Sunny greetings to all of my dear clients and friends,
The warm, bright days are here again. Are you loving the extra daylight hours as much as I am? I treasure the extra time for puttering in the garden and enjoying my family’s first summer here on our new property. The Catskill Mountain woodlands are entirely magical this time of year. Now, at solstice time, this halfway point in the year, is a wonderful time to pause and reflect on our progress so far. What has manifested since the dark days of winter? What progress and changes are taking shape? What work is still left to be done?
In the ancient calendars of the first agrarian peoples, the light half of the year was a time for outer work – the busy doings of planting, tending crops, harvesting etc. Winter, conversely, was an inner time, for storytelling, dreaming and tending to the soul. These cycles make so much sense to me, and attuning to them gives me a rhythm by which to pace my life. What cycles and rhythms guide your inner clock?
Looking back on where I am and where I’ve been, I feel so blessed. I have so much to be grateful for: in addition to my lovely clients (thank you!) and ever- growing hypnosis practice, there have been so many other new loves and new growths this year. My new package of bees are busy raising brood and stocking their comb with nectar in their new home nestled in the maples at the back of our land. And my new herb garden is beginning to take shape. I’m also about to complete the herbalist training program which has been keeping me busy with its very rigorous, ongoing self-study work in addition to over 12 weekends of training in the last 13 months. Then it’s on to the advanced certification course (another 2 years!! Whew!).
I'm also very excited to be travelling this summer, spending time with family and also at two very important herbal gatherings for deep immersion in plant spirit medicine and I look forward to how those experiences unfold upon my return. I have no doubt they will enrich my therapy practice many times over.
The Turning of the Year
As solstice approaches, we all benefit from increased energy and vitality. For some of us this means getting outside more. For others, more mental focus. What does it mean to you? Perhaps more celebrating or travelling or free time with loved ones? All creation is pushing forth buds and blossoms and beginning to bear fruit. This is also the time to get real with ourselves. What have you been putting off? What are you avoiding? What parts of you are calling out for some tender care or attention? What is ripe for the picking now? What can be put off no longer in your health or wellness? While you are planning your summer itinerary, it's so important to make time to tend to those goals and desires you cherish most dearly to our hearts.
Daily Transformative Practice – A Mental Magic Trick For You to Try
Feeling discouraged, depressed, stuck or frustrated with your progress? Here's a little trick that has worked for me: catch yourself the next time you find yourself in the middle of thinking negative, critical thoughts ("I'll never lose weight" or "I'm useless" or whatever your inner critic is prone to tell you), STOP. Pause. Take a breath. Then, tell your critical mind, "You may be right, but today I'm choosing compassion." Then, gently reframe your negative thought into something positive. For example, "I am quickly and easily shedding excess weight" or "I am completely effective in everything I do". You might use the favorite phrase: everyday, in every way, I’m getting better and better. Say it to yourself even if it feels untrue. Because while you may feel like telling yourself you are successful or thin or confident when you are not is a lot like a lie, you are actually retraining your subconscious mind to make that positive thought a belief. So create a statement that is as if you’ve ALREADY ACHIEVED your desire. Don’t tell yourself,” I’m going to be more confident.” Tell yourself: “I am a confident, successful, empowered person and everything goes my way!” Sounds funny, but it works!
And here’s why it works: your subconscious beliefs determine your reality. Seriously, you don’t get what you want, you get what you believe. If you want to stop smoking, but believe you’ll never be able to, guess what? You’ll never be able to! So every time you catch yourself in a critical, judgmental thought and reframe it into a positive statement about what you want, you’re giving yourself a HUGE boost towards achieving your goals. And you'll find you have to work less and less to achieve that goal. If you practice this mental trick daily, you'll find reaching your goals is effortless, almost like magic! And here’s an expert tip for more success: speak the words OUT LOUD if possible (even if people think you're a big wierdo, it's worth it!) and try to connect with the feeling of relief, joy, or success that you would feel when it came true.
Mental practices like the one outlined above are powerful. But then are even more powerful when done in a hypnotic trance, with the support of a trained facilitator. Consider booking a session with me this summer to help give you boost. Let me help you get clarity around your real goals. I can also help you improve your motivation and stamina needed to achieve them. It’s true: most people have more lasting results when they incorporate hypnosis or similar practices into their lives.
