Inner Eye Open

16-22 September 2013; 'Inner Eye Open', this morning's intuited sketch from my soul with a message for the week ahead.

There are an infinite number of ways to view the self and what is known as reality. 

Reality is what-is-real for you in any given moment. Yet we can dedicate so much of our energy and effort to one version of reality, the mainstream version. It's the one the majority conform to (the majority of our personal clan, work tribe or greater community), which does not make it the only reality nor the one where your soul most thrives in. When others insist you need to get with reality, it's simply a request to get with the reality they are most familiar with, believe in or have been told or taught they must align to. You know, in order to be enough; worthy enough, loved enough, good enough. But of course your inner eye already sees you as all those things no matter what.

When you live in your truth - and nurture that connection - it is more easeful to recognise and respect other people's reality (without necessarily needing to demolish your reality or pack up and move right into theirs). There is no right or wrong reality, there's the reality that resonates with your truth. Different versions of reality can and do harmoniously co-exist all the time. Though our mind, doubts or old ways of being might like to convince us otherwise.

Your inner eye is whatever it means to you, it might be; the view from your spirit, the perspective from your heart, your wisdom within, your soul's truth or inner knowing. Our inner eye sees with love, kindness, gratitude and patience. It is a guiding force that sees what is true for you right now, sans judgement.

This week zoom in on what your inner eye is seeing. 

You might also like to pay attention to what reality you are subscribing to. How are you perceiving yourself and the goings-on in your outer world? Are you seeing through doubt or faith? Is your lens blurred from stress and fatigue or made clear by inner-breathing-space and calm? Is your view of self and life shaky or grounded?

Our inner eye has seen where we have come from, it knows exactly where we are at and sees our next step with clarity. Whenever you feel unclear, unsettled, sidetracked or think you have lost your way, use those moments as an invitation to go within and check in with what your inner eye is seeing.

Your inner eye sees you with love. The more you are able to love (and receive) what it sees, the more you see (and receive) what you love.

I'd love to hear from you. How do you connect to what your inner eye is seeing? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Shine on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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You Can Hold Mountains

You can hold mountains, metaphorically speaking. The climb-up-the-healing-shadow-side one-step-at-a-time mountains you conquer and celebrate from within. We conquer what we think we are capable of conquering. Your potentials, possibilities and the level of your self-love, inner happiness and peace flow (or not) to the rhythm of your self-worth and self-esteem - that which you think you are worthy of holding and what you think you can or can not conquer.

What are you holding right now? 

Imagine a pair of balancing scales in front of you. The ancient bronze two-pans-hanging-from-a-beam kind. Allow these scales to represent your current self-perspective. Now, on one side of the scales place all of your strengths - that which lifts you up and makes you feel courageous, including all of your aspects that help you love, trust, believe, stand up and show up for yourself. On the other side of the scales place all of your growing edges - those parts of self that feel imperfect, that challenge you, make you feel vulnerable and those aspects you would rather not face, yet.

See the scales in your minds eye or if you feel inclined literally be the scales. Standing (or sitting), place your arms out to the side with your hands open, palms facing upward. Begin in the balanced position with hands at the same height. You might even like to close your eyes as you feel the strengths in one hand and your growing edges in the other. Let your body and arms intuitively move in relation to their individual weights, sans judgement. You might be surprised when you open you eyes to see how similar or different they are to what you think they would be.

So, how do your scales weigh up? Are they hovering in an equalised state or is one side holding more than the other? 

Whether the way your scales currently weigh up makes you feel hopeful or hopeless - the empowering quality of scales is that they move. By changing what one side or aspect is holding creates an immediate shift on the other side. We can release and transmute aspects or add and deepen our connection with others to adjust our level of inner-balance.

Growing edges are often described as weaknesses. Yet it is in the moments when we view those so-called weaker parts with worthiness and a deeper knowing that they serve a purpose - that they transform into the bravest parts of our being and shift the scales of our vulnerability, how we see ourselves and what we think we are capable of holding, doing and being.

When you think you can, you really can hold mountains. The anything-is-possible kind of mountains.

As William Blake reminds us in his poem, Auguries of Innocence;
"To see a world in a grain of sand
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour."

I'd love to hear about your current growing edges! What helps you transform them into strengths? Add your comments below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page.

Shine on, Jelena x

p.s. During the above photo shoot Kalvin was sitting on my other hand and said it has been quite a journey for him to feel harmonious balance between his strong-points and not-so-strong points. Kalvin reckons our culture is all too quick to view strong as good and not-so-strong as bad. But he says our not-so-strong points are actually fabulous. It's normal to have growing edges. Even necessary if we want to be the full expression of who we are. It is of great assistance to our life journey to feel our vulnerabilities. Feeling their weight is different to letting them weigh us down. Cultivating a healthier perspective of our whole self, deepens our experience of inner harmony. Which can open our hearts to more self-love, open doorways for greater happiness and open our hands to hold more than we once dreamed possible.

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Your Creative Tree Pose

Creative Nudge Fridays is here!

Welcome to nudge #15. Let's rest like a great tree. 

Trees are ancient beings, holding wisdom, stories and possibility. We are connected to them with every breath. There is a well-known posture in yoga called the Tree Pose. It's about balancing and being centred through your core like a tree; with your feet = your roots, your torso = your trunk, and your limbs = your branches. It is a pose for developing a greater sense of inner calm, concentration and connection to the earth.

We're going to draw upon the principles of the Tree Pose and embody a creative version.



Here is a nudge to enhance your conscious awareness of your connection with all life. Become a tree. Find a tree that calls you and notice where its shadow is falling. Then stand beside it, facing the shadow, so that you can also see your shadow next to the tree's. Now, nudge closer or lean next to it, stretch your arms upward, open your hands and allow your own shadow to emerge as an extension of the tree. And breathe it in. Connect to the sense of being a part of the tree as your shadow and the tree's merge as one. Rest in the feeling for a moment.
To remind yourself that just like a tree you are held by the Universe, take a photo of your tree pose shadow (pop your camera in one hand while in the pose, aim for the shadow + snap away, tricky, but totally doable!), then use the pic as your screen saver or wallpaper on your phone or computer.

Your view. If you like this post, click LIKE below or if you give the nudge a go, please let us know. Share a pic with us on my Facebook Page, or add your comments below. I'd love to see your creative tree poses! If you share your tree pose on Twitter, Instagram or elsewhere on the web, let's use the tag #creativenudgefridays so we can find you.

Pass it on. Here is a ready-to-go prod for you to share the nudge on Facebook, Twitter + elsewhere on the web; Embody your creative tree pose, http://ow.ly/izEjj via @jelenamrkich #creativenudgefridays

Resting a moment like a great tree can help replenish our perspective that life is an interconnected experience.

Create on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to share this post and images within it freely on the condition that the author is credited and this byline is included. Jelena Mrkich is an Artist, Art Therapist and Creative Catayst who is passionate about creativity as a tool for healing, transformation and self-awareness. For more info visit JelenaMrkich.com or for regular creative good things join her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

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Shine On, Like the Moon

As beings of light even our shadow has the potential to shine. And when our shadow shines, our whole self illuminates. We are full. Like the Moon.

From Earth's perspective there are two sides of the Moon that make up its celestial self. The dark or far side, which is the side we never see (though it does actually see the Sun), and the near side which is the side we do see.

Reset Your Frame

Creative Nudge Fridays is here!

Welcome to the third nudge. It's all about perspective. 

How you view your self, sets the frame for how you see everything else. On the flip side, how you see everything else effects how you view your self. Which means we can shift our perspective from the inside, out. Or the outside, in.