Simplicity

Cultivating simplicity has been a significant focus for me this past year as I transitioned out of one of the most challenging and distressing times of my life, an experience I had never expected or imagined, an experience which very nearly broke me - my son’s first 3 years of school.

It was like being in a constant dumping of tossing and churning waves. Never knowing when there might be a moment to catch my breath or how big the waves would get. Disorienting. Overpowering. Forceful. Relentless. Brutal. Fortunately, I came armed with a toolkit of invaluable practices - all put through the test as I navigated a space of complexity and survived an ordeal likened to running a gauntlet. It was in that space that I came to understand the value of simplicity as the antidote for complexity.

Those years were an initiation for my little family. Through the deep healing I’ve had to do personally, I now carry the lived experiences and what I needed to learn with a lightness of heart, a source of wisdom and inner power. A reminder of the deep well of unshakable strength, courage and determination that live in me (and my family). There is a lioness that made a home in my heart. I look back on that time now and know that every moment of advocacy for my son was worth it.

This is the work of alchemising our stories of struggle and hardship into mythic tales that shape us into fuller expressions of ourselves. These are the experiences, the ‘dark nights of the soul’ that reveal to us hidden aspects of ourselves that need a voice - to be seen and lived, integrated into our wholeness. Here, at the very heart of our humanness, we connect with the luminous Self. These lived experiences are the opportunity to use our tools in real-time, not just in our practice of solitude. Daily life is our spiritual teacher, and in these times of discord and disruption we are being called to step from apprentice to master. We are being called to truly show our commitment.

Someone asked me recently, “What does simplicity look like for you?”

Among other things, it’s meant:

Creating more space in my life to just BE

Prioritising my family instead of always offering my assistance to others.

Not compromising on my intuition. Ever.

Deepening my practice, not searching for new ones.

Clearing the clutter, giving away my treasures to the people I love so that they can enjoy them.

Being discerning about who I share my time with and how I use my energy - and only saying YES when it really aligns.

Being truly committed to working in partnership with my business as a living being - allowing things to unfold and evolve, and enjoying the process. Not measuring myself against others.

Being gentle.

Surrendering to the mystery, and softening a little more in the places I needed to…

Talking (even more) to plants, stones, birds, bees…

So many things.

I think in this pretty intense time in our human story, we could all use a little more simplicity. How can you create more simplicity in your life?