Taking a Soulful Time Out

We’ve had on and off good, moderate, to not so great smoky air days up in the Tahoe basin since the fires in the west started, which has created a back and forth pendulum experience of heavy outdoor exercise, to light exercise, to indoor-only exercise. It’s been reflective of busier days and the need to focus on getting things done when unable to venture outdoors, so it’s always perfect. However, we’ve been craving a little getaway, since we haven’t been anywhere since the beginning of the year and especially because of the fuller days and wanting to breathe in and enjoy as much of the now and life while we can, as well as nature’s gifts as possible. Plus, I’ve learned that I can give even more when I listen to my needs and nurture them as well.

And even though I had bookending online Reiki classes I was/am teaching between the 4th and 11th, it felt exactly why a time-out would be supportive. Including the sense I have that everyone in the group classes has a lot of energetic changes they’re shouldering and responding to, so I am adjusting to meet and integrate them the best I can.

Sometimes we think we couldn’t possibly create the space and time for what we need, but that’s exactly when we need it the most.

I’ve shared this before, but it feels worth sharing again:

Many believe that in order to have fulfillment or achieve certain goals that that entails working harder and keeping your nose to the grind.

But rather than push forward, sometimes the best thing is to just take a spontaneous break, rest, do something self-nurturing, commune with Nature…stop forcing and start being.

When you think you “should” be doing more, the more you really need is likely self love and balance. This will invigorate, harmonize, inspire, and draw to you more of what is really for your highest good.

It is the moments where you break out of the mold, and tune in to the nature of you, that the greater ease and magick happens.

“If your heart needs a vacation, take it somewhere serene. If your spirit needs nourishment, feed it well. If your soul needs a boost, surround it with joy. If your body needs rest…then rest. If you need a new direction, pull out your own life map and simply enjoy the ride. And along the way, keep your eyes and soul open, for you never know what you may find.” ~Jacque Bliss 

The Pisces me loves water, and Dave being a water sign as well is why we live by so many lakes, creeks, ponds, and rivers, including majestic Lake Tahoe, which is like the ocean itself in both vastness and energy.

But every now and then, a little oceanside immersion does the body and spirit good. I’m grateful that a Pacific Ocean getaway is within only a few hours drive, so we can dip in and out as guided.

We weren’t sure where we’d be headed to this week, since the air quality on the west isn’t great again in nearly every one-day drivable direction. But we found an opening the morning we left with full-week clear air forecasts and have enjoyed the fresh salty air and forest variety since.

Upon landing we were led to an inexpensive hotel just three minutes walk to the beach, wharf, waterfront cliff walks and within walking distance to conveniences including natural food stores and vegan eats for take out or outdoor eating to suit our intermittent fasting lifestyle and safety protocols.

Hearing the ocean and sealions every morning and evening has been like a lullaby coddling the soul. Days full of immersive and extensive miles (10-15) hiking, walking and biking while taking in the oceanside and moist faery forest realm scents have made for luxuriating sleep-filled nights and carefree days.

And while we have tons of forest by us, the change of scenery exploring the Redwood and Oak tree rich enchantment, alongside plentiful varieties including Eucalyptus, and moss, fern, and ivy-enriched Elemental-filled worlds were a sweet change that welcomed us warmly. Then add all the Autumn feels and you get a wonderland of comfort and joy.

Plus, with it being off-season, we had mysterious, Devic Kingdom rich trails all to ourselves with many mystical eyes that we could feel upon us. And even though a rustle in the leaves sometimes was a forest creature peeking at us, like this pair of deer, it was not always an animal stirring, that’s for sure.

Our first full day combined both forest and ocean abundant miles of enrichment – the perfect way to balance and acquaint to the energies.

The forest floor covered in fallen colored leaves and the scent of musky freshness washed over me with welcome, as the ancient Redwood giants of the world and the Oak wisdom keepers whispered pieces of the Great Mystery.

It was experienced like a deep activation in my root chakra, which in fact induced slight tailbone aches that I get when something ancient or dna-connected is transforming.

Alongside timely feather gifts, magickal train whistles (I love trains!), a flock of wild turkeys

(pictured is the largest of them that was guarding – I shared a cool video of the flock on Instagram) foraging in the forest, tree portals galore, evidence of forest creatures having passed

through recently, mystical and even spooky fun deep realms, fuzzy black

and warm red caterpillars, tree gifts, and on later days a dead raven, abundant cliffside farmland including a Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin pumpkin patch, and a secret area of the last batch of late, wild blackberries…it’s all had the perfect hints and epitome of October essence you dream of.

And it all made for the perfect welcome into this different realm.

There are days when the magick is so tangible that the Otherworld becomes the only world – and the days this week have definitely been just that. I felt my essence alive and receiving a rekindled boost.

And equally activating were the majestic cliffs and natural coastal formations, while ocean life swam and flew all around us.

That ancient Lemurian essence gently knocking the soul pieces awake, while The Fae tickled my roots in other ways, infused with a little Gaelic twist.

Connection to everything is a given whether we are aware of it or not. When I’m in different environments, it’s ones of the things I notice right away – how the tapestry is woven between me and all things regardless of placing me in a different world for the moment.

I take notice of the reflections and how they show up. And I feel my heart beat as one with life around me.

Days were filled with energy in motion, as we immersed in several outdoor activities a day to enjoy the outdoors and create well being through body integration of moving energy.

“Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh

One of our days included miles of gorgeous and fun single track bike trails riding along the cliffs’ edge – my favorite biking trail ever that I mentioned to Dave was like a Disneyland ride. It moves along like a snake and has enough easier to moderate elements to add a weeeee and suspense effect.

Below, water crashing on secluded beaches and natural rock formations, with colonies of sealions (you can see in the photos) and sea birds calling out.

The path wove along beautiful vistas of trees, brush, over train tracks, through abundant Autumn

farm fields of gorgeous veggies (like the artichokes and brussels sprouts pictured), and included that pumpkin patch and surprise late patch of wild berries I mentioned, as seen above. It was quite the adventure.

Pelicans, seagulls, egrets, and cormorants would glide next to us as we moved along the path with even a hawk soaring low with purposeful unison. Hawk seemed to follow us from our mountain home to the ocean, as she is a strong spirit guide for me and us – specifically red tailed hawk on this trip. This is where I found the transitioned raven – which felt meaningful with us approaching the time of thinnest veils between worlds.

We loved the bike trail so much we returned a second time and while I came across the dead raven again, a very alive raven was waiting for me.

He was huge and sat there very deliberately, wanting me to stop and come closer. He was making an interesting kind of clucking combined with an almost regurgitating sound and continued until I decided to continue on. Then he took off in unison with me, soaring over the ocean.

Two more deer caught my attention on this second bike trip too. They were grazing at the edge of the beach not far from several different flocks of large birds. One of which created a procession, marching in a single file line toward a back bay area.

You can see the beginning of that line of birds in the sand to the right of the deer below.

It’s a very surreal bike ride and as you glide along you feel the animals, wind, and waves all around, moving together as one.

Time stood still, yet in connective motion and shared feeling of heart and soul liberation despite human body frameworks we inhabit.

Every day had me discovering little treasures of divine alignment. Every time I would say this area feels like such and such bird lives here and that I’d love to find a feather awaiting, it would be. Each day held several feather gifts from a variety of birds (some of which I’m not sure of their origin, but some include hawk, owl, and raven), usually in pairs of two at a time directly after I stated an intent. These are a few of the feather finds pictured above. Dave says I am the feather master and have a hawk eye when it comes to finding them. 🙂

Rather than go into any more details of what this little side-detour has initiated, I’ll just share the energy of my favorite photos and some of the incredible vistas, sense-filled experiences, messengers, treasures, and sign posts of the journey at hand. You may get a sense of things from them alone, as well as your own activation or inspired guidance.

All of that, alongside the ocean herself and all that she reflects – unexplored depths, unknowns, deep hidden treasures for the courageous explorers of shadowy caverns and murky emotional/subconscious waters, etc. point to an unearthing of expanse yet to discover and integrate.

It also speaks to this layer of deep emotional patterns that is key for us to be aware of and integrate – much of why we are seeing and experiencing triggers out in the world right now is to help with this.

There were also a couple of eerie door-knockers and wake-up close calls right in the beginning of this adventure to help “crack” open and elevate adrenalin response into an even higher level of awareness, drive home the need for staying clear of “other’s” energies and projections, strengthen boundaries, continue to balance and ground, stay open to change, listen to and trust guidance, and remain in my heart despite what’s going on around me.

Definitely feels like a mini rebirthing continues similar to, but not as dramatic as, four years ago during Magick Bus times and am grateful always for the divine protection, guidance, and cosmic flow of love that streams through.

It’s like a new version of me/us is in preparation and process, just like the caterpillars I was seeing in warm red/rust and black – correlating to that root chakra activation. The woolly bear caterpillars we have at home are black and gold, so the color shift feels significant in focusing at the bottom root of things and makes sense given the collective energies.

There was a lot of focus around the lower chakra colors on this trip in reds, rusts, oranges, and yellows – mirroring the beautiful fall leaves lining every trail and the messengers that drew my attention, including Red Tailed Hawk and the gorgeous wild turkeys.

I also saw a beautiful Autumn-dressed moth in gorgeous brown, orange, and black wings on the golden fields between the faery forests we hiked. Her orange eyes stood out to me, outlined and dotted in black.

And later I found a perfect butterfly mussel shell on the beach with gorgeous, iridescent blue and pearly coloring and a darker spot on each wing like the eyes I saw on the stunning moth. The butterfly and moth symbolism of transformation and rebirth speaking loudly. It also doubles as the heart of the ocean with the reflection of how much more we can exercise our heart muscles to open wider and deeper.

What also kept showing up, seemingly in reflection to my bright sunflower yellow bathing suit I brought with me (with peace signs, hearts, stars and bunnies on it of course), despite it being Autumn, was yellow flowers around every corner. I saw so many, but these were a few of my favs.

They were joyously speaking to me of joy, new life, and hope.

I know it can be hard to keep up the hope in the face of what seems like constant adversity, but I can tell you from experience, which I likely will elaborate more on down the road, that I’ve gone through several chronic life experiences, conditions, debilitating setbacks, and nearly devastating-to-me hardships that lasted years on end, but they did all have a silver lining that eventually enveloped me in the light at the end of the dark tunnel.

It’s not always easy to see the way out and it’s not always easy to even give ourselves a way out, but the possibility is always there. Being softer on ourselves and finding more ways to love what IS and who we ARE regardless of any specific result, is a door opener.

Sometimes it’s not so much about healing or perfecting an outcome, but about surrendering to what’s showing up as the experience it is, outside of any judgments we place upon it.

And sometimes we also just need to take a soulful time out, even if that simply is a break from the norm to explore the adventure of where letting go might lead.

That could simply be an adventure of our imagination, as there truly is no separation between what is perceived and felt. The more vivid our world we create in our hearts and minds, the more real and fulfilling it will be.

When I can’t physically get away or do something I would like to, I do it anyway.

I do imagination well and so can you.

And if you have a challenge with envisioning magickal realms or inspiring beauty and nature adventures, I hope that the photos and expressions I share can help you to get there.