As I laced up my shoes each week of the 5K trainning, I continually cleaned away the ashes (ie. the trainning walks I did the week before, the "I don't wanna" thoughts) while adding more fuel (noticing all the little changes in my body, imaging how proud of myself I'd be in completeing the 5K) to help me keep moving toward my goal.  I also gave myself little rewards each time I hit a milestone...a bouquet of flowers for the first time I reached 1.5 miles, a pair of Shwings when I hit 2.5 miles. 

 I also started to share more publicly with people who I knew would be supportive and then eventually on Instagram and Facebook....not necessarily for accountability but because I was proud of how far I had come on my own and I was ready to be seen (illumination...another teaching of fire)
All of these things were pratical, grounded actions I took to direct the fires of my creation 

As you work with your dreams and goals, ask Fire's assistance in maintaing your momentum.  Do you need to add more fuel by taking a pratical action step or maybe giving yourself a little treat to celebrate where you're at right now or how about something to help you push through to the next level?

I'll be here cheering for you!
Love,
Dionne

P.S.  If you'd like extra elemental support to clear or direct the elemental realms around a specific goal your working towards, I'd be happy to help you with a Elemental Forces of Creation Oracle Card Reading 

When I grow up I want to be a famous singer, she said as she practiced her part for competition. 
"That's a nice dream but you really need to know how to write songs and play an instrument because singers are a dime a dozen.  You'd be better off if having something to fall back on."

I trusted what my mom was saying. She wanted me to be safe and cared for. 
But in her words I also heard what my inner critics were secretly telling me in whispers 
just below the surface (you don't have what it takes...you're not good enough...you'll never make it...) 
 
I stopped singing and the search for something to fall back on began. 
That search would last for years.

As I put together all the pieces and lessons I've learned over all this time I hear those 
words again from well meaning inner critics who take me all the way back to that tender hearted teenage girl who shared the sprout of a dream in the hopes of finding nourishment for it and for herself.
  
But this time it's different. 

This time the teenage me and her dream sprout has adult me by her side. 
This adult me knows how to take a hit, get up and keep going.  
This adult me has tools in her bag to move through those not enough voices.  
This adult me knows how to nourish her and her dream.  

I'm protecting her big dream like a mama bear protects her cubs.  
I'm being the me my teenaged self needed.
I'm being my own hero.

I begin by creating a safe cozy space within.  I invite the elements in to play with her as she tries 
new things.  She's a bit shy at first having been surrounded by fear and doubt all this time but slowly she starts to reach out and touch those fear balloons and as she does they pop showering her with the golden light of truth...you are enough...you do have what it takes...you will make it...keep going.
She softens into these flecks of light and merges with the adult me of now.  
Together we keep moving and growing into the me of the future. 
The me I am destined to be.

I invite you to have a conversation with the teenage you and her dreams.  Make her a cup of tea and talk to her what her dreams were then and what stopped her from achieving them.  Then share with her how you, the adult you, will support your dreams when things get tough.  Allow her to pop those balloons of fear and doubt and be showered with the truth...your truths.  And if you'd like support doing this work, I'm available for coaching sessions.


Live Intentionally,
Dionne

Today felt hard as I sat down to write you.  I've been in the process of deep release work also known as clearing out boxes of stuff we no longer need, want or love.  It never ceases to amuse me how these kinds of clearings ripple out into the rest of my life.  Now here I am still saying "ugh!" just when I thought I'd developed a good rhythm of writing.  My goal of sharing my stories while in the process is really taking me to task right now.  So I sit and wait, writing a few sentences here and there but nothing coherent comes out.  

I sort through some of the pictures I took earlier this summer when I went to Natural Bridge Caverns while in Texas.  It's a natural cavern extending 180 feet below the surface above and feels like a real life journey to the underworld.  While there I remember being struck by how much beauty I was able to see with the placement of a little light.

I decide to close my eyes and shine a light on my inner world allowing my fingers to move across the keyboard in a direct connection to my essence expression...the me who already knows what needs to be said today.  

I breath in and out waiting with anticipation of that me showing up

"Allow yourself to be really present in this moment." she tells me.
I feel my feet against the carpet as I scrunch my toes into it.  

Breath in and out
My fingers start to move.

"Yes," she says, "open to receive another lesson from your past self the one that was fully there.  Swish it around and let it fill you up.  You'll know what your next action needs to be."  

I go with it, surrendering to whatever is coming not daring to squint at the words for fear of loosing the is connection.  When my fingers finally slowed  and I opened my eyes a blessing was there.  


As you read these words breath in the love that surrounds you and let it help 
you to shine your light
Allow this pause to serve as a reminder that your warmth, your passion, and your kind 
of creativity is needed and valued.
May this light be a source beacon to replenish your own light and let your radiance shine
There are riches found deep within you May this light guide your way 
When things look darkest and hardship sound you may this light connect you to the you that's 
brilliant at finding a solution.
May this light remind you of the divine spark that makes you unique in all the world. 
May this light stir your blood and move you to take action to lift someone else up so that you become the beacon of replenishment for someone to keep moving on their journey.  

Now I do know what my next action needs to be, sharing it with you in with the hope that where ever this finds you it will serve as a guidepost to help you keep going.  

Live Intentionally,
Dionne

I've written about hitting the resistance wall in the past.  I believe that all resistance wants to do 
is keep us from the discomfort and potential pain that can come with change. Keeping us safe is something that years of evolution has done for us.  And compared to all the time humanity has 
lived, we've only had a handful of years in actively seeking change for it's positive effects.  Clearly 
it take a lot of effort on our part to make lasting positive change even if we know the benefits.  
Take my commitment to writing to you for example.


Since committing this change, there have been a few times that I've come up against some resistance....more times than I'd like to admit.  It usually shows up as a sort of blocked or stuck 
energy that just feels yucky.  It's where I get tripped up in "I don't know what to write".

With the help of the elements I'm finding new ways to work with this resistance instead of fighting against it.  Because when I take a deeper look at what's inside myself I can find two things; junk that needs to be cleared out and treasures to be dusted off to light up my next steps. 

The most important thing to remember is each time I go on these inner world journeys, I can choose how deep I want to go.  This time I decided to start by writing a letter to my stuck then waiting for my stuck to respond.  Doing this has felt as like having a snail conversation with a friend.  I shared what I hope and dream for my blog writing and my stuck came back with a list of things  I've said and done in the past that has stopped me from writing.

My stuck felt as though I wasn't spending enough time writing for myself.  Stuck also showed me the ways I was ignoring it's concerns for my safety which was reflected in not treating the words I share had as though they have value.  This actually surprised me because once again it was that old feeling of not being good enough spun off into this area of my life.  I discovered what a tremendous amount of pressure I had put upon myself to make a difference.  Since this 'not enough' was familiar territory I found it fairly easy to shift through the untrue stories and clear them out.  There wasn't an emotional charge to this discovery because my rhythmic connection to the elements made this inner world journey easy to navigate.

Acknowledging these concerns as valid opened me to direct the forces of creation toward what I do want which is to help people by telling good stories.

When called upon for their support, the elements have a way of unlocking deeply hidden spaces.  For the purposes of writing, I asked each of the elements what I could do to make my words feel as though I'm honoring their power.  With the cards I pulled, I made a blessing prayer that I now use prior to writing;From a place of love and peace, I now claim full ownership of the  Priestess power of words found  within me. I take personal responsibility to direct my thoughts toward what needs to be said, to illuminate the words that need to be written, and to clear the fear of how others may take my words.  May my words be from a place of love and peace for the highest good of all.

If you've found yourself stalled or just plain stuck on how to move forward with your creations, I invite you to have a conversation with your stuck.  Make it a cup of tea and share your hopes and dreams for your creation.  Allow stuck to share it's concerns and maybe ask it a few questions. Where exactly is the stuck located?  Is it on the physical, emotional, mental, action or spiritual realms?  What's holding it there?  Then call on the elements to help move the stuck.  Clear a physical space in your house with intention, do some emotional release by feeling those feelings, program your thoughts by listening to or reading something written by someone who's done something similar to what you want to do.  Get moving by putting on some music and shaking out the stuck or connect with the awesome creative power of nature.  

And remember...you are awesomely creative too!

Love~

Dionne