Summer Solstice & The Hero’s Journey Theme

Yesterday was 21/12/2021 – the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere; the day celebrated as The Summer Solstice.

I was barefoot in the garden at sunset at a beautiful venue in JoBurg to host a writing workshop and Solstice Ceremony for 50 people. I was eager to get into my role.

Stories connect humanity. Without stories, we are empty. 

We listen to stories, so we can connect with others. We tell our stories, so we can heal. 

Every day, you are telling yourself a story from the moment you wake up until you fall asleep.

We tell ourselves stories so we can unpack and process what we have been through.

Everyone is a storyteller and I stand by my previous sentiments that everyone has a story that only they can tell.

So we wrote with abandon.

We worked with the classic theme The Hero/Heroine’s Journey because let’s face it, us Heroes have been weighed down by stuff (God, we are living through a pandemic and trying to keep our shit together!) 

Our hearts have been heavy

We have become well acquainted with fear, control, anxiety, jealousy, feelings of deep darkness 

We have lost people

Seen suffering on a level that we have not seen in our lifetime 

And we have been walking with a constant threat…Is this nightmare over yet? 

…And yet, there is the part of all our stories that will tell of crossing the threshold (as the Hero/ine does in the theory) and entering a brand new chapter of our lives where we truly are victorious.

That’s really what we all want and there’s really where the energy of the Solstice was guiding us.

Always towards the Light!

After our writing, we moved on to the Fire Ceremony where we burnt the words that poured from our darkness. I said, “Watch your letter burn. Watch the paper become ashes. Watch the smoke rise from the paper. Know that the materials of the ink and the paper have returned to the basic elements and you are free!”

And so it is,

Lee

If you would like to book me for your own Write & Burn Ceremony or any other Writing Workshops, my calendar for 2022 is now open!

Lesson of the Week: Being Present

I was invited to speak at Microsoft this week. Their CCX EMEA event was online and I was naturally thrilled but nervous.

The topic was “How to hold space for others”.

The first item on my presentation (after all the intros) was about being present. I know all the theory but, as always, my “big test” was hidden in a challenge. In order to authentically talk to people about being present, I had to first pass my exam and earn my stripes.

So I paused the PowerPoint and headed out the door. Nature is always where I find my answers.

I recalled a story about the very first Buddha who was due to speak to thousands of people. He walked onto the podium (I imagine this to be just a little makeshift stage) and he spotted a lotus flower on the ground. People were there to hear something profound and life-changing; I would imagine HRH was well aware. He is said to have picked up the flower and for the longest time, they narrate that he stood staring at the flower while everyone just stared at him. The rest of the story goes that he made eye contact with someone in the crowd who was smiling, gave her the flower, and walked off stage. That became his most talked about, most “profound”, most sought-after lecture.

So, I walked down into my local veld. And each time I found my mind going forward in time…

I wonder if they will like me?

What do I have to offer to executives of Microsoft?

What if they think I’m a fraud?

…I picked a wild flower. It was a reminder to come back to center; to the very moment — which is really all there ever is.

Photo by Karina Rudnitskaya on Pexels.com

My presentation went well. I was able to get people to use more than their eyes to tune into my messages. In essence, they were holding space for me (while I fumbled around with technical logistics and later into my old wounds to share stories that shaped my worldview on the subject).

I’ve been invited back to Microsoft. And just as I found my head getting ahead of me – projecting all sorts of expectations on to the future – I was able to use the same bunch of wild Buddha flowers to bring me back. This moment, this moment, this moment…

Stripes earned! Lesson learned! I march on with such a heart full of love,

Lee

Are YOU afraid to face your shadow?

If you suppress your pain and sadness deep enough, avoid your tears and hide your insecurities long enough… you will definitely achieve all your goals and master your life!  

Bull, right? This could not actually be further from the truth. 

When you suppress your hard moments you deny yourself something so, so vital. Doing this holds you back from moving in the direction of the light – the place where you flourish. Instead, the shadow takes up a bigger space in your life and begins to get to work right away. It sabotages your career, love life, health, and your sense of purpose. It robs you of achieving any of the stuff on your vision board. 

And the more you try and hide from your shadow, the more it thrives! Just like that yucky mould at the bottom of the veggie draw. The more you try and hide your feelings of inadequacy, disappointment, betrayal, and not being good enough, the more the monster thrives. 

I’ve got a doctorate in denying my feelings. (Not literally, you silly kids!) It is rooted in my difficult childhood. But I’ve been working on the unlearning for pretty much my entire adult life. There is a lot to get through! 

My unlearning has taught me a couple of things: 

• You can’t break patterns you’re not willing to acknowledge 

• Self-sabotage ruins relationships and stops us from growing 

• You cannot escape your shadow 

Only when we finally step up to doing the work do we begin to break free of the cycles of victimhood, procrastination, and feeling like an imposter. That’s when we begin to LIVE! 

THANK YOU for listening without judgment and “holding space” for me while I continue my learning and unlearning.

I wish every success with breaking free from anything holding you back from living the life of your dreams.

Thank you again, 

Lee