Flow...

Flow. Like a mountain stream to a river bed to the waterfall to Mama Ocean. On a journey across the land, rocking with the waves, a cycle of renewal, the blood of life. Water is essential to all things and to this amazing earth that sustains us. And, like that water, I, too, have been on this journey. We all are really. Following a path that leads us on the ups and downs of life, with the majestic power and force to pave our own ways, and the ability to nourish all life. Cleansed by the rain, revitalized by the waves, and awakened by the flow.

I have taken time this winter to follow that flow. Stopping when it feels right for the soul, jumping waves when it feels exciting to move, and allowing the needs of my own inner heart and that of my family's guide our direction and pace. We have learned over this past year that we always end up where and when we are supposed to, so letting go and leaning into trust is something I have gradually gotten used to more and more. You don't take a leap of faith into the unknown and sell everything you own and hit the road with your family full-time without having some sort of trust. But, honestly it felt more like a pull, like a force that I couldn't describe but am understanding more and more now. I was being guided, this pull was greater than I and this journey could not wait any longer. The awakening happening all over the world is a powerful force and if you are open to it there will be change that guides you to beautiful things beyond what you could ever imagine. This pull led me to listen to my inner voice, trust my intuition, go within and yet lead a journey to connect with so many.

Have you ever sat by a stream and watched it trickle over every little rock? Have you ever walked delicately across the rocks just to get to the center? It is hard to be in that place and not feel the magnificent pull of the water's flow. It's where I go to get grounded. It's what I listen to when I need peace and calm. Whether it is Mama Ocean's waves engulfing me with her magic, or running through the rain for a good cleanse, or sitting on that rock in the middle of a stream, or even listening to a mountain streams cd to fall asleep at night, I am at home with the flow of every drop of water. Even through this winter, hiking the dry mountains of Colorado, I found peace in the fresh snowfall, always a blanket of calm with a sense of renewal. Providing a vital water source even when frozen, these dry climates depend on the snow for life. In the spring it will melt, the icy lakes giving way to fresh open holes, and the mountain streams picking up speed to run into the rivers and back to Mama Ocean.

Just as the flow of a river leads back to the sea, so I find myself most at peace when I allow the flow to lead back to my heart. Wherever we have landed this past year, it was right for that moment. Even through the struggles and uncertainties, allowing those moments to be perfect for the lessons they taught us and for how they brought us to where we needed to be. We have met some amazing people on this beautiful journey, and if we hadn't followed the pull of that river and trusted in the flow as to where it was taking us, we would have never had the incredible experiences we have had.

I even allowed myself time in this new year to know when it felt like the appropriate time to write this all out. While part of my left brain was telling me to make sure and get certain things done by the end of January, my heart pulled me to what was more important... my kids, my love, myself, my relationships, my process, and finding that natural rhythm. Following the lunar cycle, I sort of throw out the calendar anyway. I set intentions not on New Years but on the first full moon of every year, and now as we approach the second full moon, my heart is guiding me to verbalize what I have been feeling inside. While last year my intention for the year was "Connection" I not only set out to connect with as many beautiful souls as I could, but I also wanted to connect on a deeper level with my family, my husband, and myself. It was truly amazing that it all unfolded the way it did! And oh my, connect I did, with so many on the road, by forming a village on wheels, being called to places just to meet new... now lifetime friends, such deeper moments with the hubby and the kids.

Now I am feeling called to allow the flow. To fully feel that intuition and know that all will always be alright if I trust with my whole heart. So "Flow" is my guiding word for the year. I have already taken pressure off of myself with deadlines and things I think I should do. I am flowing with the wind and knowing when it feels right to stay somewhere an extra day or week or month. I am trusting my kids' rhythm and guiding them to trust in their flow for what their needs are in the moment. My husband and I are trusting that work and events and time will flow exactly as it is meant to be between juggling the Eco Womb Tour and Letterbox Studios and all that we do together. I think because we both lean into that trust we have been able to make decisions faster and better when it comes to our direction, our work, and our kids. Even the ebb and flow of who we traveled with over the past year has also allowed us to understand and witness the beauty in stepping back and allowing the flow. Because, whenever I tried to set out a path that had too many stumbling blocks, we all stumbled. But, when I stepped back and trusted the flow, it always worked out. Every one of us has to trust in our own guiding light. For, when we all flow with our own heart-led path, we all flow together as a whole, and, this whole beautiful earth flows together when we all trust our heart.

So, flow it is. From the ocean to the mountains back to the ocean with everything in between, we are allowing the flow. Like a mountain stream in winter we slowed, icy patches frozen to a halt at times, sunny days opening holes to fish for the beautiful things that lingered beneath the surface. Some days ripe with fresh snowfall to blanket the moment with a new start. Other days warm with running water picking up speed as it trickles down into huge puddles. I have always been one to jump in puddles and make that big splash even if just to get my bare feet covered in earth. Flowing, yet grounding, trusting in feeling fully this beautiful planet that we all share. And, as it gets warmer and the snow melts and the rains come and Spring brings a quicker pace to the water flow, we will be ready to ride the next adventure that awaits and jump in the puddles in between. Like floating down a river, unless you are paddling against the current, you will always go the speed that nature intended. And so, my intention this year is to trust in the pace and the path of this natural evolution, as more and more souls become awakened to the light and beauty of what is in the here and now. We may not always know where the river leads, but it will always carve out its place as a part of this earth just as it is meant to be, together, in tune and within a natural cycle of birth and rebirth.

I intend to dance in the rain more this year, sit in the dirt and mud puddles more this year with my kids, and walk barefoot in plenty of streams. I intend to climb more mountains and ride more waves, listen more to my heart and trust the pull, and be more present in the moments so that I can hear what intuition has to say. I am flowing like a river back to the sea, but taking my time as I journey the mountains in between. For, the flow and nature of life is all connected and dependent on one another, but then again, aren't we all?