First let's redefine medicine. According to Native American wisdom medicine is anything that connects you to the Creator/Great Mystery/Divine/God (whatever term resonates for you), and all of life. It also includes anything that connects you to your light and promotes the healing of body, soul, and spirit, not only for you but for all your relations. So for me, the idea of moving to New Mexico, from Ireland, when I was thirty-six years old was medicine.
This week marks the ten year anniversary of my move to the high desert of New Mexico. A place I now call home. I chose this time of year because of Easter. A time for resurrecting dreams, hopes, and rising into the new life that our souls' sense is possible for us. Large doses of medicine are usually required, on a daily basis, to help us gather the courage and confidence to make the transitions we yearn for. What feeds your most authentic self? What connects you to Spirit? Walking in nature, gardening, meditation, cooking, yoga, sharing a laugh with a friend, watching your child dance? The invitation this Easter is to get to know what your medicine is, take it, and then share your truest self with those around you.
It took me nearly ten years to complete Third Time Lucky: A Creative Recovery. Often times I felt like giving up. I am glad I didn't. Regularly connecting with my medicine helped to turn down the volume of my inner critic that told me I was wasting my time, not good enough, no one would care, etc etc….the list was endless! What part of you is yearning to come alive? What stops you? Getting to know your obstacles is crucial - once you know them, you can use your medicine as an antidote, and become bigger than them.
We all have a story, and we all have medicine to share. Often we need encouragement and help in discovering what it is. I believe the journey of connecting with our medicine helps break our hearts open even wider, to discover the light and the beauty that is already inside us, longing for us to notice and to connect with something bigger.
Be bold, be beautiful, be YOU!
One Love,
Pasha
I am grateful to you for sharing your struggles with perfectionism in completing your wonderful book Pasha. So often we see a finished work of art (like your book) and don't stop to think about the long gestation and labor period that went into producing it. So many times on the road of creativity it is tempting to give up, but knowing that others like you struggled with the same feelings, and persevered gives me encouragment and hope for my own creative endeavours. Marie x
ReplyDeleteThanks Marie - I found that creating "alive" lines, instead of "dead" lines was a huge help - when things don't go the way we think we are supposed to we can often get discouraged. Things seldom went the way I thought they should! Breathe some LOVE into it - you are amazing! px
DeleteThis is such a great post! Many thanks to Marie for pointing me to your blog. I love the idea of the Native Americans'version of medicine, which is so much more powerful than Western medicine that we swallow or inject. I've recently taken up yoga in an effort to calm my troubled mind post-cancer, and I'm very much enjoying the spiritual side of exercise. I will think of you as I set my intention in my practice today.
ReplyDeleteOh I am so glad! Yoga was and is still is a huge part of my creative recovery.
DeleteNamaste Sister px