Releasing into Possibility
Breathe in. Receive. Breathe out. Release.
Hello, hello, dear ones!
I am honored and delighted to welcome each of you to The Poppy Garden. Whether this is your first visit, or your tenth, your presence matters so much to me, and I am grateful for you being here.
I had my first Poppy Garden Practice Session last Friday, September 20th, and it was a small but glorious gathering. I realized many people were not aware that this was happening, and that is likely because I did not share about it as much as I could have.
Staying small, keeping quiet, and withholding my creative offerings are precisely what I said I would stop doing when I began this newsletter.
And yet, it is still awkward and vulnerable to announce that I have something I want to share. The truth is, these practice sessions are not really about me as much as they are about you discovering your own wealth of wisdom and inner magic.
So, to hold myself accountable to my original intentions for The Poppy Garden and to create more opportunities to practice together, I will offer practice sessions on the first and third Fridays of the month for the rest of the year.
Our next one will be Friday, October 4th (from 11:00am - 12:15pm ET). I will email all subscribers to The Poppy Garden information about the Zoom link on Thursday, October 3rd. Feel free to let me know if there’s anything you’d like to practice or explore more together!
We are in the first days of autumn,
and I have been reflecting on what this season is inviting me to release and what resources can support me through this time of change.
Release can mean multiple things.
Right now, I am considering both what I need to release (let go) and what I need to release (let free).
First, I am letting go of my belief in scarcity.
Scarcity is an assumption of not-enoughness. “There is not enough time.” “I am not doing enough.” “I can’t end a good thing because there is not enough good left to come.” (This last one is really tricky for me…)
These are all lies, and when I believe in the lie of scarcity more than the truth of abundance, I make decisions that lead me to feel overloaded, dissatisfied, and discouraged.
The more I let go of this scarcity mindset, the more I can let free my creativity.
This autumn is about letting the leaves of inspiration float freely off their branches and into the breeze, catching luminous rays of light on their way down.
Instead of clinging to every leaf, crushing them in my grip of perfectionism, I am allowing the falling leaves to eventually rest on the earth to nurture the future growth of the ecosystem of which I am a part.
What I am releasing will also become a nourishing resource to support me in preparation for winter. Just as autumn leaves protect the ground and infuse the soil with nutrients, expressing my creativity1 will cultivate the conditions for more inspiration to bloom.
Practice & Reflection
Here are a few questions/invitations I offered in the Poppy Garden Practice Session that you might reflect on as the fall begins:
What are you harvesting from summer that can be a nourishing and supportive resource for autumn?
What is this new season inviting you to release (let go; let free)?
What beauty might be experienced in the process of letting go/letting free?
What actions or intentions will allow you to experience abundance this season? Note: consider the abundance in the forms of time, spaciousness, ease, joy, grace, love, kindness, presence, and simply being.
Poem for this season
I wrote this poem in March 2022. I felt some resistance about an upcoming move and was overwhelmed by trying to hold on to everything I was going to lose. This fall, 2.5 years later, I am still realizing how much goodness is available and possible to receive when I release my grip, let go, and let myself free, however difficult that may sometimes be. I am continuing to explore my relationship to what is enough, what is satisfying, and what I can trust to be here, no matter what changes.
too much
too much of a good thing is still too much. too much to hold to consume to remember. too much means you keep dropping things, and hearts. too much means you ache with stagnance and it hurts to take in anything else. too much means you keep forgetting the beauty and gifts of what is right here. you cannot receive or sense or ever truly know the fullness of this moment when you are too busy doing too much. Now, please stop trying to hold to consume to remember too much!
I hope to practice with you on Friday, October 4th (and/or Friday, October 18th!). Look out for an email with information in a few days. Reach out with any questions.
Wherever this season takes you, may you feel free and supported by all that you are!
With love and gratefulness,
Creativity is not about making something that has to be published or polished. It never has to be seen by anyone but you. It can include doodling, coloring, drawing, painting, journaling, writing poetry or creative stories. It could be dancing, stretching, singing, or making music (with or without formal instruments). It could be cooking, baking, photography, knitting, crocheting, gardening, or making a collage. It could be redesigning your space, scrapbooking, or making a calendar for 2025 (that’s on my list!). It could be learning a new skill, teaching someone else, or figuring out new ways to rest and replenish your energy. Humans are inherently creative. It is a capacity that belongs to everyone, whether or not your “art” will ever end up in a museum. Your life is art. YOU are art. Your being, your presence is the best creation. Go create. :)