Hello dear soul,

For the past month, I have been working daily with the Japanese Sun Goddess Amaterasu. 
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“Working with” is a common term in pagan circles for focusing one’s energy and time on a certain deity. This is distinct from “worshipping” and in the Jungian world would be similar to doing active imagination with an archetype or myth. It sometimes has the quality of shamanic journey work or meditation.

She has been teaching me about the DISCIPLINE of self care.

Daily practice and daily self care take DISCIPLINE! They take repeated effort, they take willingness to slow down and look inward even in those moments when we feel we don’t have time or just don’t want to. For me, this has meant making time before my daily “to dos” to sit outside in the sun every single morning (when the weather has allowed).

If I picked up my phone to check instagram, I would hear “Nope. Put it down. Just sit. Let the sun be on your skin. Nothing else.” I would also receive this reminder whenever I was eating a meal, “Nope. No distractions. Just eat. Taste your food and breathe. Nothing else.” Reading, checking social media, watching something, these things can come later.

A few weeks of this has truly breathed the life back into me after a long and stressful winter! I feel more spaciousness to work one step at a time on my goals, and more capacity for fun and joy to bring into my relationships. I feel less fear of overwhelm, which has been a constant looming threat in my busy life.

Last night I sat in circle with some incredible women - we were discussing the warrior woman within the context of love and relationship. The topic of sovereignty, one of the great gifts of the warrior woman archetype, was brought up and a couple of us spoke about independence, and the ability to be self sufficient. Another sister chimed in and added that to her this doesn’t always mean being 100% self reliant or not needing anyone else, but in fact also knowing when to ask for support. This felt quite powerful to me, and led me into thinking about sovereignty in the sense of feeling empowered in exercising CHOICE in our lives.

Do you ever find yourself perseverating on something that you *know* is not serving you, but you can’t seem to quit? I’m talking about things like jealousy, stress, comparison to others, or feeling like a victim. Most of us struggle with these things from time to time, myself definitely included.

I want to share with you today a powerful journaling practice for emerging back into your joy when stuck in obsession and fear - or in other words how to break free of an obsessive downward spiral.

What you’ll need: Some quiet time and a journal to write your thoughts in if that helps you to process things.