jemaya by arna

She has been called many things over the years, but she is the Spirit of the Ocean: the Great Unknown, the Womb of Life, large, dark, radiant and nurturing. The West Africans call her Yemaya.

Last Moon Lodge, the theme was grounding: discharging energy into Mother Earth and finding your stability and core.

Once you have found your stability and core, you are ready for the changes in life.

When I was younger, I loved change as I was so easily bored and looking for stimulation. As I grew older and realized that change was often accompanied by a lot of pain, I started to look for repetition and routines in order to quell my anxiety.

But life is change by its nature. And learning how to go with the flow in life means learning how to let your emotions flow. The very word ‘emotion’ is comprised of ‘motion’ and ‘e’ meaning ‘out’.

Anodea Judith’s book Wheels of Life talks about emotions saying that they are moving energy out of the unconsciousness, through the body and into the conscious mind. This flow charges the body, cleanses it and heals it. It is movement of our life force that we achieve change.

We repress feelings by restricting movement, and conversely movement can free the emotional holding that causes chronic tension.

Handling your emotions well means not only recognizing, feeling and releasing negative emotions but it also means to live in gratitude for the positive ones.

Cultivate and feel your happy.

Surrender to the ecstasy of the waves gently rolling on to a crystal clear beach, dappled under sunshine teaming with life and joy.

You will be better prepared for when the storms hit.

Here is a short water meditation.

These meditations need to be done with the right frame of mind.  If you think they are going to be silly and corny, then they are going to be silly and corny.  They are done quickly in my moon lodge amidst the chaos of raising four children (which is why I need grounding and emotion meditations 🙂  But the mind is a powerful thing.  If you fully imagine yourself on a beach, then your body receives all the benefits of relaxing on a beach.  What you think, you are.  Choose to be open-minded.  Choose to be loving. 

(Here is the dropbox link if you would prefer to download it: https://www.dropbox.com/s/h86vvzsml5f80x9/Yemaya%20Water%20Meditation.mp4?dl=0 )

And then after the meditation, do some dancing.  When is the last time you danced?

Dance
Move
Learn to Give in To Life’s Ebb and Flow
Surrender

* Photo credit to Arna Baartz – done especially for us! She is fantastic. Check her out! http://www.arnabaartz.com/

** Meditation picture credit of Yemaya goes to http://katherineskaggs.com/art/mythical-goddesses/  – Music in background of meditation from Danu Fox http://www.songbearmusic.co.uk/

So many talented artists out there!