Permission to Slow Down and Simmer
There is great power in Permission.Power when it is withheld or when it is offered. How it is interpreted or used. If it comes with trust, willfulness or consent. If we perceive it to have a hold over us, or as a liberating tool for our own evolution.
Today, I am interested in the Permission we have the power to offer - or withhold - from ourselves. Today, I am giving myself the green light to Slow Down and enjoy the Simmer. That's right - Simmer Down.
You see, there are magical, radiant happenings in several areas of my life right now. Changes that are stirring in the pots of creation, marinading as I add my own special taste for spices and ingredients to enhance the final dish.
And I can recognize the nourishing attributes of a meal slow-cooked with attention and love, each molecule of it seeping in bone-strengthening, cell-stimulating broth, creating a healthier, vital vessel to carry me through this journey and offering energy that will enhance what I have to offer by tenfold.
And I also sense that the magical, radiant happenings I am aware of are not just in SOME areas of my life, but - truly - in ALL areas. Even in the overwhelming, uncertain, less-than-ideal areas.
And here is where Gratitude and Awareness enter... if we take the time to swim in the richness of the radiance within us and around us, whatever we bring our attention to without expectation. If we give ourselves permission to slow down and ease into the pace that is uniquely our own, marrying This part of our life with That in a unified intention - this is when we feel the vibrance of life that belongs to each of us.
As I dive into peeling back layers of Me and revealing where my life is going, it is of the utmost importance that I honor my processes. This 'soulwork', if you will, is not just another obligation or commitment of my time - it's not just another thing to write down on my to-do list, get it done on schedule, and then check off, forgotten.
For me, it may be in the outward expressions we call writing and painting - but it is not even about the Art.
This work, this exploration, is not about the destination of completion. It is simply about showing up, where I am, when I can - meeting myself there with compassion and gentleness, allowing myself to create the way that feeds my soul, and following my own inner compass (a handy little gift from Source, if you ask me).
It is about stepping outside of my mind enough to recognize the rhythm and pace that is my own, and then letting my steps fall into those footprints that already wait for me, into the flow that already belongs to me.
It is my own living prayer.
So, as I continue my way into my Fearless painting process in DEEP, I am giving myself permission to Slow Down, to get behind the other painters, to get distracted by whatever calls me from the trail edge and explore it fully, with myself and for myself, seeing what I instinctually want to see, hearing the sounds of the forest that speak to my own ears, tasting the broth that is simmered from my own kitchen.
I have to say, Connie is one amazing guide - because I know that in this personal revelation, I am not dishonoring the signposts she has offered. I am not slacking or making excuses. In fact, I am indeed honoring the process as best I can from where I am at.
Just as any two beings can see the same incredible sunset over a horizon with their own unique knowing and truth - that is how it is with Fearless painting. Where I am at is exactly where I need to be, and what I take from DEEP once it is over is exactly what I came looking for.
Even if I don't quite see how just yet, I know this. Because I don't need to know how. I just need to trust. My Self and the Process. And I do this most reverently when I allow myself to slow down.
Sometimes we need to hear the permission from someone else. Sometimes we feel more worthy if we do.
The only permission you ever need is your own, but I say to you, whatever process you are in, whatever journey you are carrying yourself through, whatever prayers you are making, whatever rich discoveries are unfolding in your life, You have Permission.
You have Permission To Slow Down and enjoy it. To roll around in your own knowing and sensations. To feel the expanse of Not Knowing for all its wonderfulness and awkwardness and discomfort and potential. To do it just the way you need. To do it just the way you like. At your own unique pace.
So take a deep breath, meet your Self right where you are and then breathe again, and carry on...