The Awkward Inner Teenager, and the Thrill of Living Fully

I just saw the Oscar-nominated film “Ladybird” and it brought me right back to my own teen years, and the teen years of my daughter. 

What I loved about the film was that it held the frequently awkward space of intimacy, both within the self and with others, in a beautifully sacred way.  For the buried teen within us, it resurrects and celebrates that uniquely joyous, sometimes painful, hormonally chaotic and precious time of emerging individuality and loss of innocence.  It reminds us of what it feels like to play without knowing the rules; to feel your way through this huge thing that is life.

That teen in me seems to be saying hello lately, even as older age, on paper or by wrinkles, might project an image of wisdom.

I moved two weeks ago, and that particular event turned my life rather upside down. It was a happy, positive move, but it still created an upheaval and thrust me into unknown territory. I’ve felt kind of like an awkward teenager again, just like the heroine of Ladybird. Considering the past year’s political climate, the chaotic weather patterns, and the rollercoaster stock market this month, you might also find yourself feeling, as I do, just a little out of control.

When I was unpacking, I unearthed an old bumper sticker I had stashed away a while ago.  The bumper sticker says, “Let Go, Let Goddess.”  That’s been my mantra since I gratefully (and with perfect synchronicity) found it again! 

Letting go and allowing a higher power (whatever that is for you) to carry you through difficult, unknown times is a lifesaver; it can return you to the thrill of living fully.

It can make you feel like a teen again – alive – and experiencing your life unfolding with all the tumble of emotions that humans get to have.  As challenging as having emotions can be, I still wouldn’t trade them for numbness.

We all have within us a brilliant force of life and creativity that can’t be squashed.  Like the teen in Ladybird, it can take us into some very uncomfortable emotional places and also to the heights of bliss.  Learning to trust it and let it take the reins, in order to recreate your life, is the essence of walking a spiritual path.  As a teen, that authentic force can move mightily; but as adults, we might need to unlearn a lot of conditioning and release the resistance to change that we acquire as we age — in order to unleash that force’s life-imbuing power.

All the healing work I offer is given with the spirit of supporting you in peeling back the suffocating layers, in order to reclaim your authentic self.

Over and over, the repressed divine self will call to you – in your dreams or fantasies, and in real-life opportunities. In order to return to feeling fully alive, we need to listen to that inner voice. We need to let go of the past and risk being present to the whirlwind of the here and now. We need to release the old patterns that prohibit us from taking on life as an unknown adventure, as it was in our earlier years. Finding that sacred, risk-taking hero or heroine within can be downright thrilling.

I love shamanic journeying and guided meditations because they are often a grand adventure.  Just like life, you’ll never know what you’ll find if you just let go and be present within the shamanic journey or meditation. Shamanic journeying and meditation can reveal guidance you’d never dreamed of, and insights that have been beyond your reach.