Étiquette : journaling

The Alchemist Grove 07. The Pool.

This week, we take the time to look within. Self-reflection is an essential part of growth. By looking at what we did, what we lived, how we acted, how we lived it, what we learned from it, we have a better understanding of ourselves and the world we hold within.

I love to take some time during my day to reflect. I make a good cup of tea, and while I drink it, I let memories come to the surface and face them. Some of them are good, and they bring me joy, peace, a smile on my face. They are those I can call whenever I feel a bit down, or overwhelmed. Others are darker, and require my attention to recognize them, welcome them (they are my memories, they are home), extract the lesson I learned from them, as they made me grow, without any doubt. Then I accept them as my own, and let them go.

I know that when I am confronted to challenges, these memories will remind me how I dealt with past experiences, how I lived through them, and how I went out of them. They are past. I am here, standing strong. They brought me what I needed in terms of experience and feedback. Now they bring me the wisdom I need to be able to face whatever comes my way.

The most difficult task to accomplish in self reflection is to be non judgemental. These memories are ours, these emotions were ours, with lived these experiences in our flesh. But they are not what we live now, what we feel now, what we experience now. They are lessons, they are knowledge we can reach whenever we need them. They are the comfort we can find whenever needed. They are part of us, and we are the only ones able to make them surface when required, to learn from them and grow.

Sometimes, one of them jump to the surface while not requested and require our whole attention. Flashbacks, shivers, they can feel really uncomfortable. There are those we didn’t deal with till now, those that may be too traumatic, or too intense, those we needed time to process. But if they jump in your mind, it’s probably because now is the time to face them and to accept them as they are, not bad memories, not bad experiences, but things we lived, things that made us who we are, things that we can let go, as they don’t exist anymore. I still have flashbacks on the last weeks of my daughter, Emma, and they still bring me tears, but I know that with time, they are less and less painful. I can’t always spend the time to analyze them with a clear mind, but if I can, I just close my eyes, let the memory come, let it tell me all it has to tell me, let the pain express itself, recognize its truth, admit to have lived it, then let the pain go. It was true then, I don’t need to feel it now, at I am not living this truth anymore. I moved on, I went back on my own personal path, I changed, I lived other things since then… I let it go. It can’t hurt me anymore, I accepted it as mine. Then, when and if it comes back, I just whisper, « I know what you want to tell me, yes it was really painful, but I made peace with that part of my story, I acknowledged it, I accepted it. But I don’t need you anymore. But, yes, it was a very painful time, and it changed me. Thank you to show me how far I grew after that experience. » I don’t deny it, I don’t refuse to remember. I just don’t accept to hurt as bad as I did. Because I am not living it anymore. I am drinking a tea, peacefully, at home. I am grounded in my reality.

The magic of self reflection is that you don’t have to only deal with sad, traumatic memories. You can also choose to check on those times of happiness, and let them cheer you up.

The card

When I think about self reflection, I visualize a pool filled with deep water. This time, I went far outside my comfort zone, and I ended up tracing it, after 2 days of dead ends. I had this in my mind, I couldn’t draw anything else, this is what I needed… I learned a lot into the process, and I guess I really didn’t go for the easiest path, but it was such a good experience to live, I don’t regret it. So this pol it was. When I think about self reflection, I also imagine my memories as pictures lying at the bottom of the pool, emerging now and then, when I call them. I also imagine myself looking into the water, seeing my own reflection and learning from it. It’s a very intimate time, and I wanted to express the secret and sacred time it can be if we allow it to be. And in the grove, everything is about our personal magic, so I had to let it show. There is something magical in the fact to be able to reach something that no longer exist if not within ourselves. Our memories, the lessons they taught us, the path they had made us take. The wisdom they hold. If this is not magic, I don’t know what is. We can draw into them each time we desire and they sometimes surface to warn us, or to comfort us. This, my friends, is magic.

So this week, dive into your own personal pool within, look into it, learn from it, remember, enjoy, find yourself.

My journey

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Our journal

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Our cards and stickers

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And that’s it for now. I wish you a soft and peaceful week.

The alchemist Grove 06. Waterfall

This week, we enter the special place I told you about last week. Our secret and sacred inner waterfall, where we can relax and refill with peace, serenity.

This is where I retreat when the world starts to drain me. When I feel stressed, filled with negativity, when my patience is worn out, when everything and everybody just gets on my nerves. I know it’s time for me to go to my inner waterfall, to listen to the running water, to feel the soft breeze, to relax and let it all go.

With time, I discovered what brings me this inner peace I crave sometimes.

  • I can listen to music, I have playlist for each and every mood I can be in. As I am really eclectic, I can find music for each an every emotion I feel, or for each and every need I have. I let myself dive into the rhythm, let the flow ripping all the stress away, letting the frustration get out and away, and replacing it with serenity, peace and freedom.
  • I can play music too, and whistle is amazing for that, as the way we breathe can change everything, each octave is linked to a strength in blow, so the instrument really expresses our state of mind. With time, I learned enough tunes to be able to choose the ones that can help me gain my breathing, and emotional, control back. Then I can just enjoy playing my favorites and let the music do its cleansing job on my soul.
  • My daily self care routine is the simplest one: I take a shower at the end of the afternoon. I let all the negativity be taken away by the running water, I visualize the cleansing as it goes on, and once done, I wrap myself into a soft towel or bathrobe, hydrate my skin, make a good cup of tea, and drink it watching the landscape. It can take me 5 minutes or 30, depending on the day I had. But then, I feel ready to go on with my evening. I am a night owl, this is my realm. To me, it’s a bit like the day is what I have to do, what is required from me, work, errands, social interactions. Then in the evening/night, I am free to be myself and do whatever nourishes my soul. I know…
  • Another way to take care of myself is to draw, to write, to be creative. To let go of everything bothering me on paper, or on my screen. Once ‘materialized’ it doesn’t belong to me anymore, and I can go on with my journey.
  • Something else I really enjoy and that brings me joy is to learn something new. I try to open myself as often as I can to knowledge, to experiences. I can do it by reading, by watching videos, any way to learn something new, to understand the world I live in is a good way. I can also read to escape if only for a few minutes or hours to whatever stresses me. To let my mind wander in another world, another place, another time. It brings me perspective, and allow me to have another perspective. And that, my friends, with a brain like mine, is self care!
  • Whenever I can, I love to go by water. A lake, a river, the sea, any water place. I don’t necessarily go in the water, most of the time, I just watch it, listen to it. I can read, meditate, draw, play whistle, whatever I feel like. Being in presence of water just soothe my soul. Even if I am a really earthy person. But once again, to me, water just takes away all this negativity we are stuck with sometimes, and replace it with a fresh flow of clean, peaceful thoughts.
  • I can also feed my body by cooking my favorite meal. And if there is too much for me to eat, I’ll just freeze it for another self care meal later!

Even when I was a full time working single mom I set up a daily date with myself to take care of myself. I woke up a bit earlier and spend some time doing whatever brought me peace, joy. And as soon and often as I could, I tried to spend time with myself, to reflect, to be creative, to relax, to focus on myself. I never saw that as a selfish move, but rather as a way to be able to do whatever I needed to do from a place of peace, of serenity. « To give the best of myself, and not what’s left of myself », as a quote I found today would say.

And this time offers us the possibility to focus on what brings us joy, on what brings us peace. It’s a perfect time to start taking care of ourselves, so we can face the challenges we are offered since a year. We are all submitted to uncertainties, to stress, to anxiety. Let’s take a few minutes a day to step back from it and do something that fills us with what we deserve, that nourishes us, that brings us the peace we need, even for a short while.

The card

I wanted to draw something peaceful but joyful, a bit mysterious and mystic, with a cooling effect, and places I could easily visualize myself resting. The water had to be as pure as possible, the waterfall coming from the grove, the foliage would offer shadow to protect us from direct sun, the cliff had to have some mysterious patterns that would allow the mind wandering… and the soft grass would offer us a cozy bed to lay onto. I can picture myself sitting on the rocks under the waterfall and letting the water washing me from all that bothers me… I hope it gives you the same feeling.

So this week, spend some time to take care of yourself, to do something you love, something that brings you joy, peace, something that will take away the negativity or stress you may feel. Something that will make you feel freely breathing, something that will make you smile. Something to do for yourself, because you deserve it.

My journey

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Our journal

This week prompts are:

  • I know I need to take care of myself when…
  • When I need to relax, I ….
  • This makes me feel good:
  • When I need to spend time with myself, I can…
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Our stickers and cards

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I wish you a good peaceful week.

The Alchemist Grove 05. Castle

We all go through storms in our life. Stress, anxiety, anger are part of what we can experience in our days. That’s why we need this special place within to retreat to when needed of a peaceful, calm time out of what gets to us.

Our castle lays on strong foundations, and it offers all we need to get back to ourselves, to what fills us with joy, peace and allow us to rest before going back to our journey, rejuvenated. This is where we find comfort and anything we need to refill, to be back to ourselves. It’s a sanctuary, a sacred place we hold within, somewhere where we can go whenever we need to, and that protects us the time we need to heal.

I envision mine with a huge library where I can find the knowledge I need to allow me to step back from a situation, to have a clearer mind. This is also where my past experiences are archived, to help me compare and contrast what I’m living with what I’ve already been through. It’s a warm cozy place with cushions and comfortable armchairs, soft lights and a fireplace. Come on, we all need this kind of place in our inner castle!

Next to it, there is an office, with a huge desk, shelves with notebooks of all kind, all sorts of pens too. And a good chair where I can put on paper my feelings, my views, my dreams, where I can write, draw… I have to confess that my actual living room is an extension on this inner room. But in my castle, everything is at its place, and I can serenely pick one of the notebooks, pens or supplies of my choice and let the ink flow. Hmm… yes, i have that extension in my material life…. I am lucky.

What would be my inner castle without this terrasse roof, where huge cushions and blankets are on the floor, waiting for me to lay to watch the night sky, warmed up by a brasero in winter? I also have this other room, with a wide opening to be able to meditate and enjoy the view on the grove.

There is a music room, where my whistles are in good company with all the music I love, and an armory, because I need to put my armor and my axe somewhere, as I don’t need them here. I can also train if I feel my skills need to be update. There is also this special place that I’ll share with you next week.

Your castle can be whatever you want it to be. Just make sure your foundations are strong, that it’s filled with what makes you at peace. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a sand castle, that will be destroyed by the elements in a second. Your inner castle needs to be a shelter, a safe place, a sanctuary where you feel safe and at peace.

So this week, step aside the storm of your life for a few moments, and build, extend and make your inner castle as welcoming and warm as you need it to be. You deserve it, we all deserve to have this retreat within where we are rejuvenating before going back on our journey, stronger, more serene and filled with joy and dreams.

My journey

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Our journal

This week prompts are:

  • When I need to reach peace, I can…
  • When I need to step back, I….
  • Here are my dreams and desires:
  • I can open the doors to my inner castle in…
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Our cards and stickers

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I wish you all a good week, don’t forget to spend time within, in your inner castle, even for a moment, to reach this inner peace you deserve.

Take good care of yourself and I’ll see you next Sunday!

The Alchemist Grove 03. Growth rings

As our roots dive deeply in the Grove soil, we can focus on our core. We can remove our attire and have an in depth look at our growth rings. Each ring tells a story about a lesson learned, values we hold dear, principles we live by. Each of them testifies of our growth as a human being, and is the foundation of a new growth, a new rising of our being.

I’ve talked a lot about my values already, as they are what kept me going on when I thought I couldn’t anymore, because it was too hard, too painful, to scary at times too. When those challenges appeared, I discovered myself going within and relying to what made me who I was: my values and principles. I let the ego or emotions aside for a while, and allowed my values and principles guide me through hard times. When I have to make a choice, I also rely on them to help make the one that will help me grow in an healthy way.

They are the backbone of my growth, they are what keeps me standing and what allows me to grow, to learn, and to evolve to be the one I am supposed to be. If I can update my views, I never had to deny one of my core values, as they are what I am living by. They makes me who I am, they are what makes me the unique human being I am, just like your makes you the unique being you are.

My values and principles come from lessons Life taught me. Being who I am, they were intense and life changing. But they also fit my way of looking at life, of living it. They perfectly interact with each other, allowing me to have a rather harmonious evolution.

When I thought about my values and principles, I visualised growth rings. We all start with cultural or family values. We can then choose to go on with them, or to get our own. We can either grow from our first vaues or build ourselves against them. Whatever we choose to do, we grow. Each lesson we are taught in life add a layer to our core values, and we integrate them as we extract from them what we need to have an healthy growth. So growth rings made sense, and I tried to express that in my card.

This week, spend some time exploring your core values, your principles, and the most recent life lessons you received, in order to make sure that they are the strong, healthy foundations you can rise from.

My journey

Here is my personal journey, with some guide too to focus ont he card if you feel like it. Feel free to share your journey in the comments or through the contact form !

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Our journal

This week, we will focus on what are our core values, principles, what are the most recent lessons life taught us, and what we need to do in order to make sure we grow an healthy way.

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Our stickers

To print, cut and glue everywhere we want to!! Or to use as daily focus cards. If you use them another way, tell me, I may make a post about what I do with my quotes cards 🙂

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That’s it for today. On wednesday, I think, I will share with you something special: the cards of last summer inner journey, that I translated in english. i use them as focus cards, as well as prompts for my journaling, or for meditation. I hope you will love them. If you are interested in getting the ‘real deck’ tell me, I will give you a link to have your own!

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!