“Everyone is a moon, and has a dark side which he never shows to anybody.” 
― Mark Twain

Happy Monday beautiful hearts! As we celebrate Halloween in the Eastern Hemisphere, we also have occasion to celebrate the Black New Moon. This magical New Moon in Scorpio is offering all of our hearts a beautiful chance to truly dig into the heart of our desires and passions.  This sliver of the moon is offering  illumination and clarification of our desires.  The New Moon in the energy of Scorpio asks that we shed the old skins of outdated constructs as we begin awakening to the light within.  

Scorpio invites us to travel deep within our subconscious and explore the intuitive gifts and desires that have perhaps been lying dormant.  Often times these treasures lie under the bedrock of our insecurities, fears, shame, and doubts.  As we travel deeper into the realms of the subconscious, we are likely to meet shadow parts of 'Self.'  

Often times when we think of the shadow self, we might find ourselves in aversion, but the shadow parts of self are the parts that need to be bathed in light.  These are the parts of ourselves that when gently held are re-illuminated.  As we look up into the wild skies of night, the dazzling stars and moon require darkness to be seen.  We too need this darkness so that our lights can shine.  

Perhaps we find our authentic voice silenced.  Maybe we have set aside key elements of 'Self' in order to fit into the world?  Or maybe we have forfeited our power because we don't feel worthy to be heard.  Regardless of the story, this New Moon is inviting us to travel deep within and reconnect to the awakened spirit that lives within.  

It is in these caverns of self that we are able to notice all that has been hidden and as we begin to emerge from the cocoon of our darkness.  As we excavate our darkness and begin to touch the heart of self, know that the energies of the Universe are supporting us with a magnanimous amount of grace.  This is the perfect energetic time to reconnect to your authentic, passionate and powerful self.  Plant your seeds of desired intention.  Ask for what you want and know that you are worthy to receive.  

As a fellow blogger shared, "Can you see it's just the two sides of the same coin?  Can you see that playing with one allows you to play with the other?"

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Friday beautiful hearts!  Loving this talk by Elizabeth Gilbert.  Such poignant moments of relation.  In this talk she shares that we often find ourselves on either side of the spectrum-either we recognize success and are blinded by the glare of fame, or perhaps on the other continuum we move into failure and are blinded by the glare of darkness. 

She encourages her audience to find the way back home.   Back home to something that you love more than yourself.  And when you find this home-maybe it's teaching, preaching, creativity, writing, healing, etc. build your house on it.  

So today my friends I invite you to dig deep into your own lives and answer her question...."What do you love more than yourself?"  And then devote your life to that time and time again.

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

Hi beautiful hearts!  Today is bursting at the seams with gratitude!  I am so excited to share that I had another article published on Elephant Journal yesterday.  Click this link to check it out:).  

Today the landscape looks brighter, dreams appear closer and love seems to be everywhere.  The energy of gratitude is pulsating in my heart and I can feel it all around.  As you pause for a moment, can you feel the energy of gratitude pulsating all around you?  Lean into it.  Allow it to cause a smile to spread across your face.  Breathe in.  Yes.  This is gratitude.  Give yourself some goosebumps!!  This stuff is magic!!

I think back to a coaching class where we learned about powerful questions and my mind drifts back to a question from my coach Michael, "What is your dream for this lifetime?"  

Well my friends, writing is for sure my dream of this lifetime.  Ever since I was a little girl I have felt connected and plugged into Spirit in such a way that my heart yearns to write and share with others.  There was a point in my life where I felt very self conscious, unprepared, uncertain, and quite honestly not ready to be seen.  Fast forward a few years and here I stand.  In the midst of this profound truth of my life I find connection and inspiration. I find myself ready to announce-  "I am Sarah, and I am a writer."  Not from an 'Egoic' place, but from a profound place of humbleness and gratitude.  

I know that we all have a gift to share with the world and sometimes our hardest task is embracing it and saying yes.  Yes I will serve.  Yes I will share.  Yes, use me Spirit.  

I hope that you reconnect to your dream of this lifetime.  Own it.  Become it.  Cherish it.  Nurture it.  Create space for it.  Practice it.  Announce to Spirit, the Universe, your puppies, a tree, your community of friends that you do indeed have a unique gift to share with the world.  

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for allowing me to share my gift with you:).

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Good morning beautiful hearts!  This quote comes from one of my favorite books by Elif Shafak.  Her prose is woven around the relationship between Rumi and his spiritual master Shams of Tabriz.  If you haven't checked this book out, I'd highly suggest it.  It is a delightful tale, and even more so an urging to all hearts everywhere- fill your life and heart with more love.  

The quotes from this book could overflow the layers of my heart, but I felt that this one really spoke to the climate of the outer and inner landscapes of many peoples lives at this time.  The richness of four lines offers deep space for reflection.  As I look into the stunning landscape of fall, I am again reminded that perhaps this season of holding on and letting go is preparing all of us for a new season of life.  "How do you know that the side you are used to is better than the one to come?"

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  Over the past several years many communities have made strides in identifying and acknowledging the stresses of modern day living.  In this brilliant TED talk by Kelly McGonigal, she encourages her audience to redefine their identification towards 'stress.'  

How would your relationship with stress change, if you transformed your thoughts and actions towards it?  As Kelly suggests, viewing the stress response as helpful, we are able to create within us a biology of courage.  And if that wasn't mind-blowing enough, as we connect with others, we create resilience.  

The next time you find yourself in a stressful situation, can you begin thinking and acting in a way that your stress might be transformed?  Create resilience through your connections!  Learn to make stress your friend.

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah

Happy Monday beautiful hearts!  The other day I caught up with a friend and she shared this amazing cleansing ritual with me.  I had never heard of Ho'oponopono, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a new life changing ritual in my daily practice:). 
According to the Encyclopedia, Ho'oponopono, is an ancient Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness.  As we peer into our lives may we begin to practice forgiveness in even more profound ways.  

Here's the story: (from laughteronlineuniversity.com)
"Have you heard of the Hawaiian therapist who cured an entire ward of criminally insane patients, without ever meeting any of them or spending a moment in the same room? It’s not a joke. The therapist was Dr. Ihaleakala Hew Len. He reviewed each of the patients’ files, and then he healed them by healing himself.

The amazing results seem like a miracle, but then miracles do happen when you use Ho’oponopono, or Dr. Len’s updated version called Self I-Dentity Through Ho’oponopono (SITH). I had the pleasure of attending one of his lectures a few years ago and started practicing Ho’oponopono immediately. The results are often astounding. Do you need a miracle?"  

There are four simple steps to this method, and the order is not that important. Repentance, Forgiveness, Gratitude and Love are the only forces at work – but these forces have amazing power.
​
The best part of the updated version of Ho’oponopono is you can do it yourself, you don’t need anyone else to be there, you don’t need anyone to hear you. You can “say” the words in your head. The power is in the feeling and in the willingness of the Universe to forgive and love.

Step 1: Repentance – I’M SORRY
As I mention above, you are responsible for everything in your mind, even if it seems to be “out there.” Once you realize that, it’s very natural to feel sorry.  

So choose something that you already know you’ve caused for yourself? Over-weight? Addicted to nicotine, alcohol or some other substance? Do you have anger issues? Health problems? Start there and say you’re sorry. That’s the whole step: I’M SORRY. Although I think it is more powerful if you say it more clearly: “I realize that I am responsible for the (issue) in my life and I feel terrible remorse that something in my consciousness has caused this.”

Step 2: Ask Forgiveness – PLEASE FORGIVE ME
Don’t worry about who you’re asking. Just ask! PLEASE FORGIVE ME. Say it over and over. Mean it. Remember your remorse from step 1 as you ask to be forgiven.

Step 3: Gratitude – THANK YOU
Say “THANK YOU” – again it doesn’t really matter who or what you’re thanking. Thank your body for all it does for you. Thank yourself for being the best you can be. Thank God. Thank the Universe. Thank whatever it was that just forgave you. Just keep saying THANK YOU.

Step 4: Love – I LOVE YOUThis can also be step 1. Say I LOVE YOU. Say it to your body, say it to God. Say I LOVE YOU to the air you breathe, to the house that shelters you. Say I LOVE YOU to your challenges. Say it over and over. Mean it. Feel it. There is nothing as powerful as Love.

That’s it. The whole practice in a nutshell. Simple and amazingly effective.


May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

“Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” 
― Gautama Buddha

"To be clear: If you want something you have to go get it, you have to work for it, & you have to be patient while you build up for it.  But at the same time, understand that every opportunity isn't for you.  You'll have to learn when to pass, when to let go,
​& accept that you gave it your all."  
~Sylvester McNutt III

Happy Thankful Thursday beautiful hearts!  Today I am so excited to celebrate the second birthday of Sweetly Seeking.  I can hardly believe that this dream of mine has been in existence for the past two years.  I'm totally breaking into a dance move in my computer chair:).

This past year has been chalked full of life lessons.  Professionally growing my skill set and personally, diving into my own work.  I feel so profoundly blessed.  So many insights, tears, revelations, connections, and underneath all of it- gratitude for the ability to have a platform to share.  

I will forever be grateful to my coach and mentor Michael, who has asked me to lean into some of life's most powerful questions.  A question that repeatedly comes to the forefront of my life is, "If you were not operating on what someone else wants for you, what would you want?"

So today my friends I ask you this question.  What would you want? I invite you to explore in your own life.  Feel around and notice how the next 24 hours of your life supports your wants.  Lean into your discomforts. Honor your emotions.  Listen to the subtle energy all around you.  Honor your blessings from the Universe.  Express your heart!  Create.  Dream.  Envision.  Plan.  Feel yourself being infinitely supported!

Sweetly Seeking was born from one of my 'wants.'  I wanted to connect with others and I desired a way in which I could honor the craft of writing.  So today I want to say a BIG thank you to all of you who have been in the Sweetly Seeking community, and to those new hearts checking in,  I hope you'll stay for a while.   May we invest in our wants and grow our desires.  May we move forward into possibilities.  

My wish on this second birthday is that the year ahead will hold more of our 'wants.' May we move forward feeling supported and loved.  May we encounter grace as we soar to uncharted heights, and may we be sweetly held in moments of stillness.  May we continually plant the seeds of our hearts and earnestly harvest them.  

Thank you my dear friends for your love and support!  I hope you can feel me hugging you and sending you so much love:)

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah 

Happy Wednesday beautiful hearts!  I was searching for words of wisdom the other day and I stumbled across this quote by Brene Brown.  As soon as I saw it, I fell in love all over again.  

Our life is the biggest arena we'll ever stand in and a money back guarantee is that we will all get our asses kicked.  Perhaps by individuals, by life, by death, by our fears, our dreams, and our unlimited possibilities, but if we don't put ourselves out there, we'll never know.  

Digesting this quote, I am reminded that it is far better to be seen and creating than wondering 'what if?'  'What if' you get to the end of your life with a song in your heart, a book in your imagination, a painting at your fingertips, regrets about how you loved?  How would your life be different if you expanded your awareness of what is to what could be?  Who might you attract into your life?  How would you spend your time?  How could getting your ass kicked serve as motivation for creating the most authentic expression of YOU?  

As you stand in this arena, take it all in.  Gaze into the crowd and notice those supporting you and those rooting against you.  Breathe in your victories and shake off your defeats.  Gather up your lessons and make sure to extend compassion to yourself as you integrate new understandings.  Life is going on around you and you are being called to 'show up.'  Don't let the nay sayers on the sidelines of life determine your limits.  There will be people that will try to persuade you, dissuade you, and convince you otherwise, but as my coach Michael always says, "The world needs your unique constellation of energy!"  How would your life change if you were willing to be recognized by your unique energy?   

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
Sarah 

“Real isn't how you are made,' said the Skin Horse. 'It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.'

'Does it hurt?' asked the Rabbit. 

'Sometimes,' said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful.
​'When you are Real you don't mind being hurt.' 

'Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,' he asked, 'or bit by bit?' 

'It doesn't happen all at once,' said the Skin Horse. 'You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.
​But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.” 
― Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit

Happy Tuesday beautiful hearts!  I have always adored the book, The Velveteen Rabbit.  Have you ever experienced it?  It has been years since I have read it in its entirety, but I have this quote hanging beside my front door, and each day I am reminded that life is tenderly loving the world into 'Realness.'  

As I think of this realness, I can't help but think of my sweet niece.  Her love is so pure and uncensored.  She meets the moments of her life with excitement and wonder.  She is quick to embrace, to discover, and to uncover the gifts of 'Now.'  She's simply love- engaged with life, full of wonder, trusting, and oh so real.  Her tears roll sweetly down her petal cheeks and just as quickly as they came, a smile breaks across her lips.  She gently announces that she is ready to climb 'up up up' the staircase.  Her fingers nimble to experience the shapes of life.  Her breath taken away by each new sight.  Her heart brimming with unconditional love.  She is the realest person I know, and by far the coolest:).

As I spend time with her, I feel the armor of adulthood melting away.  All of the silliness disappears and I become enthralled in her world.  My layers of protection, disappointment, and sadness- all of the detours and plot twists of my life suddenly seem inconsequential as I gaze into her beaming blue eyes.  All moments brought me to this one with her.  She continually reminds me to devour this moment and then the next.  We giggle and gaze, and my heart grows even fonder of this precious soul that I am blessed to call my niece.  

Who in your life is reminding you that 'When you are really loved, you are becoming real?'  Real is beautiful.  Real is bold.  Real is messy.  Real is so totally in style.  

May you awaken and revel in your realness!!

May You Sweetly Seek:)
In Gratitude, 
​Sarah