Air Out Your Thoughts

The Universe is lending us a hand right now in airing out old ways of thinking. Creating the space for new ways of being. Thanks to the Full Moon in Aquarius tomorrow Tuesday July 23 (4:15am AEST).

The airy energies of the water-bearer streams in a cleansing air for our thoughts, expands our creative flow and allows greater clarity to surface from within. When the mind is at ease, it steps into its highest role of being a positive ally to our deep inner knowing. Yet when we over identify with the mind as our guiding force, our inner critics, shadow aspects and fears can unconsciously influence our direction.

Here is a Moon Mantra to help air out your thoughts and consciously steer your ship where you truly desire to go;

I am free to be me. My deep inner knowing always guides me in my divine direction. It is safe for my mind to be at ease.

Meditate on this mantra, or use it as a positive affirmation by repeating it quietly within or aloud. To extend on its message, write it down in your journal and say it to yourself - tune in to how it feels within your body and note it down. Express it out in whatever way feels good to you. I felt called to work with it outside and found myself needing to twirl.

Note to self, twirling makes me inner child happy.

I'd love to hear from you. What helps your mind be at ease? 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.

Share

Embrace Your Truth

Creative Nudge Fridays is here!

Welcome to nudge #22. We're embracing our truth.

Our inner truth is part disconnection and part connection. The disconnection part continually calls us to let go of who we are not. The connection part is the ever-present invitation to embrace more of who we are. It's an interesting symbiosis. It is in embodying more of our light that often unveils more of our shadow or hidden aspects. This is not to taunt us, rather to help transform us.

Here is a nudge to help embrace more of your truth. Seek your shadow, as in your actual shadow when the sun or other light source is beaming down upon you. Imagine your shadow is an aspect of you that you haven't wanted to face, but that you know on some level you are ready to acknowledge. In your mind's eye or speaking aloud, have a chat with your shadow.
- What does this aspect want to share with you right now?
- What does this aspect need right now?
- And, what gift does this aspect have for you?
When you feel done, thank this aspect for its gifts. If you feel inclined write your responses in a journal or express your experience through an artwork.

A note, if you feel the light is not strong enough to cast a shadow you can chat with, you can do this exercise in your mind's eye. Visualise your shadow in front of you and follow the process as above.

Acknowledging a shadow or hidden aspect transforms its energy - and gives it permission to shift from being a hinderer to a helper in your life.

To remind yourself that facing your shadows allows you to embrace more of your truth, take a pic of your actual shadow, then use the pic as your screen saver or wallpaper on your phone or computer.

If you give the nudge a go, comment below or be a part of the conversation on my Facebook Page. If you share your shadow pics via Twitter or Instagram use the tag #creativenudgefridays so we can find you.

Create on, Jelena x

© Copyright Jelena Mrkich 2013.

Permission is granted to blog about this nudge or 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.

Share

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.

Share

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.

Share

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.

Your VIP Pass {26,000 Years in the Making}

There are 47 different calendars known to be in use on the planet. What a relief we don't anticipate the end of the world 47 times a year.

Our Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western or Christian calendar, has become the most widely used calendar of our time. Each year on December 31 we celebrate with ritual fireworks and festivities. The date marks the end and the

Less Shun, More Shine

Happy 12-12-12! Today is known as a portal day. Its positive energies flung open a doorway to assist and remind the self to cultivate a deeper connection with who you are. This includes all aspects of the self, even the aspects that one may have previously attempted to disconnect from, disown, deny or ignore. In particular our shadow aspects. These have long been seen as a hinderance, a foe to be fought