Happy September Celebrations (and Changes)!

I love September. Not only is it my birthday month (yay!), but it’s also a time of changes. Summer switches to Fall. Labor Day signals a collective back to school and work mentality. Halloween decorations and candy begin to emerge.
 
Change usually brings up a host of emotions, some happy, some sad, and some both at the same time. The range of emotions can be surprising because they might seem conflicting. For example, someone starting a new job might feel happy to start a new endeavor, but may be feeling a vague sadness that seems to arise from nowhere.
 
It’s important to understand that when any change happens, there are two distinct processes actually happening.
 
One process is the ending of a chapter, and the other process is the beginning of new possibilities. The reason why different emotions and feelings arise is because there’s a conflation, meaning the two different processes are brought together as one.
 
If you’re experiencing change and you’re feeling a range of emotions, it’s important to separate these different processes and acknowledge them accordingly. Here are a few questions you can ask to help you embrace this change more fully:
 

• Acknowledge the ending: What are you losing in this ending? What emotions come up as you recognize this loss? What lessons and blessings are emerging in this loss?
• Bring curiosity to the beginning: What possibilities are unfolding in this change? What emotions come up as you step into this new change and way of being? How are you called to grow in this change?

 
You can answer these questions in your journal. You can choose one word that symbolizes the ending and one word that symbolizes the beginning, and you can write these words on some autumn leaves and set them upon water somewhere to float into the stream of life. You can share what’s on your heart with someone close.

Marking the changes with some kind of ritual or celebration provides a container to openly recognize these changes. Also, being in a community of love and support is especially helpful when navigating changes.
 
Changes can be scary, but they can also be liberating. The spiritual practice here is to face changes with an open heart. Remember: You are a being with the capacity for infinite possibility and potentiality.
 
If you’d like support with any changes happening in your life, you can feel free to call upon me for support. Click here to contact me.

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Feel free to leave a comment below.
 
**Special note: If you are seeking a change in your own life, next weekend on October 1st in the San Francisco Bay Area, I am offering a Life Visioning and Vision Board half-day retreat. This is a day set aside for you to listen to your heart’s calling for your life and to be supported in body and spirit. This is a safe, nurturing and sacred space to explore what is seeking to emerge for you. Click here to learn more.

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