Curiosity Is The First Step

towards self-renewal and wonder

Walked into my spring writing room early this morning, the covered front part of my house (not really a vestibule, not really a veranda but something in between).

I passed a table littered with mugs from yesterday’s late afternoon homeschool work with my children. We made milk steamers and tea and worked on math problems in between sips of tea and time spent gazing out the window.

This morning, there is fog laying close over the river. There are grackles hopping across the lawn and some kind of bird in the trees is practically yelling good morning. These ordinary moments pass in the blink of an eye and yet they are so rich. I am continuously amazed at the sweet simplicity that is abundant in my life.

I wasn’t always able to be so amazed at the ordinary. I spent years hunting for the extraordinary in far away countries, brand new experiences, new hobbies. And while there’s nothing wrong with any of that (it has its own share of wonder too!) I am delighted to find abundant wonder in these little, quiet moments of life too. It took me awhile to learn that there is always wisdom and wonder in the ordinary.

There is always so much learning to do in this life. I’ve been thinking about this for a while now. So much growing and learning and expanding that we can do (much of it happening in small and even unseen ways).

I think that’s why I keep talking about the mundane and the ordinary - because there’s so much that is undiscovered in these internal landscapes of ours. So much that is beautiful and meaningful in these mundane human little lives. We go on these…outside seeking quests to find connection and meaning in everything from a wine bottle to cacao ceremonies to bungee jumping. And yet all of it, all the meaning and wisdom we are seeking - the transformation, the alchemy - can all be found right here in our own lives, in our own bodies.

Again that’s not to say there’s anything particularly wrong with our individual searches for meaning - but my life has taught me that eventually we have to return to the resources of our own heart and minds to continue forwards.

If we learn how to observe our body, our inner world, our own life, with curiosity and intention, we can discover these layers of meaning and wisdom and creativity that have always been there. You don’t need the adrenaline or the cacao to find gems of wonder and wisdom in your own inner landscape. You just need to be curious about what’s happening within you and around you.

And yet sometimes old patterns and pent-up emotions can make it hard to see ourselves and our lives with clear eyes. Sometimes curiosity becomes painful and we look quickly away from what’s right in front of us. Sometimes we can become weary of our routines, the mundane tasks of daily living and lose interest in observing anything let alone our own lives.

It’s at these times where we might reach for tools to help shift things to allow us to find these inner wells of wonder. It’s these times where maybe that cacao ceremony could come in handy - but I like to use something a little bit simpler.

Last week on a rough day I walked out into my garden and passed a lilac bush, heavy with purple blossoms. The scent was heady and almost revitalizing. It was like the bush tapped me on the shoulder and said “hello, remember me? I’m here to remind you that good things exist too.”

In an instant I was sent back to childhood memories, sitting by the side of the swimming pool in the hot sun next to the lilac hedge. Crawling through wide passages created by the branches of blooming lilacs. A simple tuning of my perspective immediately relieving the sorrow that had been nipping at my feet all day. And in that moment, I was routed right back to my little inner well of ordinary magic.

This is the power of flower essences - a liquid extract containing the properties of individual flowers that are known to be helpful for moving through stuck emotions and releasing old patterns.

Flower essences offer a subtle yet powerful form of feedback to the body-mind that illuminates the unseen. They help us notice the old narratives and the emotional fogs that may be obscuring our inner worlds. Flower essences help release ingrained patterns that are shaping how we experience life, leaving a clearer pathway to self-renewal and expansion. With gentle awareness, these essences help us navigate the ordinary mundane and major life transitions with more clarity.

For the times where we feel stuck, closed off, even apathetic, flower essences are a useful tool in providing new perspectives and information to our hearts, allowing us to return back to ourselves and expand our capacity to hold what we are going through.

Earlier this year I finally completed my Flower Essence Practitioner training - and I am very excited to add this work to my box of everyday tools for creative resilience.

Can you find self-renewal and expansion without essences? Yes, of course. Do they provide support for the times where we simply need an extra boost? Yes and I am of the belief that the natural world (which we are very much a part of) has resources to support our expansion and self-alchemy.

“Like wildflowers; You must allow yourself to grow in all the places people thought you never would.”– E.V.

For my first three flower essence clients I am offering a discounted rate, and I am sending this offer out to you, my wonderful readers very first.

You can read more about my current offerings and work by clicking here - I’ve added some new things to my collection of resources.

And you can take advantage of the flower essence discount by clicking here and using the code LILAC which will give you 35% off the regular price. You get a full consultation, 4 weeks of virtual support and a custom flower essence blend mailed to you.

If you are curious about essences but not interested in a full consultation, I also offer a mini-consultation that comes with a single flower essence and you can get 35% off that as well for the first 5 clients. Click here to check it out.