Étiquette : alchemist grove

The Alchemist Grove 33. The Moon

This week we will focus on cycles, and we will enjoy the full Moon to harvest the fruits of our intentions.

The Moon is, to me, the master of cycles. As a woman, my own cycle harmonizes with hers. As a human being, my life is more or less led by her rhythm, as a living being, I follow the cycle of Life. A lot of our life is led by cycles, whether we acknowledge them or not. And as tonight is a full Moon, there is no more perfect day to share with you my views on cycles.

If we look at the Moon cycle more closely, we will see that ours is not that different, from the new moon of our birth and childhood, when we bloom and grow in the womb of our family, to the first quarter of our young adult years, when we start to build our life, our family, when we are on our path, beginning our own unique journey, growing and being stronger, to the full moon of our mature adulthood, when we master our craft, when we know who we are, when we have reached stability and maturity, to the third quarter of our old age, when we slow our pace, when we spend time to reflect on our life, our family, and when we can see the accomplishments of our lifetime. We then go to our passing just life the moon embrace it’s dark moon phase.

We can also align with the Moon phases when it comes to projects, relationships, or spiritual journey. The new Moon of our life would be when we plant the seeds of our intentions, our dreams, into the darkness of our mind, keeping them safe, letting them take roots, slowly, safely, until they are ready to get out. Then they may start to sprout in the first quarter of our desires, and require all our attention and care. This is where we give them our full attention, nourishing them, protecting them, making sure they get all they need to be healthy and grow strong. Then they fully bloom on the full moon of our harvest, and we can see the fruits of our labor, harvest them, enjoy their abundance and make sure to share them. Lastly, the last quarter of our thoughts offers us a time to gather the lessons learned and to be grateful. Before a new cycle starts, again, and again and again, to fulfill our intentions and desires, to make us grow to our full potential and be the beautiful beings we are meant to be.

Our life is lead by cycles: hours, days, weeks, months, seasons, years. We can choose to follow them, to go with the flow of Life, to belong to its rhythm, or we can try to fight against it, it’s up to us. By embracing our cyclic nature, we allow ourselves to embrace the universality of it, as a living being. By trying to go against it, we let our ego take over, and it disconnect us from the universal rhythm. I chose to fully embrace them, and to go back to a more natural approach of my own rhythm and cycles. As women, we are sometimes taught that we go through 3 phases: the Child, then the Mother, and lastly the Crone. There is something missing here, to be honest…. We don’t go from the mother to the crone…. There is this time where we reign on our own life, blooming, confident, where we don’t have anything to prove to anyone. This is the time of the Queen phase. This is when we are shining, confident and accepting, sharing what we know, what we learned, embracing our body and being fully women, not only mothers, not only daughters, not yet elder. This is when we are free to be whoever we want, when we can show our true power over our own life, caring for our kingdom, caring for our family, reconnecting with our body as the beautiful vessel it is, welcoming the changes it went through and will go through, owning each steps. I see my grew hair as a crone, and I held my head up high, proud of it. I embrace my stretch marks and round belly as trophies earned being a mother. And I am happy they are here, as in my case, they are the last signs I once was a mother. I own my shapes, my curves, as feminine attributes, and i don’t try to hide them. I adorn them as something I can be proud of. I am reigning over my own life, being the one I want to be. I respect others, but I won’t tolerate disrespect. I will educate, but won’t hide my power over my own life. I chose to embrace it, I chose to go with the flow, and I am grateful I did.

So this week, be aware of the cycles in your life, and try to align with them. Because you deserve it.

The card

Today is a full moon, so I couldn’t resist the temptation to draw it. it was that simple. Just a plain, bright yet soft full moon. There is really nothing else to add. I hope you enjoy it!

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a beautiful week.

The Alchemist Grove 30. The Daisy.

This week, just like daisies, we will open ourselves. To the world, and to ourselves. We will fearlessly expose our heart and receive what the world has to offer.

To be open is not that easy. As long as we are led by fear. Fear to be hurt, fear to be misunderstood, fear to be judged. Trust me, I’ve been there. But it became too painful for me to stay closed, just because of fear. Fear to hurt, fear to have to justify myself again, and again, and again. Then I realized that I locked myself in my own inner prison. My worst fear weren’t the one keeping me from opening. I know this as a fact because I had to face them, and to overcome them. Those fears are led by illusion, by misconceptions. Nothing could stop me from being fully open but myself. And it became more and more difficult to remained in a place of integrity. I needed to find my balance back. And in order to do so, I needed to learn that being vulnerable doesn’t mean being weak. It’s at the contrary a beautiful strength. I made myself vulnerable, exposing my daisy heart to the world. But I am also confident in my ability to face whatever may come, and to grow from that.

Life is made of many joyful, beautiful moments, and some more difficult, challenging times. They are both part of our life path. We can try to avoid challenges, pain, sadness, but they will come anyway. Or we can try to see them as teachers, as experiences that will make us full. Balance. I hope my darkest days are behind me, but I also know that if such days come back into my life, I won’t have to close to the emotions they will bring. I will recognize them as old friends and welcome them. They will stay a while, then we will part again, and lighter times will enter my life. I am confident enough in my own abilities to learn from each and every experience I live. Because I opened to myself.

On my darkest days, I opened my pandora box. With an open mind, open eyes and open arms. I was ready to welcome each and every part of who I was. In order to do so, I left aside this inner judgmental goblin we all have. This creature made by the culture we live in, the beliefs we were taught, the society we were raised into. They don’t belong to us, they were brought to us, they were imposed to us. We can follow the main rules without being robbed from our proper self. We all have an inner pandora box we kept hidden deep within. And by opening it, away from judgement, I made the choice to free myself from these self imposed shackles. I recognized my pieces, welcomed them, accepted them and integrated them into who I am. in doing so, I freed myself from the goblins, from judgement. And I initiated the beautiful path of self love. it took me some time to really appreciate who I am. To embrace my whole self, my passions, my uniqueness. But it brought me such an inner peace, and I found my integrity back. And it took me even longer to show my core to the world. Not by fear of it. More because it felt to out of place most of the time. Until I realized that I too belong to this flow, and that it was time for me to rise and shine, to show my true colors, with confidence, with love for myself and with a peaceful but strong will to let them bring their own touch to the canvas of life.

Of course, some didn’t understand or accept that I was how I was. We are just not on the same path. And theirs is as valid as mine. I can’t blame them, we are just walking in different directions and they all need to be explored. Still, I can still learn from them, their own experiences adding perspective to what I live. I won’t interfere, I will just watch them evolve and take what I need to take from their insights and actions. But it won’t change my own journey. Others are more difficult to deal with, as they really trigger me. Those are really interesting in fact, and their teachings are deeper. If I am triggered, it means that I still have to work on that very point. That I didn’t free myself from their judgement on that very subject. That I still have to learn about it. I am far from being perfect and I don’t aim to be. And in a way, knowing that I am still a work in progress is a real joy. When I feel triggered, my first instinct is to be in full defense mode… which to me leads to surround myself with high walls and grab my double blade axe. Full warrior mode, full protective mode. I now try to go another way, and it’s not that easy as this is my default way of dealing with this kind of things… but in doing so, I lock myself back… and that’s not how I want to go on with my life.

So now, when I feel triggered, I recognized that I am, and I thank the person who made me feel this way. Not because I love feeling that way, but because they show me where I need to focus my attention in order to grow. And when it’s too difficult (you can’t go from a full warrior mode to a daisy in a blink, clearly), I just ignore them, let it go, and work on it when I am by myself… I may also let some anger get out still, I am only a beginner in this realm… and I still have a lot of pride in me… You can’t overcome some of your personal hells without feeling a bit proud of yourself, can you? So I know, I may have to adjust that too, and I truly believe that this is why I am triggered so easily in some area of my life… I am a work in progress, and I love it, because there is always things to be improved. And I will work on them, with respect and love for myself. Because I deserve it.

So what do I have to fear? To discover what needs to be worked on still? It’s a beautiful thing. To be rejected? By who? They can reject me, but I still can consider them as valuable teachers, while going on my own path, with joy. To be judged? Judgement is an illusion. It doesn’t have to impact me, as it comes from a place of misunderstanding. We just go on different direction and I still can learn from them, with compassion and openness. To be hurt? Pain is part of life, just as everything else. It’s also a wonderful teacher, one of those who make you grow stronger and wiser. I embrace it as much as I embrace peace and happiness.

So this week, let your daisy self to open, to bloom, and to show the world what a beautiful core you have. Because you, too, deserve it.

The card

When I thought about being open, I envisioned a daisy right away. I could have drawn it from another view point, but I wanted it to express the growth openness means to me. I also chose not to show its core, because we don’t need to see it, it’s not aimed to us, but to the world. We built this core, we know how beautiful it is. I instead decided to put the focus on the petals, to illustrate both our will to open (they lead to the core) and our vulnerability (they are so delicate) and on the stem, holding everything together, grounded and rising . We can now spread our own magic into the world… I hope you’ll 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. Rise and shine!

The Alchemist Grove 25. The Sun.

When I saw the topic of this week, I couldn’t help but laughing for a good 15 minutes. You see, we are in the middle of a heat wave and I really have a hard time with it. I am not made for that kind of temperatures… or light… but I gave it a thought and I realized that the time had come to rise and shine.

I never was able to blend. And it’s ok, I don’t mind. But I spent the time trying to be unnoticed.. I wanted peace, i wanted to put my pieces together. I tried to hide my fiery temper, my true self to avoid drama and useless explanation. people are so prompt to judge, especially if they don’t understand. They need to feel comfortable in their perception of their environment, which include people sharing it. I also needed to protect my child for a bit longer than a decade, so I shut down and tried to play along rules. When Emma passed, I went on. I needed to take the time I needed to put myself back together. But then, the time came when I didn’t need to hide anymore. I started to unleash part of myself that would be easily accepted first… then pushed further and further, until everything was being seen. Nothing to be ashamed of, nothing to hide. Showing my true colors, being myself again.

It wasn’t that easy. I had to be careful, to go slowly, but I was determined and nothing could stop the process. It was time for my very own sun to rise and to shine. Until I was able to show the world my light and warmth. Until the seeded I planted during my winter started to bloom and flourish. It wasn’t that easy… I still had to learn to adjust… I was indeed able to burn… and I did, from time to time… I can be really patient and understanding, but if you go too far, this is what you get.

Of course, some saw my rising self as a threat to their own light, while I was just here the whole time, just hidden by the clouds they send in my direction… But clouds come and go… and my time had come to shine. My own way, just adding some light here and there, just bringing my energy to the collective… Freely. I wasn’t trying to steal anything to anyone, there is enough room from each of us and more. I knew I had a lot to share, a lot to give, a lot to learn, and I was opening myself to these experiences… Of course, more clouds were sent my way, of course they came and went…

I firmly believe in balance, in equilibrium. I try to be as fair as I can. I ignored the attempts to switch off my light. They just didn’t realize that they spent really valuable energy for no reason other than comforting their ego. I was passed that kind of game. I was just myself again, and that was all that mattered, because I went through so much to reach this point. I was strong and bright, willing to help the growth of was was placed under my responsibility. It was time for me to do what I was meant to do. And it didn’t depend on anyone but me. I was confident in my abilities, perfectly aware of my limits and I accepted it with no problem. I was (and still is) a work in progress, but I was strong enough to bring my part to the world.

In a way, it was a brand new experience for me. I perfectly knew my dark side, but I had no idea of what my light one would be. I just knew I was ready to show it, to myself, to others, to the collective. I decided to go with the flow, and to trust in the process, because I could feel it was the right thing to do deep within. It was time to bring balance back, and I was part of it. I have no appetite for power, never had, probably never will. it’s just not my thing. But I can’t stand injustice, I am really good at fighting for what I believe in. I know who I am, where I come from and what I need to do. it took a while, but I stood firm, and I bring what I can to those who need it. I try not to be distracted by those clouds here and there. They are not meant for me. They can’t shut my light off, they only can hide it from those it is meant to. But it always end up showing. So I rise each morning, shine as I can, and let them bloom and flourish. I then rejuvenate with the Moon and go on the next day. This is what I am meant to do, this is what I am meant to be. I am a burning ball of passion, life and my energy is meant for those willing to receive it. I just hope to help them grow, and show them the light they need to go on their own journey.

So this week, Be the sun of your own life, rise and shine, be happy to do so. And show the world your true self. because it deserves it. Because you deserve it.

The card

I didn’t have to look really far for inspiration, i simply used the card of the sun I made for last year inner journey. I really suffer from the heat and I don’t have a lot of energy… And it’s a really really busy time at work, so I didn’t have much time. But I am pretty happy with it. Of course, I will work on it again later, but for now, it really expresses the strength and warmth of the sun. I hope you like it.

My journey

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Our journal

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I wish you a beautiful week. Rise and shine!

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 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!

2021 project: the alchemist grove

Our header for the journey

Next year, we’ll start a new inner journey. Join me in The Alchemist Grove to go for an adventure that will make you discover your inner realm, and far more!

52 weeks, 52 cards. I will draw them, even if they will be heavily inspired by the one I made last summer for my own inner journey. We will follow the seasons, and learn, go in depth in what life has to offer. Att he end of the year, you will be able to get the actual card deck, if you want to.

52 weeks, 52 quotes stickers pages. You will be able to dowload them along the way, and print them, let them inspire you, share them, and let them be your journey companions.

52 weeks, 52 journaling prompts pages. Each week, I will give you prompts to go in depth into the week subject. You can do them whenever you want, if you feel like it. No obligation, no pressure, just the will to know who we are, who we became, who we want to be. It’s a discovery journey, an exploration, and something I want to be as useful and enjoyable as possible.

I will share my journney with you, and you can too if you want to, in the comment section. I will be honored to have you as companions, and I can’t wait to start this beautiful adventure.

So get ready, because this year, you will discover the alchemist in you!