Étiquette : 2021 challenge

The Alchemist Grove 23. The Camp.

This week, we will take a break, step back and take care of ourselves.

I need to take breaks regularly from the whirlpool that life can be. I can take a few hours only, or full days, just being by myself, energetically reloading, and enjoying solitude. It’s a cleansing habit of mine. When I start to be overwhelmed by my emotions, or that I feel I lose touch with what truly matters to me, I know it’s time for me to step back. I usually can feel the first signs and just meditate for a while, listening to music or drawing. But sometimes, it gets me like a wave and I know I will need more time to come back to peace.

So I do groceries and make sure I have everything I need, I tell my friends and family I need some time for myself, so they don’t need to worry if I don’t answer my phone or messages, and I enter my bubble. I usually start with a warm shower, or even a bath in which I put lavender and Himalayan salt. I spread floral oil on my body to sooth it, and bring it comfort, I then wrap myself in the softest clothes and/or blankets I have, and make a warm tea (depending on what I feel, I can go with different herbal mixes). I put my headphones on and cut myself from the outer world. The time has come to ground myself. I can meditate, or craft, write, draw, paint, do whatever I feel like, and what I feel drawn to listen. It’s not a time to attract anything. It a time to put some order within, and to anchor ourselves.

I can oversleep, getting the rest I need, and stay in bed while listening to the bird songs in the morning, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin. I can go outside and spend some time on a blanket by the lake. I do whatever I feel like doing in order to relax, to harmonize myself within and out. It’s just a time out of time, when I can get back in touch with my soul, when I give my body what it needs to rejuvenate.

Then when I feel in peace again, I go back to my everyday routine, being in tune again with my true self. I also make sure I got some ‘capsules’ ready in case I need them. This are small things I can do in minutes or really short amount of time to relax. It can be a specific meditation, a breathing practice, a drawing project, a creative activity… I gather all I need (playlist, audio guidance, material) and put it in a specific box at home. When I need to relax but don’t have a lot of time to do so, I just go and pick something from the box and enjoy. The fact that I took care of my future self care is also really efficient to get into the activity and to relax.

So this week, take time to rest, and build yourself some self care capsules. If you want to, I can give you ideas and examples. But do it, because you deserve it.

The card

If I had a garden, this is what you would find in it hahaha. When I meditate to relax, this is the kind of thing I would visualize and interact with. I wanted it to feel as aerial as I could draw it, as nothing is heavy during our retreat. I wanted it to be open, as we release all the stress we have accumulated. I wanted it to be comfortable because.. well, it’s the whole point! And colorful because colors are life. I wanted it to be lit by several candles, for their soft light is what we need.. Dealing with multiple light sources wasn’t that easy, and I am pretty happy with what I did at this point of my digital painting journey. And yes, even if we rest and relax, we are still protected by Life’s magic… i hope you like it as much as I do!

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a sweet and resting week.

The Alchemist Grove 22. The Path.

This week, we will focus on letting go, on following the flow, on trusting the process.

Sometimes, we need to stop trying to figure things out. We just have to trust in the process, be aware of synchronicities and go with the flow.

When I feel stuck in an area of my life, I don’t get frustrated anymore, as I used to. I just let go and open my eyes and mind to little things that can show me the way I need to take to regain confidence, joy and serenity. I still go on what I am doing, but I am not linked to it emotionally anymore. I am focused on clues to get out of this feeling. And usually, it is unexpectedly really effective. See, I wasn’t feeling good in my job this year. I even thought about quitting. A lot of things made me feel frustrated, and dealing with it almost lead me to burn out. As I was really considering going another way, I received some new textbooks… As I do several times a year. But this time, I opened them. And they offered me all I was missing and gave me the solution to some of my frustration. So now, I am almost (I still have to finish this year, and pfew, this one is soooo long!) eager to start anew. I found back my motivation, my mind is imagining all I could do, with an enthusiasm I thought I lost. And as I was thinking about how I could do it, my director sent me the money I still have on my class account. I have enough to buy all the textbooks and notebooks I need. And I will still have more money to do other projects… So I thought about that, and I am all excited at the thought of what I will be able to do next year. 2 months ago, I was about to quit. Today I am really motivated to explore another way of doing my job, a way that makes more sense to me, and I am sure kids will feel it and that we will all spend a good year.

I also felt I was stuck in my way of drawing… and I had the opportunity to join this online course… I even had enough money to pay for the non free part, but I was still thinking about it, was it worth it? And one day, I decided to stop worrying about it, to start the free part and to see if I liked it or not, if it was what I needed… I let go of pressure, just enjoying the process, going with the flow. And my parents, who didn’t have a clue about what I was thinking, gave me enough money to cover half the price of the course. So no more thinking, I can peacefully dive into it!

For a long time, I shielded myself from people. I had enough to deal with already, I was grieving and trying to put my pieces together. Plus I was done trying to explain myself. I am the one I am. I am proud of the one I became. I don’t need to explain myself. I just need to be … me. It took me more time to let go of my defense walls. Because they really were thick, able to face anything. And one day I woke up with this deep feeling: I am done protecting others. Because in reality, I wasn’t protecting myself, I don’t need to, but I was protecting others feelings, perceptions, sensibility. Enough. I am myself, rising from my ashes once more, shining and stronger than I ever was. Accept it, or leave me be. I let go of those restrains I put on myself. I gained back my freedom. And I trusted the journey I was taking. I began to really noticed all these little things, I opened myself to whatever came. I followed the flow, with my mind and my arms wide open. I didn’t expect to find deep connection to people, but my steps lead me to kindred souls, and I really feel I am where I am supposed to be.

I also usually keep my wounds to myself, because they are deep and heavy, and I don’t want to put them on another plate. Few are those able to handle them. I still have to heal, and have been for years. But I decided to let go too, and to share some of them.. And it allowed people to better understand where I am coming from. And it felt good.

And the loneliness due to covid and the restrictions we have here, the different lock downs and the non so logical decisions we had to put in place were starting to take a toll on me. And instead of being oppressed about it, I just let it go. It didn’t depending on me. But what depended on me was the way I was living it. So I trusted in my path. i had to live it to realize that if I was good by myself I wasn’t against having someone close in my life. And I went on with my life, following the flow. Till I realized I had someone in my life already, as we spend all our evenings together for months now. It wasn’t what I was expecting, if I expected anything, but it is exactly what I needed at that time, exactly what I was missing. And I am happy about it. I don’t know how I would have dealt with the last months without that person in my life. Trust the process, you will find what you need. Expect the unexpected. And enjoy!

So this week, let go of the perceptions that stops you from going on your path, and choose to take the cross roads if you feel like it. Just trust that you will find whatever you need whenever you need it. Because you deserve it.

The card

I am not happy with this one, and if I post this that late today, it’s because I tried to fix it a bit. I will redo it soon, I think, as soon as I find the time to do so. I wanted to express that the path were are on is ours. We can choose to follow the steps, or to rest on the rocks, or even to go on the left, to jump on the top of the hill to see what is behind, or just stopping to lie on the grass, to look at plants… there are a lot of possibilities and they are all a part of our journey.

My journey

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Our journal

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Have a good week. And if you feel something is wrong, just let it go, and be open to change. You will get exactly what you need, probably not what you thought or imagined. Enjoy!

The Alchemist Grove 21. The Standing Stone.

This week, we will hold our ground. We will stand strong and proud, guarding and protecting what needs to be. And we will let the light go through us and release it for the world to enjoy.

The time has come for us to show the world our growth. There is still so much to discover, but we are strong and firmly grounded enough to start standing by ourselves, to rise. Sometimes, we don’t need to fight against adversity. Sometimes we just need to stand still, to raise our head and to face it calmly, grounded, silently. We don’t need to go anywhere. We own this place of ours. We own this life of ours. And nothing, no one is entitled to take it from us. Our core values and beliefs make us as strong as we need to be. And we are wise enough to avoid keeping any negativity within. On the contrary, we let it go through us, releasing what needs to be released in the ground and into the world, charged with a new positive, peaceful energy, our energy.

When everything seems to be chaotic, I just stop and step aside. Chaos is often an illusion brought by contradictory energies, thoughts and actions. Looking at them from a different perspective, from a peaceful standpoint allows me to decipher what is really going on. I can then see what I can act upon and what is not my responsibility. I don’t have the time or the energy to deal with the later, but I can do something with the former. And if I am still bothered, I try to find a way to change my point f view on things. But I don’t allow anything to take over my peace. Of course, I sometimes don’t have the time to step back and then my first move is to protect myself. I am really good at building thick walls and to defend them fiercely. But I always find a way to go to a a more peaceful open state of mind, as soon as possible.

The most important lesson I had to learn was to let go of what doesn’t belong to me to be acted upon. I considered for a long time that if it came on my way, I had to deal with it. And it was both exhausting and vain. I now realize that I just have to acknowledge its existence, and let it go its on way. We both are on each other ways. We just go different directions and if we notice each other presence, we don’t have to disrupt our journeys. Some persons or situations are not our responsibility. We are all on different journeys, following different rhythms and processes. Sometimes they are just here to remind us how far we already are on our path, sometimes they are here to make us realize how much we have still to learn. So we just need to thank them and go back on our journey.

Standing firmly and strongly doesn’t mean blocking the way. We are just filtering illusions and releasing clarity into the world. By refusing to participate to the circus around us, we can use our different perspective to change it into a more peaceful energy. We are the guardian of our space, and it belongs to us to bring our specific energy to it. Each of us are part of it. We all bring our own personality, our own passions, our own energy to it. We can choose what to share and what to conceal still. It only depends on us. And we can make this choice by standing still, filtering and releasing. We are strong enough to do so.

So this week, take a moment to hold your ground, and to stand still, and release what you choose to share with the world. Because you deserve it.

The card

I first went with a simple standing stone, as I really feel something special about them, about the amount of will and vision it took for them to be erected the way they were. It really expressed the idea of a really ancient vision of life, and the grounding roots we all have if we let them be. Then in my researches I saw hollowed stones and I fell in love. They added this idea of letting go, of transformation. These stones are allowing the light to go through them while keeping the warmth in their core. What a beautiful metaphor! I then decided to go with a more open space, to contrast with the vertical position of the stone. And of course, the setting sun seemed to be the perfect time to place the whole card into. Its warm light would enhance the magic of the alchemy we practice every day. I also love the idea of contrast between the raw material of the stone, humble and strong, and the light and sparks it lets go. I hope you love it as much as I do.

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a beautiful week. Ground yourself, let go of what needs to be, and rise!

The Alchemist Grove 20. The Linked Trees

This week is all about independence, healthy relationships. We can have a strong bond with people but still be able to grow our own way.

I am not really sociable, let’s be honest. But I have very good friends, and no matter what life brings to our paths, we are connected to each others. Life can throw us int he middle of the strongest storm, and we may have to go through it by ourselves, but once we tamed it, and that we are getting out of it our lesson learned, stronger, wiser, we know who to share it with. We can go as deep as we want, no one will judge us. But they will enjoy the journey as we did, and they will bring their insight, always welcome, to ponder.

I am really independent. I need my personal space, I need my secret garden, my sacred space to grow and explore. But I can do it because I don’t feel alone at all. I have friends and my family. They all are aware of my way of being, and accept it, or learned to accept it. Because this is who I am. I always take time to share and learn from them, then I go back to my own growth, being myself. I also accept that they are following a really different path, and I enjoy seeing them being happy about their own path. There is no competition. We each respect the other, and take a real pleasure to exchange, to share our latest discoveries or enlightenment. But I also know from experience that if any of them start to judge me or try to convince me I should do things this or that way, I will raise boundaries pretty clearly and take some distance. Time will always bring us back together, but with a new respect for each other independent growth.

I really am grateful for the people I have in my life, they each are wonderful and I really love to have them in my life, as I hope they love to have me in theirs. But what makes these relationships both stronger and long lasting is the respect we have for each other’s space. I am always happy to spend time with them, but I also need my alone time. It doesn’t mean that I don’t love them anymore, I just love to have time when I can reflect, and learn, and live things I can share with them afterward. I am always there for them, they can call me whenever they need me, I’ll be there for them. In times of need, I know I can also count on them, they will be here, and give me the strength I need to face whatever requires their presence by my side.

We are part of each other’s life, but we are not each other’s life. We all have our own path to journey on, and no one can do it for us. But we can choose to be bonded to people who will give us the strength to face whatever comes, and with whom we can enjoy each step. As we will enjoy the way they live theirs. We will always take the time to get together and to share. But we will also need to journey by ourselves. The key is to find balance between the two.

So this week, find time for yourself, and share what you learned with your loved ones.

The card.

A friend of mine went for a walk and took a wonderful pic she posted online. And she agreed to have me use it as a reference for one of my cards. She also went back to trail and took more pics for me, and they sure inspired me. But these two trees just called me. The sun playing with the empty space between them, the strong tangled roots… everything. This is really the way I see my relationships. Strong intricate roots, anchoring them in the nutritive soil, giving them a strong base, and two trees launching themselves upward. They really inspired me, and I decided to give them this teal hue to add a bit of mystery. In the picture my friend took, there was this awesome effect of the sun light playing with the camera. I tries to reproduce it as much as I could. And of course, added sparks of magic ;). I hope you’ll like it too.

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a beautiful week. Because you deserve it.

The alchemist Grove 19. The Cave

Even in the darkness of the cave, we are building each other by sharing the drops of wisdom we receive from the Universe. We first can use them to grow stronger, but then we need to release the part we don’t need anymore to allow others to grow in their turn. We are building connections, and contribute to the elevation of others while benefiting of the process too. There is no place here for spotlight, for ego. We are just sharing what made us a bit stronger, wiser. We also add to this drop our own essence, sparks of our own being. We are building connections.

In order to do so, we need to realize that if we feel in the dark, if we don’t see the immediate results of our actions, somewhere, someone is receiving what we let go of, and use it as a source of growth. We don’t need the same amount or nature of nutrient, as we don’t grow the same way. Some will inspire others, some will offer others a strong base from where they all can expand and contribute to the whole.

I feel strong connection with people who really helped me to grow. I also never miss an opportunity to let go of seeds I know can grow into beautiful plants. I truly believe that someone, somewhere, will receive them and allow them to become whatever they were meant to be, and that they will both benefit from it. If I am lucky, I will hear about it, or even witness it.

And there are these deep strong connections with people who make us stronger, who give us the confidence to be who we are, who support us and seem to benefit from it too. We are interconnected, and each of us contribute to the expansion of who we are. Each drop reinforce who we both are, and solidify the union we created with time.

We are also aware of the same phenomenon taking place with others around us. There is no competition, no jealousy, we all go at our own pace, trusting that we are contributing to the collective growth and expansion.

So this week, let go of drops of what helped build yourself lately, and trust in the process. You may not see an immediate result, but trust that someone, somewhere, need it to grow too. And that somehow, someday, you will find in them the strong base you need to expand even more.

The card

I had a lot of fun drawing these stalactites and stalagmites. I wanted a really neutral palette, because it’s not about showing off who we are that matters, but being a part of something bigger. We each have a role to play, and this idea of connection was quickly associated in my mind with these columns built with time, drop by drop. To me it was the perfect illustration of letting go to letting grow. Of course, between my vision and what I was actually able to do, there was a huge gap, but I’m pretty happy with what I did. When the time came to add my sparks of magic ( seriously, is there anything more magical than connection?), I couldn’t go with my usual cloud of sparks… it had to be something stronger, something that would express the light it brings in the darkness… I hope you like it as much as I do!

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a beautiful week, let go of these drops and enjoy the process!

The Alchemist Grove 18. The forest.

This week, as we are done recognizing, exploring and integrating our senses, we will dive in our feelings, our connection.

When I have the sensation to be overwhelmed by an emotion, not even being sure it is mine, I go to places where I can be in touch with Nature. Literally. If I can, I remove my shoes (of course, I keep them in winter), and I put my bare feet and hands on the ground. I then imagine that all this excess of emotion goes from my head, my heart, to my fingers and toes, then I release them in the ground. I stay there for a while, until I feel at peace again. Then I switch to a more receiving state of mind, where I really feel like I am a part of a whole, and that I can charge myself with the peaceful confidence nature gives me in exchange of the fiery and chaotic emotions I gave it.

Most of the time, I feel overwhelmed because I didn’t took the time to let go, or to step back from a situation. For a long time, I shielding against any strong emotion, to protect myself and because I had a cause to serve that was, to me, more important than my own little emotions. I couldn’t be hurt or triggered. i had to remain strong and stable no matter what. I knew I would have to come back to a more ‘humane’ state later, but at that time, I was the protector, the rock she needed. I only let myself feel for her, she needed to feel my love, my hopes, my determination, my devotion to our cause. I know it was a lost cause though, but she deserved to have my whole self. Me and her against the whole world. And others only got the warrior in me. Strong, analytic, protective. When she was gone, it was a matter of survival for me to keep my emotions and feelings at bay, most of them anyway.

Because when I feel, I really do. I learned to deal with my emotions and their strength, but they are part of me, and I wouldn’t change that. It allows me to be open to whatever comes in my way. I can perceive intentions, possibilities, have a broader, more complete view on things. I love the way I feel. Because I learned to tame it, to aim it, to use it as an asset, and not let it take over me. I learned to distinct between what I perceive and what I project. I learned to get rid of the later. And yes, it’s often frustrating to see that people mistake their perception with their projection, trying to make what they think someone should feel match with what they know about a situation.

I learned to recognize my own emotions, and why I feel them, what triggers them. I know myself enough to be able to own my own emotions. I also know and own my story, and I accept it as a life path. So when an emotion is overwhelming, I don’t proceed the same way if it’s mine, or if it’s only a projection. I understood that we are all different and that we all see something a different way. To make sure I am not projecting my own emotions on someone’s situation, I contextualize it. I put it in perspective in what I know of the person’s life, education, way of being. No judgment here, just an attempt to understand. I don’t try to think about how I would react if I lived what the person is living. This is projection. I try to step back and to see what the person is feeling, and help her to deal with it. Or just try not to get stuck into the situation myself, let’s be honest hahaha. I can listen to what they say they feel, I can try to help, but I also, most of the time, end up with some of their emotions too, stuck in my mind. It’s the way I am, it’s in my nature. I can absorb a certain amount of negativity, but then I need to deal with it, as it is not mine.

This is when I have to act. Because if I don’t, I will end up making it mine, as it’s there, within… I need to release it, in the most positive way possible. When I feel something is overwhelming, I just take some time to ask myself: is it mine? or is it a reaction to what I heard, perceived? Can I switch it into something positive? Can I let it go easily? Or is it something that is heavier and that I need to act upon? The easiest way to deal with it is to draw, write or play music. Usually, it’s enough to let go of the negativity. But sometimes, I need to go deeper in order to find my balance back. Meditation, and contact with nature are my way of doing it…

So this week, Try to connect with your emotions and distinct them from the ones you received from others. And find your way of letting them go in order to find your inner peace back. because you deserve it.

The card

What could I choose other than the heart of a forest to illustrate feeling? I wanted it to be warm and diverse, but also peaceful and yes, a bit magical. As our emotions are. I loved to play with light on this card, and went out of my comfort zone with drawing foliage leaf by leaf on some of the trees. I also had fun with texture on the tree trunk. I decided to get a bit more serious about my digital drawing skills, and I started to take lessons to go back to basics, and expand from there.. you will probably notice it in the next cards. I really love this one, but it seems that each of them becomes my new favorite, so… but I hope you can see the peace and magic I tried to express. And yes… sparkles….

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a good and peaceful week, filled with beautiful emotions and serenity.

The Alchemist Grove 17. The rose

This week, we explore our last sense: smell. It amazes me how the simple fact of smelling a scent can bring memories back to my mind and make me feel strong emotions. The scent of a violet will always be linked to my daughter, as it was her favorite. I used to wear violet perfume after she passed, probably to feel like I kept her a bit longer with me. And when I smell my favorite meal, I remember immediately the last time I had the chance to eat it, and pleasure kicks in. What about the very specific scent of a loved one? The comfort we find in smelling or wearing one of their clothes when we are apart?

When I go to my favorite place, I close my eyes to let my other senses take over. I can hear, as I talked about last week, and I can smell. I can smell the grass, the bark of the trees, flowers too. And this very specific lake scent… and I feel good and at peace. When I try a new tea, I always spend some time to smell it too, before drinking it. And this will help me create the memory of it.

And I need to talk to you about paper and books… When I buy or get a ‘new’ book (some of them are old and second, or third, or more hand), I almost always start by smelling it. As if I recognized and welcome it in my life this way. There is something about book smell… Like an invitation to travel, to imagination, to knowledge. It’s almost magical, in my opinion. And I really love it. Or maybe it’s just paper… I love the smell of paper.

And who didn’t feel instant joy when going to bed in freshly cleaned sheets? I don’t own a dryer, so I let the sheets to dry on a rack. But when spring comes, I can schedule my laundry to have my sheets dry in fresh air at my parents’… and wow, yes, there is nothing more satisfying than putting them back on my bed and let their scent take me to my dreamland.

All these are ‘good’ scents, those that brings joy, peace, happiness, serenity. But there are others that are warnings to me too. Alcohol is one of them. My ex-husband was an alcoholic, and for years after our separation, the simple smell of the alcohol he drank took me into a highly vigilant mode. This smell meant I wasn’t safe (emotionally, he never rose his hands on me, he knew it would backfire really badly). I had to train myself to accept this smell as it is, simply: the smell of a beverage I wasn’t attracted too. But it really required more time than I though int he first place. This smell was deeply anchored as a danger in me. Garlic is an immediate repulsive to me. I just can’t stand it. My body refuses it too. So yeah, I can smell the smallest amount of garlic in a dish and I won’t be able to eat it… Oh and I am really sensitive to body odours… it’s really something I have a hard time with…

So to me, scents are really something highly linked to my emotions, to my memories, and when I feel good in a place or with someone, I really tend to associate a smell to it.

So this week, go to your favorite place, and spend time with your loved ones, and try to link them to a specific scent, one you can remember when you need to fell the comfort of that time. Because you deserve it.

The card

This card was my first attempt to draw a rose. And it took me forever, but I am really happy with the result. I loved playing with blending colors, and trying to express the delicateness of the petals, the volume of the flower. I chose unusual colors because… why not? It’s probably the one that took me the most time so far. And I am sure there is a quicker way to do, but I enjoyed the process of drawing it. I hope you like it too. Or, and yes, it had to come with its own magic too!

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a beautiful week. We know have recognized, welcome and integrated each our senses. I hope you enjoyed the journey as much as I did!

The Alchemist Grove 16: flutes

We keep exploring of our senses. This week, we focus on hearing. When I wake up in the morning, especially if I slept with open windows, I love to be awaken by the sounds of my environment… I still have my eyes closed, my body is laying there, peacefully. And I know I am home because of these familiar sounds. I am not dreaming anymore. I anchor myself in another day thanks to these sounds. Birds, people talking, the wind making my beaded curtains hit the glass softly… I can spend time just listening to this life out there. Usually, my cat feels I am awake and she comes purring… this too is a sound belonging to home.

I am really sensitive to sounds. In my job, the worst is not the pressure or the expectations from anybody or everybody who thinks I should do this that way, or do that this way… I don’t care about that. They are just dealing with their own insecurities, I know what I am doing and why I am doing it. No, the worst part is this constant noise, the unbearable level of it at recess (I measured it, it’s never lower than 85db and it can reach 125db or even more… yes, it’s dangerous for our ears… no we don’t have protections…). When I come home, I just put my headphones on. Not to listen to anything, to bath in silence. I can spend 20 to 30 minutes each evening in silence. And it feels good, so good.

Hearing is really important to me. Because it’s highly linked to my emotions. The simple sound of a loved one’s voice can bring me immediate joy or peace. I can perceive the real intent of someone just by the inflections of his or her voice. Hearing my cat purring appeases me immediately. And music… I can’t live without music. It can be tuned to each of my emotions, I can always count on it to inspire me, to calm me down, to energize me, to help me focus, or meditate, or dream. Music is a huge part of my life.

I love to play music too. During last year lock down ( strict one, from march to may), I always took the time to play music at 3pm. Not to early, not too late either. I took my flutes, and played whatever came in my mind, changing flutes when I felt like it, going from tune to tune, sometimes letting my fingers and breath play without my mind interfering… Then I came back to whatever task I was doing before my musical interlude. It felt good, and it helped me making sure my breath was ok (I had a really tough laryngitis, and couldn’t speak for a month, barely could breath without coughing for a good 2 weeks time…. so yeah, I had to make sure my breath was getting better). Thing is, I live in a building, and I have a lot of neighbors, not a lot of phonic isolation…. One day, I met one of my upper neighbors in the hall of the building. I asked her if she wasn’t annoyed by me playing everyday like that… She said that on the contrary, she made a cup of tea each day around 3pm, went to her reading room right by my side, and listened to my music, enjoying it, reading too. She said it brought her joy and peace. I never saw my direct upper neighbors, but I can smell the coffee they drink on their balcony when I start to play on week ends, on when I come back from work.

When I am in a new place, natural or man-made, I noticed that the first thing I do is to listen. As if I needed that to know where I am. Then I look around. It’s my way to explore a new place. It levels up my awareness and I am more open to interactions after that. I already ‘know’ where I am, so I can relax and enjoy the people or the sights I meet.

So this week, spend 5 to 15 minutes a day just listening to your environment. Try do decipher what these sounds mean to you. And enjoy! Because you deserve it.

The Card

I had a precised idea of what I wanted to draw for this card. I used one of my inktober drawings as a reference. I knew when I drew and inked it then that I would use it for something else. I used my own flutes as references, even if they aren’t exactly like that but hey, I don’t do realism, at all, and I’m fine with it. I went for a reddish tone for the trunks to contrast a bit. I first drew them far… smoother, but I was told that they would be better with a bit more volume and texture, so I did, and yes, indeed they are far better. I played with light and mist, because to me, music is both a mystery and magic… hence the sparks hahaha. I hope you like it as much as I do.

My journey

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Our journal

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No stickers/cards this week either… Senses are so difficult to express with words… we just feel it it seems. And we all have a different, intimate way to do so… just feel, as you are!

The Alchemist Grove 15. The bowl

This week we will explore another sense: taste. We often don’t really give it enough of our attention. We like this meal, or we don’t like it, we are attracted to this or that, but we rarely experiment our taste.

I love tea. And I am trying to learn plants property to mix herbal teas that would benefit me. Thing is, some of these plants are really bitter, so I had to find ways to sweeten their taste a bit. I usually add some lavender, or rose buds, or orange flowers buds to the mix. I learned to adjust my teas to my taste. And i do the same when I cook. I can’t stand garlic, my body simply refuses it. So to add this ‘kick’ that would be brought by it, I use ginger. I love assembling my buddha bowls, in which I use different ingredients, each of them bringing its own texture, color, taste, and eating them became a real experience.

When I discover a new meal, at a restaurant or at friends, I love this full awareness it brings: I am focused on each element of it, I try to decipher the mixes, and I really enjoy to discover something new.

Taste not only helps us in bringing this little bonus to filling our body with the energy we need to go on. We experience it in a sensory way, and it builds memories, and a library of what we like, what we dislike and why. It helps us to refine our perception and in doing so, it opens our mind to new experiences.

So this week, cook your favorite meal, and spend time focusing on what your feel when you eat it, what tastes can you perceive, what memories does it bring to your mind? Who are the persons you wish you can share it with? And enjoy the moment.

Because you deserve it.

the card

I was a bit concerned with this one. How to illustrate taste? These senses cards are really tricky as they relate to perceptions and not to material things… I was stuck for a while, and during one of those moments I just laugh so hard I spilled my tea on my table… During all this time, each time, I drank tea while I was thinking about it… in a bowl… I have a good collection of mugs and cups and bowls, but none of them seemed to fit the idea I wanted to express… I went online to find inspiration… nothing… then a friend posted a picture of a bowl to illustrate a quote. And that was it. The shape really rang a bell. I took it as a base, the shape, the contrasting colors… and I let the inspiration take the lead. My bowl as little to do with the one I saw that day, but it kept the essence of it I think. I wanted it to look magical, to celebrate this moment when inspiration kicked. And then I decided to put it on a rock. I really love the way it ended to look. I drew the grove as I like it, but it was far too prominent, so I blured it to leave it in the background. Still, something was missing. Everything was a bit too neutral around the bowl. And the bowl itself was far too bright in contrast… I had to find a way to link everything together… And while I was think about a way to do it, I laid back on my chair, and the sun hit me directly in the eyes…. oh! Ok! I added the sun ray, hitting the bowl and giving it this bonus I call inspiration… and here is how magic is born!

My journey

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Our journal

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No stickers/ cards this week, I couldn’t find enough quotes or sayings… But I will keep looking for them and when I have enough, I will post them. You never know!

I wish you a sweet week. Because you deserve it, and I hope you will have a beautiful journey in exploring your sense of taste.

The Alchemist Grove 14. The feather

We keep exploring the Grove with our senses. This week, we will focus on touch.

I usually don’t touch people I don’t know. Once I know who I am dealing with, then I can start touching them. Because, to me, touch is a very important sense. It creates a connection, a special bond between two people. As if we share piece of our energies. It’s the way I feel it. And this past year, I realized the importance of touch, as I am deprived of any human contact… I am not a tactile type of person, but after a year, I miss touching my parents, my nephews, my friends. But I am working in an unsafe environment and I have to protect them. If I can’t touch those I love, because of distance or the pandemic, I am lucky enough to live with the cat, and she is the happy recipient of my need for contact. But it’s obviously different than cuddling with a loved one. But I decided to spend this time exploring what touching meant for me, and to give it its place in my sensory library.

This year, I spent time to explore my five senses, and when it comes to touch, I really tried to expand my experiences, to do it as mindfully as possible. The simplest things became experiences, because I focused on my senses while doing them. Taking my daily shower was more than just cleaning my body, it became a real cleansing of my being. I focus on the water running on me from top to bottom, and I can envision not only the dirt but also the negativity going with the running water. I really try to focus on the sensory feeling of the water on my shin. Cooking became an exploration of textures, of shapes, and each walk in nature is a lesson from which I come back with a lot of sensory items to order in my inner library. I love having pebbles in my pockets I can touch. It soothes me, as I run my fingertips on their surface, softly warming them with my own body temperature.

I also felt the cycle of seasons this year, on my skin. The warmth of summer, the coolness of autumn, the cold bite of winter, to come back to a warmer spring. As if my body, in need to contact, of touch, looked for any experience it could have to feel, to touch. And I am grateful to have taken this time to do so. I really expanded my sensory library and realized how touche can be a comforting sense, that by caressing an object, a pet or a person can bring us this immediate peace.

And that sensation expands as far as I am concern to the pens or brushes I use to draw, to paint, to write. The friction of the tool on the paper, on the drawing pad is something that brings me immediate peace. Each stroke help me letting go of whatever bothers me. And if I am already at peace when I start drawing or writing, it takes me to a journey of its own. Each craft I do brings its own tactile sensation, and this discovery really helped me overcoming the negativity I am confronted in my everyday life. So it became a daily ritual. Crafting, writing, drawing, even typing, each and every day, to come back to balance, to explore the tactile sensations, to soothe my soul.

So this week, spend some time, even if it’s only a short moment, to explore your sense of touch. To focus on what you feel on your finger tips, with your skin. And find what bring you joy, peace or any comforting sensation.

The card

I wanted to draw something that would express a soft touch. I first thought about a leaf touching water, but I already drew a leaf on my former card, so I wanted something different. And the idea of the feather came as an obvious choice. I never drew feathers before, just approached it with a bird once. I loved drawing it! I think there will be more of them for time to time hahaha. I chose to keep it simple, and to draw it in light neutral colors. Because I already knew I would use purple and eggplant as a background (they were Emma’s favorite colors, and I wanted to honor her passing 5 years ago, plus the feather… perfect!!). I experienced a lot with this simple drawing, actually, played with layers, and I hope you will like it as much as I do!

My journey

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Our journal

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Our cards / stickers

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I wish you a sweet week, and I see you next Sunday for a new stage. Meanwhile, keep in touch with yourselves! You deserve it.