Start Starting

First Flowers in the Yard — Purple Crocus — After An Especially Long Winter

When I took the Kolbe-A Index a few years ago, it identified my primary mode of being in the world as an Entreprenuer-type – a quick start, fact-finder.

I love to dive in, do some research and get going.

But when I am full of fear, not sure of what to do, or in some internal story that discounts what I have to offer, I can get stopped.

The past few years for me have been about confronting some of my deepest fears — about self-worth, trust and faith — and figuring out how to move beyond inertia to get going and START starting.

Start starting. 

That's my new mantra and my declaration to start starting with the blogging again.

It has been more than three (!!) years since I blogged last. And yet the idea of writing in this space regularly hasn’t left my mind (or my to-do list) since. 

There have been deep seismic shifts in my world in the past few years. Two years ago, we moved into a new home on three wooded acres across the street from miles of state forest trails. We have been nesting and remodeling and settling in. I had a little writing cottage and hermitage built on the hill behind our house.

I served as a hospice volunteer, interviewed patients about their life story, and sat vigil with people during and after their transition through the threshold of death. We got a sweet dog, Minnie, and three sweet rats (yes, rats can be sweet!). I watched in awe and respect as my sister got unexpectedly pregnant and then decided to get married, buy a house and bless me the most precious niece, Finnola Elizabeth. More of the elders in my family have passed on — my beloved great Aunt Nan (who lived to be age 101), my great Uncle Boyd, my great aunt Jewel, and my stepgrandfather Dub. They all were vital, engaged and lively into their 90s and they inspire me for the kind of person I would love to be as I age. 

I still do talks about blooming big with my Flowering Wisdom book. And I’ve taken my passion for people's blooming big to individual sessions and readings as a shamanic healing arts practitioner, supporting my clients with soul-level reconnection and clarity and serving as a resourceful guide for what's next in their journey personally, professionally and spiritually. (I love, love, love that I get the honor and privilege to facilitate this work.) I have had the blessing to facilitate energy healing and clearing with animals, homes, and businesses; with souls who have crossed over; with children; with families; with entrepreneurs and creative souls; with people who are grieving; and with people just starting on a deeper spiritual path. These individual client sessions is what fills the bulk of my time nowadays and I am beyond grateful for finding a path that allows me to serve, inspire and hold others in such a profound and beautiful way.  

I have been dabbling in some writing, too. I am working on another book project (a guidebook-type follow-up to Flowering Wisdom) that is about halfway done and is currently on the back burner waiting to be re-kindled. 

Our daughter Grace is almost 13 — she’s as wise and light-filled as ever — and I’m keenly aware of how quickly time is moving and how soon it will be that she leaves our nest. I'm intentional to be as present as I can, to make time for her and savor the blessing of having her in my life. My husband, Michael, continues to be a great support, friend and inspiration to me to love and serve more in deeper ways.

I have been doing a lot of my own learning, healing and growing: Navigating perimenopausal hormone shifts. Clearing limiting beliefs, fear and self-doubt. Refining my spiritual, energetic and intuitive connections and skills. It's been an expansive, full, wonderful and sometimes incredibly challenging time.

I still love flowers, but lately I feel especially drawn to trees. To their rootedness, to their strength, and to their patient wisdom. I don’t think it’s an accident at all that I moved to a home that has more than a hundred trees on it.

I’m not quite sure what I will be sharing here in this blogspace going forward. I do know that I hope it will be inspiring, helpful, authentic — and much more frequent and regular than it has been.

This rambling catch-up is my way of start starting again.

Start starting writing.

Start starting sharing.

Start starting doing.

Start starting now. 

Maybe there is something in your life that you desire to do, but haven't made the time yet. Maybe we can help each other to begin again anew?

I would love to hear: what you are committed to start starting?

Drop me line or comment below.

With Love,

Shannon

Flowering Wisdom: On Tending Your Seedlings

Dear Wise Flower,

Our daughter Grace has been dutifully tending to a small pot of basil seeds the past few weeks.

At one point, she got frustrated. The first pot of forget-me-nots never sprouted, and it was looking like the basil might have the same fate.

Her first impulse was to give up, but low and behold this week, four wee green shoots emerged, eagerly reaching toward the sun.

It's so human to want to give up when something isn't happening according to our timeline.

I'm reminded me of I post I wrote when I waited for some zinnia seedlings to sprout two years ago and I too almost threw the pot away.

But Grace's patient tending of the seeds — moving them from windowsill to windowsill to get more sun, watering them a little each day — reminds me of the kind of regular tending we must do for any seeds we want to nurture in our life, whether it's a dream or a way of being.

With all the rain we've been having I feel we are in a nurturing mode right now. It seems the perfect time to reflect on those seeds in your life that could benefit from some regular tending from you.

What's a small regular action you could do that would support one of your most cherished heart-seeds?

What nourishing actions would allow it to emerge out of the darkness of the soil and begin to grow and thrive?

How do you cultivate patience when the seeds aren't emerging as quickly as you would like?

I invite you to ponder these questions, and look soulfully at what you can do to support your seeds as they grow into strongly rooted plants.

I'm currently working on two offerings that supports people in discovering the possibilities and pathways for tending these soul seeds in ways that work for the flower you are.

My intention in all I do is to remind you that you are a precious flower and your heart-seeds (whatever they may be) are needed in this world, to own and honor the unique flower you are and to share resources and possibilities so that whatever seeds you want to bloom into the world can thrive.

Sending you steadfast patience and the deep knowing that your seeds are emerging, whether you can see them or not.

big love,

Shannon

Flowering Wisdom: How to Keep Blooming Open (When You Want to Close Down)

Dear Beautiful Flowers,

It's been a long time since I last wrote in this space. I am returning from a lot of time composting and am ready to blog again. I am dipping my toes back in with this note I sent out today. I am forward to sharing more flowers, more inspiration and more stories with you. Thank you for being here and most of all, thank you for being the beautiful flower you are.

**************************

For me, the news that Osama bin Laden had been killed deepened my heart's desire for more love and more peace in this world.

{imagine a world filled with peace amongst all. how awesome would that be?!}

But sometimes when I feel overwhelmed by the pain and suffering in this world, I want to shut down, to give up. It feels so hard and vast.

 But thankfully, this week I remembered the flowers.

{yes, yes, the flowers can heal so much!}

I see the hyancinths in my yard and how they keep blooming open no matter how harsh the conditions might be — rain, sleet, snow (yep, this is springtime Wisconsin!).

And I think of the desert flowers who don't open until the heat gets oppressively hot.

Knowing this about flowers, I know this about us humans, too: 1. we are made to overcome adversity and 2. no matter what the conditions are, it's important to keep opening to blooming.

And so my practice this week has been around cultivating an open heart, through prayer, meditation, breathing, and leaning in when I notice I want to close down.

Yesterday, I felt called to do a lovingkindness meditation. 

{Meditation teacher Susan Piver has a wonderful free mp3 here (scroll down to bottom of page).}

If you aren't familiar with lovingkindness meditation, it is a Buddhist practice that opens your heart to yourself and all of humanity.

To do this practice, you start with wishes of wellness and peace to yourself.

Something like: "May I be well. May I be happy. May I know peace and ease."

And then you extend this wish to people you love, people you are neutral about (the grocery store clerk, the mom at the park) and finally you send love to those you feel hostility toward.

As I was doing this meditation, it struck me how you send the meditation first to yourself.

I had an epiphany then as I looked at all the places in myself where there was not peace, love and compassion.

And I realized: I can change the world. From the inside out.

How?

The more peace, the more love, the compassion I cultivate within myself (especially the parts of myself that aren't very peace-like...like the judgmental and grudging-holding part...or the part that snaps at my husband), the more peace and love can take root in the world.

I so believe we are all connected to all being through our hearts. (Change yourself, change the world, my meditation teacher Donna Mitchell-Moniak says.)

So as I keep blooming open to more love and peace within, I create more love and peace in the hearts of flowers the world over.

Of course, there is more inner work to do. (Maybe a peace treaty between the warring parts of myself is in order?) And I might still shut down sometimes.

But my commitment to remember to keep blooming open, again and again and again.

big love,
Shannon

P.S. Local friends: I have two spaces left for this Saturday's Flowering Wisdom: Bloom Bigger in Your Life class. You'll learn how to flower more fully in all areas of your life. If you are called to join us, please contact me by noon tomorrow (Friday, May 6, 2011). It's going to be beautiful and a chance to root even more deeply into peace and love.

P.P.S. If you haven't been around my website for a while, have you seen my new book, Flowering Wisdom: Inspiring Thoughts on Life, Love and Blooming Big? It's a compilation of photos and words that first appeared on this blog. Thank you for taking the time to be here. Your presence allowed this book to be born. {grateful, grateful}