Étiquette : the alchemist grove

The Alchemist Grove 12. The Egg

The time has come for us to get out of our shell, of our comfort zone and to explore the Grove. We need to get rid our our dull enveloppe to let our shining selves wander between the trees, connect with Nature and explore the magic of our existence.

We are so used to shell ourselves, to blend, that we tend to lose what we truly are, what we are meant to be. The time has come to wake up, and to rise, and Spring gives us the opportunity to do so in harmony with the nature surrounding us. Let’s grab it and enjoy this come back to live. Let’s bloom, let’s show our true colors, let’s rise and shine. We don’t need to stay in our shell, in our bud. Winter gave us all we need to get out with confidence, to walk in the Grove as if we were home. Because we are.

Let’s allow ourselves to truly be tuned to nature cycle, to enjoy this come back to life, to be free to be who we are, to show the world how we have changed to be a better version of ourselves. Because we are worth it. The time to hide withing our shell is gone. We are ready to bring our uniqueness to the Grove, and to enjoy each step.

As we get out of our shelter, we let our vibes resonate as they never did before. They, too, have changed. They are stronger, they are higher. And they will attract those who can connect with them. We send a message in the Grove: we are awaken, we are ready to grow even further, we are ready to share and to learn. The time has come to contribute to the collective, to bring our wisdom, to share and teach the lessons we learned. To show our strength, our wisdom, our vulnerability too, as we are not protected by our shell anymore.

We are not scared, as we wander soul naked. We have nothing to hide anymore, nothing to fear. We gained confidence during our winter, and we know that whatever comes, we will face it with inner peace, with wisdom. Our boundaries are sane, our roots run deep in the soil, we are connected to the collective. We are protected, even if we first feel vulnerable exposing ourselves so genuinely to the world.

As we step into the Grove, we feel home, we feel connected to each plant, tree, mushroom, creature. We also can perceive those glowing light in the far, belonging to those who hatched just as we did. We may meet, if our paths lead us toward each other. Or we may just go on feeling each other’s presence, and it will be comforting knowing that we are never alone. We are part of a whole.

Let’s bloom together, Spring is showing us the way.

The card

I went for the egg instead of a bud, because I really felt that it requires us an effort to hatch, to break our shell and reveal the sparkling being we are. The shell obviously had to be special, almost mystical, beautiful. We wouldn’t have spent that much time within if it was not amazingly protective. But it is nothing compared to what we are. I wanted to express this uniqueness, this wonderful nature of ours. We are meant to rise and shine, so I went with a crystal-like texture in the cracks of the shell. And I set the egg in a bed of grass, soft, warm, as we don’t come from a place of pain or challenge. We only went through a winter of self discovery and we are ready to explore the Grove. Speaking of, the Grove is glowing with a ray of spring sunshine, reaching our shell. This is the signal we were waiting for. The time has come to go to the light, within the grove, to touch trees and plants, to be home. i wanted it to be as welcoming as possible. But the focus had to be on the egg, so I kept the background in subtle colors. I hope it gives you this feeling too.

My journey

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Our journal

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Our cards and/or stickers

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I wish you a beautiful bloom!

PS: I enter this time of year where I usually go back to my shell, but this year, I decided to remain open. It’s an experience in itself. The positive side is that my creativity is at its peak. The more challenging part is that I need to tame this pain. But feeling is to be alive. Pain is part of the journey too. I need to embrace it, as I embrace the lighter parts. I chose to truly live, so I take each day as it comes, and I try to make the best of it. I will share more of the stuff I created the following days, as I will take a few days off work to focus on my personal growth as peacefully as possible, and to keep in balance.

The Alchemist Grove 11. The Door.

Last week of winter. It’s time for us to step out of our shelter and to start our new journey in the grove. A door is opening, as well as we are. Outside, everything is peaceful and welcoming. We can confidently make our first step forward.

We already have a choice to make. But we are at peace, as we know that each one of them is the good one now and here. We are ready to welcome everything, to embrace what comes on our path. We know that each obstacle will be a stepping stone, that each encounter will be a lesson, that each place we will visit will be home.

Now is the time to enjoy the beginning of our new adventure, to open our mind, our arms, our eyes. To see, feel and understand what is surrounding us. And to realize we are belonging to it. We breathe the ocean air, filling our entire being with its benefits. We let our eyes get used to the soft light of the rising sun. It’s a perfect day to begin our journey. The air is still cool, as Winter softly welcome Spring in the cycle of life.

I love to envision them having a chat about what happened these last 3 months, then Winter gives the keys to Spring and go rest, its mission accomplished. Spring is a playful one and proceeds to have fun with weather, making sure that everything works as it’s supposed to, sometimes within a single day. Then it will slowly let the sun warm up a bit and Life will wake up and join the party.

And in a way, this is also the way I see myself during this time. To me march is a special month, and I go through a lot till the end of it, when I finally can go back to live, free from flashbacks and sad memories. And then I just let life take over, as if a veil is being lifted to the beauty of the world. I accept this cycle, as it makes me appreciate even more the rebirth of Spring. A bit as if I needed to go deep one last time before rising and shining full strength after that. Being my phoenix self once more.

Now is the time to open ourselves to life, to send our intentions to the world and act on making our dream come true. We have all we need to do so. Our journey begins with a single step forward. Let’s do it!

So let’s step out of our comfort zone, and dive into the world awaiting for us.

The card

I wanted to express openness to what comes, and went for the door, as it allows us to step out of our comfort zone, through it. It’s a rite of passage, when we decide to take action and actually go forward. I wanted to show a contrast between the known and what is awaiting for us. And to motivate us, it needed to be brighter outside than inside… Otherwise, we would never go and explore it with confidence. So I drew really dark walls, but that can be lighten by a single sunbeam. We aren’t in darkness, we just switched of the light to get out of here. The door has no handle, because we are free to come and go whenever we want to. We don’t have to lock ourselves inside, we are safe, we can leave without fearing for what we left behind, it’s safe. I wanted to show that the world is welcoming us, so I drew a peaceful beach with soft sand, and grass here and there, as life is awaiting. I wanted to express that we are protected, so I added islands protecting our shelter from possible raging waves. Nothing is perfect, and clouds are here to remind us that we may go through some bad weather, but right now, everything is fine, peaceful, ready to help us going forward. And as we are who we are, I added some sparks here and there!

My journey

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Our journal

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Our cards and/or stickers

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I wish you a good week. Make your first step forward, and let the world welcoming you.

The Alchemist Grove 10. Bag

This week, we pack our bag to make sure we have everything we’ll need on our journey.

I love packing. Because I put in my bag a mix of things I need wherever I go, and things I want to take with me. It’s a moment of choice, of preparation to live something unusual, to discover new people, new places. It’s when expectations meet readiness. When everything is both foggy and perfectly clear. It’s when I feel that I am now able to live this experience fully, because I prepared to do so, and that I have all the tools I need to really enjoy it.

I am both ready to live something new and to bring my own experience with me to share with whomever will be willing to do so. I bring with me my vision, while being ready to receive unique sensations brought by the places I go, by the people I’ll meet, by the atmosphere of the journey. It’s a leap in the unknown as well as an experience lived by the known.

While I pack, I feel the excitement rising, as I know that each journey brings something that can change my life or at least my vision of things. I always try to keep an open mind, open eyes, open arms. To live it at its fullest. I don’t forget to bring with me something to write my thoughts, emotions, sensations on. And I take a lot of pictures, that will bring me back to those moments. I take pictures of people, places, and sometimes of just little things that inspire me… rocks, plants, landscape, skies. All my senses are turned on and I absorb as much as I can. It’s a really intense experience, but I love it that way.

In order to live it at its fullest, I need to make sure I have everything I need with me: joy, openness, warm clothes for those endless night reinventing the world, a will to share, a will to learn from everything and anything on my path, and the serenity to take the time I feel I need to go to the core of it.

So this week, we fill our bag with everything we need to make the journey in the Grove something unique, life changing, nourishing… with a peaceful mind, a readiness to the unexpected and a will to enjoy each and every step. Grab your favorite bag, fill it, and get ready!

The card

I have a thing with messenger bags. I love them, I love all their pockets, the easy access to whatever they hold, and they hold a lot! My everyday bag is a messenger bag. Usually, it carries my wallet, my phone; my keys, a notebook or two, and my tin whistles. There is still room for more, so I can harvest rocks, leaves, feathers, everything that I can find on my path. I wanted to bring that sensation in the card, and yeah, it couldn’t be anything else than a messenger bag hahaha. We are not yet on our journey, but almost, so I drew a tree below which we can rest, in its shadow, sharing a last moment with the wisdom of this ancient one. Then we will get up, and go on this path leading to the unknown, under the sunlight. Our time will come to shine. Now we need to gather our strengths.

My journey

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Our journal

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Our cards and/or stickers

I decided to go with both colored and black and white versions. Enjoy!

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Next week will be or last winter week. Then we’ll jump into Spring, bloom, hatch, and enjoy those warmer days, the come back of the colors. We will return to life, fully.

The Alchemist Grove 09. Books

Books are magical to me. Words have their own magic power, they can materialize our deepest feelings, our secrets, as well as they allow us to have access to other people thoughts, inner world. They are this simple but effective mean to communicate knowledge, from centuries ago, or the latest discoveries. They create a culture, they bring us to confront our own beliefs to others views, they offer us answers, as well as new questions. And the most magical work of all: we needed to learn how to decipher these symbols on the pages to access this knowledge. In our own language, and later, if we were inclined to, in other languages, with their own logical, their own culture. If this is not magic, tell me what is!

I love to write maybe as much as I love to read. I am always thirsty for new knowledge, new understanding, new horizons. I usually don’t write the same thing in French or in English. They are two completely different languages in my mind, as if I gave each of them certain attributes. I became aware of that when I first started to really feel confident enough to write in English. I didn’t express the same range of emotions, I didn’t even think the same way than I do in French. And I embraced that fact, because to me they both express a part of who I am, and they complement each other really well. This year, it’s a different approach, as each stage of the journey is written either in French or in English then translated in the other language. I just go with the flow. If I feel like writing in a language on a specific topic, I do it, then I translate it, adding most of the time some changes because it fits better with it.

I spent time trying to know myself. I had the opportunity to live life changing experiences that questioned everything I was, had or believed in. I think about it as if I was standing in the middle of ruins, completely naked. I had to know what I needed to go on, to go back to my life my journey. What I held dear, what made me willing to go on, what I could count on, who I needed in my life. Who I was, really, when everything was taken away from me. When I had no control on what was happening in my life, but that it still was mine, I still had to get on track and go somewhere. Each of these experiences were journeys in themselves. And I started to put my thoughts and feelings on paper, to allow my mind to summarize it, to allow my overwhelming feelings to settle down a bit, to allow me to have a clearer vision of the situation I was living. I could write into journals, or write poetry, or just leave my thoughts online, but I put into words what I was living. I practiced the magic of letting go by putting things down.

Now and then, I go back and read what I wrote during those times. And if I recognize myself in these texts (after all, *I* wrote them), I also feel a distance with the one I was then. My feelings have evolved, my life did too. If I am the same at the core, I am both far more complex than I was, because I learned, experienced, felt a lot since then, and simpler too, as I got rid of a lot of useless perceptions or ideas. I know who I am because I know what it took me to be here and now.

And I know that if I need to, I can always look for a book that will give me, if not the answers I think I need, at least the keys to access to a new understanding. I don’t wait for someone to appear with the knowledge I need in my life. I reach it, I look for it, I pursue it. And, usually, I get it. I follow the flow of my intuition, of my mind wandering, and when I feel I need to dive deeper, I look for someone who mastered or at least went deeper in what I am interested in. I love to explore others thoughts, the way they perceive the world surrounding them, the way they put into words their own vision, their own explanation of the world, and share it with whoever wants to receive it. I don’t do that as a scholar, I just take what, to me, makes sense to my own reflection, what leads me in the path I am right now.

This week I decided to print both my twin journeys (the Alchemist grove and Le Bosquet de l’Alchimiste), and to put them in their own books. So that, in a few years, I will be able to read them and to remember, probably with tenderness, compassion and amusement too, where I was in my life path this year. I also keep a journal, on which I don’t write everyday, but where I log things that seem important to me, in order to both step back and remember.

So this week, pick a notebook, a book, open a new document on your computer, and take care of the front page of it. You may wait for the title, it may came later, you may want to ad embellishments, doodles, or keep it simple. Do what seems comfortable with you. Choose your ink color(s). I go with black, adding some claret and teal here and there, when I feel like it. There are no other rules than your own. Have fun, do it with love for yourself. Because you deserve to have your story written, and the future you will enjoy the growth you experiment. What a beautiful gift to yourself!

The card

This card is probably the one I love the most so far. I obviously had to go with a stack of books, as I have a lot of those everywhere at home hahaha. I wanted them to look ancient and precious, but I didn’t want to be exclusive, or to narrow the idea of knowledge, so I decided to invent an alphabet for the titles and authors name. Don’t try to wonder who it may be, I went as it came, so no references at all. I also had to add some embellishments, always with this idea to make them precious, almost sacred. And I tried to give their covers a leathery aspect. Because this kind of books obviously need a leather cover. I wanted their pages to look almost as parchments, thick and old paper. And feel as if they were read a lot. Of course, I had to had some sparks of magic, to express my vision of books. I am really happy with the result, it’s both soft and powerful. I hope you like it too!

My journey

I now have a clearer vision of what I want this part to be (after 8 weeks, it’s about time!). So the left part is more of a story telling inspired by the card and topic of the week, while the right part is more of a meditation or guide to help you reflect on the week.

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Our journal

This may be a good base for your own journal, your own journey. You can print it or copy the prompts that you want to reflect on, do what you feel like doing. Remember: no rules but your own!

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Our stickers and cards

I really need to show you what I did with those… I’ll try to do it this week!

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I wish you a wonderful week. If you feel inclined to, I would really love to see your notebooks, books and/or front pages, you can send a picture of it to me via the contact form. Have fun, keep an open mind and be compassionate with yourself. You deserve it.

The Alchemist Grove 08. Rocks

This past year, we really found ourselves facing a lot of challenges one after the other. What became obvious is that we needed to find balance in our lives. We needed to balance our working life with our personal time, to reinvent relationships in order to keep the link with our friends and family without putting anyone at risk, and to adapt the way we acted to the needs of the time, without loosing ourselves in anxiety or anger. We learned to do it, and we went beyond. We learned valuable lessons, lessons that are part of who we are, how we act, how we think now.

Balance is not an easy task to accomplish. Because we have to deal with expectations from outside as well as inside. We need to have a higher vision, a more global approach of our life to be able to establish priorities and to make sure that each realm has its own time, that we don’t forget something important on our way.

Finding balance requires a lot of adjustments, and our pile of rocks may collapse a couple of time before we can find the way to organize it so that it stays still. It requires patience, and determination. But once we achieve this balance between what makes our life the one it is, we find peace. And all the time spent to order the chaotic stack of colorful, funky shaped of rocks of our interests and responsibilities, of our passions and obligations, of our social and lonely time, was a learning process to who we are, what we hold as important.

I need to balance my professional life with creativity. I need to keep time for myself, in order to enjoy the time I spend with others. I need to spend time learning something new and to share. I understood that the complexity of life is to recognize the balance between each part of who we are. Each and every thing we do, think or feel has its counterpart, and the two of them are what makes us whole beings. So I learned to accept what’s on my way, trying to determine if I need it to balance something I already have within, or if it opens me to another possibility.

When I’m stressed or irritated, I know that I lack balance within and I try to understand what would bring me back to this state of mind I really enjoy and love. Sometimes it doesn’t depend on me. But most of the time, I just need to take a few steps in the right direction to reach the balance I lost. With time, I learned to recognize when I start to lose balance and I created a path to find it back. To me, it requires a warm shower, some music and creativity. It allow my mind to free itself from the negativity it was trapped into, and to step back from what triggered it. Now in a place of peace, I can see what needs to be changed and act accordingly.

This week, we focus on balance and the ways we can reach it.

The card

I love to make piles of rocks, I find if both relaxing and focusing. And to me balance is all about walking on this fine line between the two. At first, I drew really colorful rocks, but I changed my mind and made them more neutral. It felt more appropriate. I wanted to express the fact that each rock fitted with the others, no matter how big or small it was. Because in our lives, we also have those big important realms that require a lot for our time and energy, but our pile is not complete without these small things that bring interest to it. I then added water int he background, because balance is for a good part balancing our emotions. Sky and clouds are here to symbolize air, the mind, because it’s also about keeping stress and overthinking away. Of course, once we succeed on building our pile of rocks, we feel it as an achievement, which it is, and the sun beam is here to celebrate it. Nothing would be complete without some sparks, so hey, why not? We can be proud of ourselves to have been able to balance all these rocks together, and we can now go back to our journey.

My journey

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Our journal

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Our cards and stickers

I made some new backgrounds yesterday, with watercolors and salt. I really had fun and I hope you like them!

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That’s it for this week. I wish you a good week in balance and inner peace.

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 04. Armor

This week, we reflect on our armor of weaknesses and strengths. Because they are a whole. The time has come for for to check each part of what protects us, of what we can use as weapons too.

It’s easier for most of people to think about their weaknesses. But they are only part of who we are, the part that slow us down on our path, the part that we use as an excuse too, most of the time. Thing is, our weaknesses can change into true strengths if we know how to use them. For once, they allow us to recognize them in someone else, and to feel more empathetic for him or her.

As we remove our armor in the Grove, let’s have a look at our strengths too. What makes us go further, no matter what, on what can we count to help us face what we need to face, to evolve, to grow? No need to play the humble card and to hide behind it. For our strengths can also be weaknesses if we don’t use them adequately.

In order to protect us, in order to be fitting, our armor needs to be balanced, and in order to achieve this balance, we have to check our weaknesses and strengths, to make sure they match what we can expect of them. We need to accept each of them as a part of the whole we are. If we need to adjust here and there, now seems to be the perfect time to do so. By looking at them genuinely, without judgement, by accepting them, and by welcoming them.

The card:

When I thought about strengths and weaknesses, I immediately had this image I used in my summer deck and in Inktober. First time I tried to digitally paint something like that, that way. I had a lot of fun trying to find ways and brushes to give the effect I wanted. I first painted it in black and white but then decided it deserved something extra, to reflect determination. I think it’s the one that took me the longest, but I learned so much during the process, and I also got rid of my fears and boundaries. I enjoyed each step of it, and I am proud of what I could do too! I hope it will inspire you.

My journey

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Our journal

Here are the prompts for this week:

  • My weaknesses are:
  • They can be strengths when….
  • My strength are:
  • they can become weaknesses when…
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Our cards and stickers

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I wish you all a good week, enjoy the time you spend with each of your strengths and weaknesses, as they are making you who you are, they are part of your whole, and should be honored as such.

I see you next sunday! Take good care of yourselves!

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!