I've been forming this for a couple of months now, jotting it down piece by piece on scraps of paper, in my journal, in emails to friends. Little reminders for when I forgot or lost my way. Those tiny moments I couldn't find the faith for myself or my dreams, or I didn't know where to head on my path. I wanted to write this for myself, for what I needed to hear from myself. And now I want to share it with you, for all the artists, writers, photographers, mamas, healers creators, spiritual dreamers, poets, musicians & magic-makers who might need some affirmation, some praise, some loving words. We all go to that place of fear. What's important is finding the feet & the path to travel to the next place.
10 Ways To Fly Beyond Creative Dream Frustrations & Fears
1. Let's play a little game I like to call Poignant Perspective.
Inside you, there is a whole world of brilliance and beauty. Imagine the incredible inner terrain that is you: the great oceans of love, the mountains of achievements small and massive already made, the fields of wildflowers singing your name, the rose gardens dedicated to you in your honour.
This whole big amazing world inside you. Try not to focus all of your attention on the little overgrow lot that needs some tending to. Remember, there is a whole world of rainbow beauty inside you.
2. Write yourself an ancient love letter.
Imagine you have long, silky grey hair, whispy, in a braid. In your eyes, there sparkles a kind of wisdom, joy and compassion that can only be found after eighty years on this dear planet. Imagine this precious part of your self, remembering you as you were, smiling gently, sending you love back across the distance. Let this graceful, gorgeous Grand-Mother guide your hand, and write you a letter of all the things you need to know & remember.
3. Comparing is So Last Millenium Baby
Dearheart, you were born on one special moment, one incredible day, one amazing year. Nobody knows the breaths you have taken, all the steps of your journey you have taken since the first. Yes, you are the rarest mosaic of all - a rich & incandescent tapestry enwoven with all the love, lessons & life only you can know & share. Rare tapestries are not meant to be compared in a flea-market-of-the-soul dearheart, and neither are you.
4. Trust in the Universe
Baby, it's got a big & beautiful plan for you so majestic & wide that you can't even dream it right now. Trust. All will be well. You are loved. All will be well.
5. Expand your vision of reality
Those five words have been swimming about in my head for a while now, reminding me:
Expand. E x p a n d . E x p a n d.
Expand your vision of what is possible. What is not true for you, is true for others, and it can be yours if you want it.
Sit in silence, and feel the parameters of your brain. Take a deep breath in, and widen the space your mind inhabits. Widen and expand until you know that what you desire is absolutely, unequivocally possible.
Inhabit a new world of Possibility.
6. Check-in at the Creative Dream Lost Baggage Counter
Use the moment of blah, of blankness, of silence to check-in with your creative dream. Is it exactly what you want? Is your current dream the truest expression of your gifts?
This is one my love reminds me of often. I'll be telling him how frustrated I am and he'll say simply: "Is this what you really want? Is this what you were born to do? If there was only one thing you could do with the rest of your life, what would it be?"
7. Whose thoughts are the most important?
Are you waiting for the outside world to approve of you or your dream?
Does it matter more what others think of you & your dreams, or is it you?
Meditate for 100 breaths.
See what you find inside.
8. A Plan For The Journey Forward
Do a business plan - but not just a business plan. A plan for your greatest soul's desire. A map towards your truest heart's expression & your dream lifestyle.
Plan it. Put it out there in the universe. And find out the path forward, seeing the trail on your newly defined map.
9. Time To Be Held
Hold your dog/cat/bird/animal/mama earth. Let them love you, and remind you of every single way you are perfect.
10. Everything You Need, You Have
Don't take this list for gospel. Right your own. Your own divine, wise, brave wisdom is the Gospel for your life.
Inside you is an incredible Goddess, waiting to help you along your way. What does she want to say to you?
All the answers you need are already inside. Write your very own list of Creative Dream Flight. You are the best expert on you.
You are a Goddess. What do you want to say to the world?
All my love & support,
Leonie
(This will be also put on my Inspiration page for you to find anytime you need!)
If a dream seems too big to achieve ::
dream bigger.
So much is possible,
more than we can possibly know right now...
a wee little poster to remind us and inspire us :)
It seems kinda fitting after yesterday's insight breakthrough.
Big big love & big big dreams,
Leonie
The past few days I've had this vague feeling that I was being followed. Followed by a little broken down wooden car named Bother. Dragging a quiet sack behind me filled with clumpy No's and dishevelled Rejections.
It was like one spray of a No water gun had rocked my boat so much I forgot I was resting on a Sea of Yeses.
I would lay awake bargaining with the Universe, making my ultimatums. I fell upon a thought that maybe I wasn't SUPPOSED to use my creative & spiritual gifts, because the Universe didn't seem like it was helping me share them in the Big Huge Way I dream of sharing them with the World. And that thought just didn't feel so good at all.
One night before going to sleep, I said to Chris:
"What would you think if I didn't do any of my creative stuff anymore? Or spiritual stuff? What if I just did a fat ball of nothing?"
He shrugged, the way he does. He shrugs with knowing that life is simple and sweet if you just let it be.
"If you weren't doing nothing, you'd be doing nothing. That's fine. And then when you wanted to do something, you'd do something. It's whatever you want to do honey."
So I let it sit. Just to sit and see how it would bloom, shift, grow or leave.
Inspired moments come knocking on my door dressed in all kinds of costumes. Last night, it came in the form of a little book about Women Entrepreneurs. I was reading about a woman who started a goat cheese factory & farm in her 60s. Another woman who runs a cafe in an isolated town in the out-stretches of the Northern Territory. Another who decided she was a chef and ran with it until she had an international culinary school. And one of them said:
I got told No so many times. I got rejected so many times. Other people didn't understand. Banks didn't want to be involved. And at some point, the Nos can't matter anymore. All that mattered what I said Yes inside. I believed who I was and I believed in my dream, and I went for it. No matter what anyone else said, or did, I had faith in me.
Reading that was one of those moments that gave me shivers and pulled me so far out of my tatter that I was on a new path.
I wanted to share this today, incase any of you need to hear it.
Don't forget that for every No you hear, there is a sea of Yeses around you. That the most important part is to give the gift of a Yes to yourself.
You are precious, you are beauty, you are whole,
love, light & laughter
Leonie
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a gorgeous woman, Belinda, who wanted to commission me to do a Custom Soul Story artwork for her dear friend's birthday.
It was such a dear delight to create this for Belinda & Chantal. It was so apparent just how much Belinda loves, adores and supports her friend, and how much she wanted to honour who she is on her birthing day.
Belinda emailed me a photograph of Chantal, and a description of her favourite colours, her gifts and the loving messages to remind her of. When I read her email, I smiled from ear to ear. I felt so blessed to be witness to the beautiful love and friendship between them, and also to sense the amazing souls and goddesses these two women are.
(Happy Birthday Goddess Chantal! It was a blessing to be a part of your celebrations!)
Whenever I am creating custom artworks to honour goddess women, I just trust that whatever needs to be said, drawn, created, documented, honoured will come flowing out from my ink pen onto the paper. My heart fills with joy as I see the image emerge. My spirit dances as I feel & know the gifts, blessings and lessons of another woman, another Goddess.
Some weeks ago, a dear circle sister & mermaid friend led a writer's workshop. Gathered around her table were old friends & friends I had just met that day. At the end of the day, one of these new friends wrote me a poem, and in it was a piece of prose about how much I love women.
I laughed when I read that, and made a joke about how much I loved hunky men named Chris first and foremost. But after the laughter, I had a moment of feeling like my soul had just been recognised. I love all spirits ~ men, women, animals, mama earth; but I have such a deep affection, love and respect for women, their hearts, their souls, their stories and the Goddess that lives inside them.
I want to remind them of their beauty, strength, uniqueness, gifts and divinity. I want to remind them just what a goddess they are.
Some mornings I wake up and have no idea which way to turn, left, right, up or down. I lose my faith in myself, in this world, in my journey, in the knowing that all is well and all will be well. Then I ask myself: if you are someone else, what would you tell them Leonie?
You are a Goddess.
You are divine.
Your journey is sacred.
All is well.
From me to you,
Remembering what is True.
Leonie
Meditation for Grounding art print
Hola gorgeous souls!
It's been a lovely few days of organising my upcoming Day of Delight retreat ~ I'm so excited to be doing this, and am looking forward to connecting with all the beautiful women who are attending. There are spaces still available, so let me know if you'd like to be a part of the sublime day.
Speaking of retreats, the above is a new art print I've created - like a mini retreat reminder. I wanted to create a print that leads you through my favourite method of grounding and centering. It is the meditation I use in circles and retreats, and I wanted to offer it so others may use it in their spiritual practices as well.
A little explanation of grounding if you're not quite sure what it means.
So often we can get caught up in our heads with thoughts and our heart and belly regions with so many feelings and meditations. Without balance, we can feel swept away by our emotions and stuck in a whirlpool of thoughts. We feel headsy, flighty, head-achy, overwhelmed, breathless and uncentered.
Grounding brings our heads, hearts and bellies in alignment with our feet and our connection to the Earth. The Earth is where we come from, where we are born from, and it is what connects us with our home, each other and the natural healing energies of nature. In this meditation, we ground to balance ourselves, bring ourselves into the present and receive the healing energy of the Earth.
I can best explain grounding by telling my experience of grounding.
Before I ground myself, I can feel fidgety, distracted and disconnected. My head is aswim with thoughts and my body is filled with so many lost, unreleased emotions that I feel stale and stuck. I go outside, place my hands on Mother Earth, and I begin to breathe. I do my meditation, and there becomes a place of stillness. A whisp of wind brushes my cheeks, lifting the ends of my hair. A bird flies past, and I smile. Tenderly, I fall back in love with myself. Gently, I remember who I am: a beautiful being, as much a part of this earth as a waterfall, a forest song or a thin reed of grass. I become whole again, as I remember the Earth is my home. I become balanced, uniting thought and feeling with knowing.
These are the sacred moments I wish to share with you. I wanted to offer this to you as a tool for your medicine bag, a pathway for remembering the divine in you.
The Meditation for Grounding poster is available in my Etsy store. (http://goddessofleonie.etsy.com)
With love, spirit and joy,
Leonie
More art & creating on its way... but I'm out the door for a healing night....
so just for right now...
a deep breath,
and an exhale
and this:
Remember the light.
love & light,
Leonie
 So excited to announce the Day of Delight : a one day retreat. I wanted to create something like a day spa for the soul... a day to create, meditate, laugh, dream and connect with other women. The Day of Delight is being held on the beautiful Ingelara Retreat - filled with lakes, mountains, creeks and fields.
Check out more information on my Retreats & Workshops page.
It would be so divine to see you there!
With love, light and laughter,
Leonie
Hola gorgeouses!
I'm about to send out a new Goddess Leonie Joy eletter with all the latest gorgeous news from Goddess-Land including art, soul stories and upcoming retreats (OOOH!).
If you haven't already signed up, do it over in the right hand column of this blog.
A Fabulous Friday is on its way... which means Leonie and Charlie-Dog in the studio dreaming up all kinds of new miracles.
Below are some gorgeous pics that one of my favourite art clients Christine sent me. She bought a couple of my artworks a couple of years ago, then proceeded to remodel her whole kitchen around them, including repainting all the walls a colour that would match and painting borders with butterflies around the artworks. How Goddess Fabulous is THAT? She sent me some photos of her divine abode to share the joy, including a photo of one of her infamous tea parties under the artworks in her kitchen nook. Christine's just bought a set of my prints to help re-decorate her daughter's room with... as I said, she's one of my favourites! :)
Wishing you all the most beautiful day...
in love, light and laughter,
Leonie
"In your soul
there is a bird
that longs to fly...
your arms speaks of
winds beneath them,
your heart knows of sweet lands
and the journeys through them...
you are an angel in disguise."
- I want to fly print available in my Etsy store
For all the beautiful Mamas and Mama-to-be's out there...
so many bright blessings to you, you are on the most amazing soul journey of all.
"Inside you a miracle is blooming.
As your belly grows bigger,
so does your precious heart,
preparing for the most amazing journey of all:
Motherhood.
You will be an amazing mama,
sharing the gifts of your heart & soul
with this child who has chosen you.
You are so loved."
Print available in my Etsy store.
Wishing you a beautiful beautiful day,
Leonie
|
RSS Feed