dear one,

today is all about death and rebirth.

as we are preparing to close this container, i am reflecting on the beauty in endings and new beginnings, and especially the gift of death, the ultimate ending we feel profoundly uncomfortable sitting with.

death inspires such emotional turmoil and such fear.

yet, without death, we can not truly appreciate life.

so many of us squander our youth as we feel that we have forever ahead of us.

later, we wake up to what it means to be fully alive.

we give up so much fullness of life because of fear. everything we fear and everything we resist is the death of our ego - the persona we have created, the identity that we believed we needed to be in order to survive.

the irony is that resistance to this death is what keeps us stuck in patterns of lifeless living.

the only way to be truly free is to allow the idea of ourselves to gracefully die.

the caterpillar needs to die to give birth to the butterfly.

i invite you to reflect upon the image of yourself that you are leaving behind and the forgotten parts that you are welcoming back to the feast of this beautiful creative live.

you will hold your own rebirthing ceremony.

please bring:
- some of the art you have created in the portal
- pen and paper
- a candle & matches
- a little bowl of water (or snow/ice if you have access to it where you are)
- flowers, herbs, essential oils - anything you would use to make a potpourri that speaks to you
- celebratory drink of your choice

watch my video for guidance in creating your own ceremony. make space for grieving the parts of yourself that you are letting go. even the best of transformations is accompanied by grief. allow yourself to feel it as you write down the old identities your are letting go of - one by one, as if you were peeling off layers of clothing - burn them in the fire, and let them go as they get consumed in the bowl of water or ice that you’ve prepared.

then take a deep breath and look at all the lost pieces of yourself that you have welcomed back. celebrate the heck out who you are. keep a journal to remind you of the treasure you are uncovering. keep track of what makes you come alive, and let everything else go.

love always,

-anca.