personal growth

The Art of Blissful Breaks. Gidget Needs No Reminder.

Posted by Barbara Techel
The Art of Blissful Breaks. Gidget Needs No Reminder.
Blissful Gidget

After a meeting via a video call with a friend/colleague discussing a potential collaboration on a future workshop, it was time to take a break.

In the past I’ve driven myself to the point of burning out a few times. It’s not a place I wish to find myself again. While I still have tendencies to push myself, I’m much more aware, and realize it sooner rather than later more often than not.

I remind myself that not everything needs to be done in one day…that pausing and moving away from the computer will benefit my work when I return to it again. See? I too am truly a work in progress and continue to practice what it is that I guide and empower other women to do…and the importance of pausing, listening and capturing what matters.

What matters isn’t only in the big things of life. But it’s in the small things too. It’s recognizing that time away from the computer screen is vital to my well-being. While I’m not a fan of the word balance, I often gravitate to the word flow. For me, it feels in alignment with following the flow of your souls wishes for the big things, and for the small.

I enjoyed myself immensely in my discussion with my friend/colleague this morning, but also recognized it was time to move away to something that didn’t require so much of my mental energy.

With the sun shining I decided to work on the high-top table on my deck. I gathered together my bullet journal, some pens, gelatos (not the Italian ice cream – though that would have been yummy (!) – but rather a creamy crayon for creative projects), scissors, glue, and an image of an owl. It was time to create my calendar for July. 

A few months ago I set the intention to have more creative outlets that take me away from the screen of my computer. I remember hearing someone via a podcast talk about how she has a separate digital desk and analog desk. I liked that idea! So after a writing session or other work tasks I’ve completed, I’ll sometimes turn my chair around now and work on an art journal page, or as in today’s case, create my July spread for my bullet journal.

As I got lost in cutting out the owl for July, which by the way is the animal that swoops in as my ally for the month from a reading I had done in January, I glanced down to notice Gidget lying peacefully next to me.

As I was lost in my bliss of this creative spot in my day, so was Gidget, lost in her bliss enjoying the summer breeze and the warm sun, I had a moment of lovely reflection. It’s something that has been coming up for me often the last few weeks and how sweet this summer has been with her. Different, in a beautiful way- more expanded – in many ways than summers before.

It’s in large part due to me, I know, as I worked through some deep inner work late winter/early Spring. While that inner work was painful and difficult in many ways, I’m continually reminded now of how grateful I am that I opened to doing the work that needed to be done. Gidget was so often a reflection for me, even though I couldn’t quite grasp it in the thick of the emotional downpour.

There is a new depth to our bond that may have not otherwise made itself known had I not heeded the messages I was receiving from her, or the signs all around me. So while I got lost in the bliss of creativity this afternoon, I also melted into the bliss that this one said little dog has opened in me, too.

Wishing you many blissful moments, too!

XO,

Barbara

Reflections on Feeling Stuck From Wild Woman Oracle and Betty Blue Flowers

Posted by Barbara Techel

A saying exists: a writer gets to live twice. First we live, and then we write about how we lived. Like a cow that brings up its feed and chews it again, a writer has a second chance to digest experience. The second time is in the notebook or in front of a computer screen. Often the second is the real time for a writer. It is then we get to claim our existence. ~Natalie Goldberg, Let the Whole Thundering World Come In

There is so much depth and truth in this statement Natalie shares in her new book about her recent journey with cancer and how that unfolded for her. Not only did she have to endure her experience of cancer once, but she opened herself up again to all the feelings for others to glean from it what they will. And in large part because it’s who she is as a writer.

As I woke this morning my mind immediately drifted to where I left off yesterday working on writing my newest, and third, memoir. I was feeling very stuck. Which led me to feeling frustrated. Which then led me to trying to talk myself down from the ledge of being hard on myself. I reminded myself that this is a process. I also reminded myself that I have my own process and that I must trust it. And all of this…this is part of the process of writing a book.

For me, I’m not just actively writing when I’m at the keyboard, it’s what I want to write in upcoming chapters, or the next days writing on my mind, that drifts in and out most days when I’m in the thick of a new book. It’s not always easy for me to turn it off. I’ve come to a better place in understanding now that this is how I write and thus I’m much more comfortable with how I move through my process.

But there are times I feel stuck, as I did this morning, dreading the moment I’d come to the computer screen. As I walked out my bedroom patio door to my writing cottage, across the deck, it was the flowers in the window planter, called “Betty Blue” that caught my eye.

I reflected on how when the weather is not to their liking, they close, and I’m not able to enjoy their soft blue color I love so much. Instead they look brown and almost as if they are dying. I realized then they just go inward for a time being, conserving their energy, to appear again another day. While they may appear to being doing nothing, it’s truly not the case. They are alive and well within their own process.

So what do I need this morning, I thought, that will guide me along in my process? Normally I meditate first. Then I sit down at the table behind my writing desk, overlooking the gully full of luscious greenery this time of year, ponder a question I’d like Spirit to help me with, write it down, and then pick an oracle card or two to see what insight they have to offer, along with trusting my intuition to guide me, also.

Instead, today I felt called to ponder my question first, write it down, tuck it in my mind as I meditated, and then pull an oracle card from The Mystical Shaman Oracle deck (my new favorite that I can’t seem to get enough of!) and write my insight in my journal.

While the flowers and their reflection had encouraged me to go inward, the first place my eye landed when I picked the Wild Woman card, was her heart. My eye was then drawn to the tree coming out the top of her head.

I wrote: Stay connected to your true nature which is at the heart of who you are.

I felt that vibrate throughout my body as truth. I’d felt stuck because I had fear around what I wanted to write about next – fear of judgement and my ego trying once again to protect me.

As my eye wandered up to the wild branches blooming from Wild Woman’s head I knew I wanted more than anything to let my thoughts flow and branch out into manifestation without fear of how they will land.

Then reading what the booklet had to offer, I smiled as what resonated for me is this: “Your authentic self does not fit in a box. Our light gets dimmed by the restrictions placed upon us as a society. Wild Woman reminds us to shine brightly regardless of perceived outcomes.”

I thought back to Natalie’s quote and how true it is that not only do writers live their experience as our own, but then we subject ourselves to opening and sharing with others, which means what we write may not always be what others agree with. But what we feel called to do, not only as a big part of who we are, but as a way in which we do get this opportunity to move through the experiences of our own lives again, thus gaining even more clarity and understanding of who we truly are.

Spending this time in honoring what was calling to me and time in reflection, I found my way to where I’d left off yesterday, and ended up with words flowing effortlessly from the end of my fingers, and grateful for a keyboard to capture them as fast as they were coming.

XO,

Barbara

Are you feeling stuck in an area of your life? Book a private intuitive oracle guidance session with me here.  I’d be honored to be your guide.

Opening New Channels of Awareness through Art Journaling

Posted by Barbara Techel
Opening New Channels of Awareness through Art Journaling
My first art journal page

My friend and fellow blogger, Lori, with her great post on Finding a New Creative Outlet and Finding Your Passion After 50 reminded me I wanted to share my new creative adventure with you.

While I believe what Lori shared in that trying something creative may help guide us to our passion, I also believe creativity opens channels of awareness and can bring about a new perspective we’d not have considered. If that leads to a purpose, that is wonderful. But if it also helps us to pause and learn more about ourselves for the sake of gaining strength in who we are, or wish to be, then how cool is this?

I really can’t explain it, but about two months ago I felt this calling to play with art journaling. It began when I came across something called blackout poetry.

I love words and the first time I tried blackout poetry I was surprised what came from it. It definitely was a way in which to put words and sentences together I’d not thought to do. I also believe what I wrote was speaking to a part of myself that had insight to offer. This is when the idea of art journaling entered the picture as I wanted to combine what I’d written through blackout poetry with collage, which led to opening to the idea of art journaling.

I also like the idea of art journaling, because it oftentimes combines collage with other mixed media such as paint, paper, stencils, you name it, it can be put on an art journal page. I enjoy putting different images together, which often speak to the subconscious parts of myself. This is something I stumbled upon during a time of seeking and then felt called to become trained in a process called SoulCollage® in 2014. Collaging on 5 x 8 cards, my SoulCollage® cards have definitely helped me along my life’s path, often serving as an insightful guide as I’ve worked through different transitional times in my life. My love of using oracle cards as a self-discovery tool, no doubt plays a part in this also.

So many of us sense life in a visual way and art journaling, SoulCollage®, oracle cards, etc. can guide us to see our stories in motion and how it is playing out, and how we can best move forward when we are feeling challenged or stuck. And it helps to strengthen our intuition muscle.

Combining my love of all of this and writing too, well, art journaling feels like a natural fit for me right now. It’s helping me step out of my comfort zone in working with paints, inks, etc. When I made this first page I’m sharing with you today, it was two hours later, and a half hour past Gidget’s dinner time, that I hadn’t even realized how much time had gone by. I was in another world and my soul was full of abundance! And luckily, Gidget forgave me for her late supper.  🙂

The quote that came through the blackout poetry I wrote is meaningful for me as it speaks of letting Spirit do its work through me, but in partnership with, so that I may remember the importance of inner work as necessary to free my heart when I feel fear or overwhelmed, and expressing it, whether through my writing or some other creative outlet such as art journaling.

Do you do art journaling? If so, I’d love to hear about resources that have inspired you, or if you wish to share a page from your art journal, I’d love to see it. I’ve been addicted to watching videos on others doing the process of art journaling also – so meditative!

Here’s to creativity for opening us in beautiful ways,

XO

Barbara