I have just returned from co-facilitating at a magic mushroom retreat at the beautiful Mother’s House retreat centre in Holland. It was truly an honour to be of service to the participants, to the team, and to the sacred psilocybin mushrooms.
A full moon, 1 sweat lodge ceremony, 2 mushroom ceremonies, 3 breathwork journeys, 4 meditations, 5 nights, 6 facilitators, 7 participants, sharing circles, integration and a whole lot of beautiful music, magic and medicine. Oh, and not forgetting 1 sweet little dog and 2 cats, the guardians of the house who kept watch during ceremony. We guided participants through deep inner work using many of the tools and techniques I use in my practice.
It’s not all crystals and prayer beads… In my sessions I often ask people if they have any spiritual beliefs, and often they will reply no, but that they would like to. In the quest for deeper meaning, many turn inward, seeking answers to the fundamental questions of life. In the modern materialistic world we are taught that everything is random, that nothing exists beyond the physical world and our sense of self is purely a survival mechanism of the brain. We are taught to believe that we are simply meat machines and we can be left with a sense that life is meaningless and that nature is simply a dead resource for us to exploit. However, many of us have an innate sense that there is a much deeper truth than what we have been led to believe.
Protect your energy…what does that even mean?
Ever had a really great day and then you get home and your partner is in a bad mood and you feel all that positive energy drain away, and then you add to that negativity by resenting them for it? Or do you have someone in your workplace who is constantly complaining, making you feel frustrated and fed up? If you have kids, you’ll know all too well how triggering it is when they throw a tantrum and you instantly feel the same anger and frustration that they are projecting at you, and the challenge in staying calm and grounded which is what they need from you in that moment. Perhaps you wake up in a bad mood and you end up taking it out on the people closest to you, projecting your negative energy onto them. On reflection, you know that if you were feeling good, you would have treated them in a completely different way. Maybe you are an empath, and you feel others pain as your own.
It is so important to protect our energy, working 1-1 with clients I know this from experience. Whilst empathy is essential in creating a peaceful and loving world, I know that in order to hold safe space for others and ensure I don't experience 'compassion fatigue', it is essential that I protect my own energy.
But how do you do this? Here are some tips
