPS encourages you to look after your own needs, to put your oxygen mask on before you help others, and to luxuriate in the things that make your heart sing. In fact, you may already be taking steps to do that this month.
A friend of mine has finally taken time out from her crazy over-giving-to-everyone-else-but-herself life to focus on her health. She’s run herself ragged over the past few years, and her poor body is breaking down to a point that she can no longer ignore it, so she’s taking three months off to rest, consult with some practitioners, and get some new strategies in place to turn her situation around.
Another friend has recently quit a long-term social group where she has been the President for over fifteen years, so that she can spend weekends working on her art.
A mutual friend shocked me when she said of these two women, “It’s a bit self-indulgent, don’t you think?”
Excuse me?
Since when has it been okay to forgo your own health, emotional well-being and dreams, forever putting your needs on the back burner while you collapse in a heap from being there for everyone else?
But if we keep drawing on our own energy to support others without ever filling ourselves back up, eventually we end up empty. We lose ourselves. We look in the mirror and don’t know who we are any more. We become little more than machines.
When we don’t make time for ourselves the end result will never be pretty. We burn out, we break down, we stop maintaining the habits and relationships that contributed to our wellbeing, and we often end up walking away from things that were actually good for us or that we were once passionate about. I see this so often that I call it ‘burned out practitioner syndrome’ – people who worked at what they loved so unsustainably that they came to resent their work/art/relationships and became totally disconnected from their passion and purpose.
Self care isn’t selfish. Self care is the single most important gift you can give to yourself and the relationships around you. So, do that this week. You’ll be glad you did.
This is also a great week for seeking any form of emotional healing, counselling or therapy.
My Top Tip For The Week Ahead: Identify the activities that give you PLEASURE and do them. Luxuriate in things that delight your senses. Wear your best perfume, have a long soak in the tub, get a massage, immerse yourself in your craft, have great sex, lie in bed between clean sheets with a wonderful book, a drink and some fine chocolate. Be mindful of your body, and your senses will come alive.
Stuck with creating a satisfying life for yourself or understanding your best direction forward? Maybe you need a session with me to bring some extra clarity and direction. Details here
Crystals to support you this week – Fluorite, Garnet, Ruby in Zoisite, Rhodonite, Red Jasper, Pink Opal
This week at the treehouse, Ben and I have committed to some little day trips and small adventures to get to know our local area better, on the days where I’m not seeing clients. On the agenda? A picnic lunch, some time at a local art gallery, and a meeting with craftspeople who are going to restore and reupholster our vintage dining chairs.
I’m still motoring away on the novel I started for NaNoWriMo last year with quiet writing time each morning. I’m at 90 000 words now, and another 20 000 should see the whole thing wrapped up – well, the first draft anyway.
I’m also spending a lot of time resting, stretching and pottering around in my writing room and packing room, sorting out files, unpacking crystals and oracle cards, and rediscovering wonderful ideas and resources that have been sitting in boxes for the past few years.
This going slow life is suiting me well!
Need help with getting direction and inspiration for yourself? I’ll remind you about my ETSY Sale, where my Journeymaker’s Planner 2022 (Digital and Hard Copy) are massively reduced in price to get these last copies out the door. The Planner can really help you to connect with your intuition, to practice self-care, and to help you put your goals and dreams at the centre of your life. I also have 40% off my heavenly organic Ylang-Ylang oil, which is terrific for helping manage stress and anxiety, as well as enhancing creativity, optimism, and a sense of possibility. Seriously, it’s an oil everyone needs in their self-care toolkit right now. You can diffuse it, add a few drops to your bath or onto your pillow, or apply it like perfume direct to your skin. It’s a little piece of sunshine when you’re stuck somewhere gloomy.
You can access the sale here: Nicole’s ETSY Sale
Now, I’m off to get ready for a walk and some time sitting with the big trees at the bottom of our garden. We have a lot of catching up to do, those trees and me.
Love, and my wishes that you make this a delicious week – whatever that means for you, Nicole xx
Seems I’m on track with the energies of the week. I decided I needed to find a new therapist and I start on Monday. Need to take care of myself.