Exploration into the labyrinth

Today we are heading to the lavender labyrinth in Shelby, Michigan.

I was previously unaware of the powers of the labyrinth and it's ability to put one in a trance-like state, and moreover why that could be useful.  I wasn't taking this trip for me, per se, but for the sisters that I have been working with in the Red Tent group that I am apart of.  Slowly but surely one by one had to drop off due to lack of spoons, that is, the need for self care due to illness- both visable and invisible.  So our 3 car caravan has dropped to one car.
Things are as they are. 

The plans for the day were altered, but only slightly.  My husband, daughter and I headed out at about 11:30 to make the long drive.  Our journey will take us today to the shores of Lake Michigan.

I have a great resonace with the Great Lakes, and as a child in Michigan, always have.  When I was very small, my family lived in a small town just off of Lake Superior.  The lake was so large that it could be heard from our home a few miles away.  My baby and toddler days were spent being sang lulablies from the lake, and so the sound of waves has always brought me peace. 

Each lake has a voice, and Michigan's is the deep and strong voice of a stern, yet loving father figure.  I turn to the lake for guidance when I am lost in my life.  I should say, I've pretty much been lost since 2012 or so.  I'm finding my way.  I intersect my path from time to time.

When I do, the power and resolution of my footsteps are felt by everyone around me. Which, as a person who has always been known as someone's daughter, little sister or someone's friend is more than slightly terrifying.  When I was small, I always dreamed of being on an adventure base television show, where I sang and talked to no one in particular; sharing my wisdom with only the air around me.

I have learned I am a catalyst for better people with more important life lessons.  The fact that I may actually be important in my own right is foreign.  I have largely been adrift much of this time, with occasional powerful moments of clarity that encourage me to keep going on my path, as long as I wasn't taking up too much space or breathing too much air.

So, when I say to you that you have permission to breathe air and take up space, know I am telling myself that as well.

We all have struggle, some public, some private, all important to us.  Some of us didn't make it through our struggles and live there, reliving our trauma again and again in the nightly recap our brains do for us.  Some have opted to recreate the same trauma.  Still others have bound themselves with the idea of trauma and have a hard time stepping away: instead choosing to run from emergency to emergency.  There is always a choice, though, that must be understood.  Some may call these folks drama queens, or other derogatory terms, but let's see this for what it is, a bond with trauma as parent, as lover or as teacher.

These are our lessons that we place at the altar.  What is placed on the altar is altered.
May you find peace and clarity today.
May you confidently take up space in your chosen place.
May you breathe deep the air, and feel purpose in your lungs.
May you love and be loved.