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Today, I'm following a listener's request to talk about spirit animals and how they help us bridge our inner world with our outer world. I'll approach this episode from a Shamanic perspective and share generalities about how a spirit animal helps you - since this source of help is unique to you. I'll also note that this information comes from my personal experiences and my teachers in both the seen and unseen worlds. So absorb what resonates for you and leave the rest here.
I am Erica Smigielski, a Depth Hypnosis and Applied Shamanic Practitioner. Soulful Soundbites is for anyone looking to nourish their soul in practical and relatable ways through bite-size insights for your soul.
Today, I'm following a listener's request to talk about spirit animals and how they help us bridge our inner world with our outer world. I'll approach this episode from a Shamanic perspective and share generalities about how a spirit animal helps you - since this source of help is unique to you. I'll also note that this information comes from my personal experiences and my teachers in both the seen and unseen worlds. So absorb what resonates for you and leave the rest here
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Hey, Friends!
Today, I'm reflecting on how assembling a puzzle is like how you move through your healing journey. This metaphor is a practical way to look at how to bridge your outer world and your inner world. So let's dive in…
Over the holidays, our daughters were gifted a 1000-piece puzzle. It looked tricky and fun. So we opened the box, and our journey began. The puzzle was complicated and required much work for slow, incremental progress. Every turn or approach we took felt arduous. So it sat on our dining room table. For months. Funny thing: as much as I wanted to remove that puzzle from my mind, I was lured to return every time I walked by.
Finally, 5 months later, I put the puzzle back in the box and put it away. Interestingly enough, I felt free as the burden lifted, and I acknowledged that this puzzle was not for us - at that moment.
Same for your healing journey. You may have a practice now that's working fabulously for you. Beautiful! Or your discipline, approach, or tactics may not be working for you - sort of like the puzzle I put away. If this is you, I invite you to put it aside and give yourself space to try something different. Maybe it's journaling, meditating, reconnecting with a dear friend over a walk, or even trying another healing modality or practitioner. Perhaps now is the time to try Reiki, Energy Medicine, sound healing, breathwork, aroma points, regression therapy, etc. Give yourself permission to explore what you need right now - knowing you can return to what you know to be tried and true. And while you step away and create space to be or explore other modalities - you also allow insights and guidance to further integrate into your being.
Starting Your Puzzle
And during this time of the "Great Reflection-Great Resignation-Great Reinvention" that's taking place - you may be starting your healing journey. Congratulations! You deserve it!
There are many different ways to start your healing journey. And while continuing to play with this puzzle metaphor, recall how you like to start a puzzle. Do you begin with the outer edges and create the frame? If so, maybe that's how you approach your healing journey. Start by finding the container that feels right for you.
Or, do you tend to dive right into a particular section of a puzzle? If that's you, then maybe rely on the container you know and dive into an area of your life that's getting in your way. Let's say that's anxiety, depression, or feeling completely overworked and overwhelmed. Start there. There's no need to explore the correct container to start your journey. Instead, rely on healing modalities that have served you in the past, and triage your feelings to get relief.
Assembling Your Puzzle
And like assembling a puzzle, your healing journey will have detours, speed bumps, and areas that require you to slow down or wait. There will be u-turns and even complete redirections down a whole new path. I experienced all of this when working on my crazy puzzle. It's also what I know to be true as I travel my own healing journey and hold space as a practitioner for those traveling their journey.
All these instances are a part of the journey - whether you travel by car or trek your spiritual evolution. These distractions are moments to pause. Maybe there's a teaching for you. Perhaps you were distracted or lost focus to avoid what you want to ignore. Hold compassion for yourself as you explore those distractions with genuine curiosity. There may be hidden gems of profound insights where you make significant headway in assembling your spiritual puzzle.
Keep Your Eye on the Big Picture
Like a puzzle, sometimes you're so focused on piecing together a section - that you get consumed by it. And similarly, when traveling along your healing journey, you're in the thick of it and consumed by the process. This is normal and expected. And while it may suck while you're in it - keep your eye on the horizon. Hold onto your intention, and you'll find the energy and space to continue doing the work. And when you look up, you begin to see subtle shifts. You view old triggers in different ways. You feel new feelings - ones that are gentler and wiser.
And as you continue this progression forward, you also continue finding clarity and purpose. You begin to feel awake and alive and feel like you're living in alignment with your truth.
Full Circle
To come full circle, your healing journey is a puzzle. It's your spiritual puzzle to assemble. And as you do this, you feel whole. You see all you have to offer and all your details. You understand how your pieces come together. And as that happens, others also see all of you and your brilliance and wholeness.
So, if you're on your healing journey - beautiful. Keep trekking, my friend! And if you're just starting, know that there are many ways to assemble your spiritual puzzle. You instinctually know which one is best for you - right here, right now. You're worthy of the journey.
Takeaways
And while you do the inner work to reconnect with your wisdom and brilliance, you'll be thirsty for meaningful conversations. You know. Those authentic and genuine conversations where you share stories, experiences, and ideas with travelers like you following thier path. Join my Soulful Soundbites community at soulfulsoundbites.mn.co.
See you in next week's episode.
I bow to the divine in you.
