Dec 21, 2023 by Renee Linnell

Hello Gorgeous!

Are you being gentle with yourself? Are you trusting the Unfolding of your life, even though you can't see what's on its way? 

I just got back from Argentina where I was gentle with myself for a whole month. And I had some huge epiphanies around what truly matters.

In the US we base so much of our self-worth on how productive we are, or how much we accomplish, or what we look like, or how much money is in our bank account. Do you notice how none of that has to do with “are we kind”? “Are we happy”? “Are we in peace"? “Are we in joy"?

Our self-worth is not based on anything. We are worthy. Just for being born. We knew it when we were babies. What happened to us? (I could go into what happened to us, but that’s a whole rabbit hole and I would rather show you a picture of this cutie-patootie from the Buenos Aires Eco-Park.) #heartmelt (He knows he's worthy of love.)
 
I’m writing to you today because:
(1) I miss you. I’ve been very introverted lately. Please don’t take it personally.

(2) We are going through some huge shifts and upgrades right now and many of us are in limbo with no clarity on what is to come. (BTW: shifts and upgrades can look like illness, divorce, disease, loss-of-job, death of a loved-one. These "upgrades" are hell, but they are fast-tracks to Awakening. If this is you, try not to panic. As in the destruction of a remodel to build the Dream House, we have to be shattered in order to be Transformed and Rebuilt. Surrender into the undoing and trust that when the time is right, the steps to the "doing" will become clear.)

And (3) We are heading into the darkest part of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere) and depression tends to run rampant right now. Why? Because Western society tells us we are only worthy if we produce and show up happy. And this time of year usually asks us to slow down and go within, as Mother Nature is doing. This time of year asks us to sleep more and eat heavier foods.
And it asks us to review the past year—and maybe all of our past—and see if there are any behaviors/patterns we need to do away with. What have we outgrown? Where do we need to let go of the old to make space for the new? What relationships no longer feel balanced? What activities no longer bring joy? Where are we pushing ourselves or forcing ourselves to show up in ways we “should” because we did in the past—but now we no longer want to? Where are we getting in our own way?

I’m asking you this because I have spent the past month contemplating all of it. And each time I make a choice based on what is appropriate for me now versus what I used to do in the past, my heart feels lighter. We got seven inches of snow last night. I should be out on the mountain snowboarding. In the past I would never miss a “powder morning.” Yet, as I got dressed in thermals this morning, I felt anxiety. As I had breakfast and drank my coffee I felt worse. By the time I had to start thinking about putting on my gear, I had a headache. And then it hit me: my body didn’t want to snowboard this morning. My soul couldn’t handle starting my day around so many people. And my mind was surprised. Not go snowboarding on a powder morning? But as soon as I realized my spirit was calling me to do something else with my time, my body relaxed, my headache went away, and my heart felt lighter. This is what I mean by updating to present time. 
 

As the world around us gets increasingly insane, we are going to be called within more and more. We will be drawn towards peace. And we will be guided to make choices that bring more peace. We will notice it is more difficult to be around people who complain all the time. We will notice we can no longer tolerate watching the news. And many people, myself included, will be leaving the world of social media. 
 
This world is calling for our authenticity. It is calling for our joy. What we pay attention to matters. So, in the dark of winter, I ask you: are you being gentle with yourself? For the next few weeks of 2023, can you push yourself less and nourish yourself more? Can you say “no” to social engagements when your body is calling for quiet and rest? Can you put the phone on silent and not respond until you really and truly want to? Can you give yourself a break?
 
We are children, really. Divine Children of the Universe. If we can’t treat ourselves as such, no one will. As we go into the dark let’s honor our Inner Child. Let’s make her/him safe and cozy. Let’s give her/him lots of time to do what s/he loves. And let’s not make him/her wrong for anything. In this way we can learn to love this time of year instead of dread it. 

I promised photos from my trip to those of you who are “losing” me on social media, but joining me here. (Yay!)  So here they are:
  I’m so grateful to have you in my life and on my mailing list.

I will write again in January.  

Loads of love,

Renee

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