Three Steps on the Path of Love

By Jovanna | Published: February 10, 2012

On Saturday morning, I’m setting off on a week long journey with my sweetheart. We are flying to a small island in the Caribbean to feel the sand between our toes and the sun on our faces. We both love to swim in the warm ocean water. I imagine us playing in the embrace of nature and enjoying one another’s company. We’ll be spending Valentine’s Day together and I’m sure there will be some sweet gestures exchanged. Yet what I am most grateful for is our ability to ride together on the wave of relationship, the wave that brings a continuum of closeness and separation, confidence and confusion. By taking this journey to the warmth we are purposely ‘creating space’ to nourish our relationship.

It is so important to create space for living the life of your dreams. Last Saturday an amazing group gathered to take part in my workshop ‘Inviting In Love’. I am so proud of the participants. Each one of them had their own story that brought them to sign up for ‘Love’. In our ceremony we ‘walked on the path of love’ and ‘drank from the cup of love’. We witnessed in one another the willingness to ‘be love’. We shared a beautiful afternoon together. I’d love to have you join me at my next workshop “Inviting In Balance”, on Saturday, March 3rd.

This week in celebration of Valentine’s Day I offer you three steps on the path of love.

Three Steps on the Path of Love

Several mornings a week I awake early and travel through the darkness to the Moksha (hot) Yoga Studio. It’s actually very easy for me to commit to this practice. When my alarm goes off I just picture the warm studio and me in my first posture, lying on my back in corpse pose. I love hot yoga! Every day I hear words of wisdom spoken in the context of yoga and I draw those insights into my everyday life. My practice has a huge impact on my life off the mat. Today I offer the words so beautifully spoken by one of my teachers, Marion. She is from Germany and now lives in Montreal but occasionally she spends a week or two teaching at our studio offering her beautiful voice and her fresh perspective that is infused with gentleness, fun and wisdom.

Here are three steps (via Marion) on the path of love…

“Let yourself be guided.” When I first heard Marion say this, I felt such a sense of relief. It is so beautiful to be willing to let yourself be guided, in a challenging yoga class by a trusted teacher, by a therapist through deep emotional work or by the force of love always encouraging you to take the higher road.

“Be willing to go somewhere you’ve never been.” Why not try something new? Of course you don’t feel completely comfortable but the perspective offered by a new ‘place’ can be so life affirming, even exhilarating. Finding the path of love often feels awkward but once there you’ll notice an unwavering feeling of solid ground.

“Open your heart and let your light shine.” Remember that you ALWAYS have a choice. The world needs you. It needs you to caste your light illuminating a better way.

Do you walk on the path of love in your day-to-day life? Do you respond from a from a place of love and openness rather than a place of fear and protection? What choices will you make moment to moment during your day today?

Posted in ceremony, life's simple pleasures, practices, trust, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

A Rainbow in Your Hand

By Jovanna | Published: January 27, 2012

Over and over my life has been ‘saved’ by my ability to find the extraordinary in the ordinary. People who know me well will tell you that I often stop and point out something ordinary that brings me awe…the white clouds moving through the blue sky, the spiral in the centre of an echinacea flower, the cicada ‘singing’ in the summer heat, the luxurious taste of water. I seem to experience these simple occurrences for the very first time again and again.

This ability to see the divine in the mundane ‘saves’ me when my inner critic grinds my optimistic view of life to a sudden halt. Each of us has a critical voice as part of our inner repertoire. Mine tends to shout out boldly whenever I venture into new and exciting territory. This happens to be the very terrain that I walk every day as I ‘imagine’ my work through Welcome Home into life. Today as I was preparing this blog post I found myself with absolutely nothing of importance to say. My inner critic was having a hey day! I was frozen in my tracks.

Fortunately today it took only a slight shift in perspective to silence the voice of my critic and replace it with a sense of deep awe (see the video below).

How can you find the extraordinary in the ordinary of your life today? Look around and you’ll notice many things calling for a shift in your perspective.

Run the water in the sink, add the suds and really feel the slippery warmth.

Pour a glass of water and as you drink it, notice the pleasure of your thirst being quenched.

Light a candle and let yourself be wowed by the quality of the light and shadow.

Make a cup of tea and enjoy the pattern of the steam.

If you gaze at just about anything for long enough your view will expand to a perspective of appreciation.

Take a look at the fourth in my series of imperfect videos “A Rainbow in Your Hand”. It highlights the shift that can happen when you invite the extraordinary into your home through a sunny window.

Posted in beauty, ceremony, life's simple pleasures, practices, Uncategorized, water | 8 Comments

Believe In Beauty

By Jovanna | Published: January 13, 2012

Do you know that you are beautiful beyond belief? It’s true. Each and every one of you is absolutely beautiful. It’s easy to see it in others. We see their kindness, their unique ability and the shine in their eyes. It’s often more difficult to see our own beauty. We are much better at noticing our flaws. But where does that get us… depressed, disappointed and unhappy. Aligning with your beauty is a lifeline to contentment.

What if I told you that believing in your own beauty only takes a slight turn of your head?

Try this. The next time you look in the mirror and notice something less than perfect, look deeper and find something beautiful…your eyes, your smile, the dimples in your cheeks. Finding flaws is simply a habit. For some reason that made sense at the time, you decided your job was to criticize rather than compliment. Starting today, you are no longer going to let yourself indulge in ways that are familiar but negative, you are going to try something new and life affirming. You are going to make it your job to give yourself some good lovin’. You are going to believe in your beauty. Here’s how!

Every time you notice something you don’t like about yourself say this mantra. “I am beautiful so beautiful. I am beautiful through and through!” No matter how far you evolve, you’ll always have some negative self-talk so why not let that negativity become a reminder for positivity. It’s quite magical when you commit to this practice.

In my work through my business Welcome Home, I help women create sacred space in their homes and in their lives. We clear clutter to simplify life and create personal ceremony to celebrate life. Ceremony is a beautiful way to step out of the day-to-day and take conscious actions to usher in a change.

Change takes courage. Imagining a new self is not easy especially if you keep your new vision somewhere way out there on the horizon. You need to place that vision within yourself. Here are three personal ceremonies that will help you live your beauty from the inside out.

The first one is a ‘whisper’ ceremony. Stand up…right now, yes, stand up and say to yourself…“I am standing up for myself. I am beautiful through and through.” Whispered ceremonies take almost no time and yet they can have a profound effect.

Here’s another. Cast a ‘spell’ on yourself with your words and let your inner beauty shine through. Take a deep breath in and say, “My inner beauty shines through my body. My body shines with inner beauty.”

The next personal ceremony takes some time, but you’re worth it!
Write a letter to yourself from a place of compassion and love. Say things like, “You are trying so hard to… You are getting very good at… I am proud of you for…”. Then go to the post office and buy a pretty stamp and put the letter in the mailbox. When you receive it, make a cup of tea, light a candle and sit in a comfy chair. As you read it, really take it in.

You can also make a short video and give yourself a compassionate “talkin’ to”. Mine moves me every time I watch it and always helps me find a more positive perspective.

As my special gift to you I am offering you a peak at my latest practice.

Believe in Beauty

Beauty has the power to permeate even the most cluttered space. If you BELIEVE IN BEAUTY you can manifest amazing changes in your home. Begin by creating an arrangement of something you find beautiful in each room of your home. Arrange flowers in a vase, light a candle at the dinner table or in the room where you read, frame a favorite photo or place some special stones or shells on your coffee table. Then BELIEVE IN BEAUTY by tending this arrangement every day. Water it, dust it, light it or rearrange it. Purposely clearing a space and tending beauty will give your heart a place to rest and will act as a beacon leading you to the change that you are envisioning in your home. BELIEVING IN BEAUTY teaches you how to care for your home and in time it will teach you how to care for yourself.

Posted in beauty, ceremony, practices, visual peace | Leave a comment

Whispering in the New Year

By Jovanna | Published: January 1, 2012

It’s 2012! It’s a whole new year.

I love new beginnings. Each new year, new week, new day and new moment is infused with potential. There is so much that is unknown and yet you can take steps to consciously create the tone that follows.

The practice of personal ceremony is a lovely way to consciously create. Personal ceremony can be as simple as making a wish while blowing on the seeds of a dandelion or as complex as performing a wedding ceremony. Ceremony is a way of honouring the transitions in your life and fueling your desires. The beauty of personal ceremony is that it’s all about YOU. It uses symbols and actions that are authentic to YOU to create moments that have great meaning for YOU.

Today on the first day of this new year, you might be tired from the excitement of the holidays. You might need some rest and some nourishment. A day like today is a perfect day for a practice I call ‘whispering’ a ceremony. Whispering a ceremony is very simple and yet it is a powerful way to make it known to yourself and to the universe that you are awake and aware and willing to consciously create your life. Whispering a personal ceremony takes just a few minutes and yet it can bring a remarkable shift to the quality of a moment and the quality of your life.

Are you curious? Are you ready to try it? Begin by standing up right now as you are reading this and say out loud “I stand up in my life in new and wonderful ways. I believe in myself”. Take a deep breath in and out. Feel the shift that enters your body. Then say it again. “I stand up in my life in new and wonderful ways. I believe in myself”. Take another breath in and out.

You’ve just ‘whispered’ a personal ceremony! It’s that easy!

You can create your own ‘whispers’ that have special meaning for you. I will offer you a few suggestions to get you started. Try one or two as you move through your day and use your imagination to create your own.

Open your front door and take in a deep breath. Then as you breath out say, “I am here, I am present, I am open to all that I have to give and all that life has to offer”.

As you go for a walk today at some point take notice of your steps and say, “ I am walking on my path. I know the way of my own truth”.

Look up at the sky and say, “I know that the possibilities for my life are limitless”.

Light a candle and say “ I light this candle to illuminate the infinite potential for myself in the coming year.”

When I ‘whisper’ a ceremony I don’t usually plan it. I like to see what comes to me in the moment. I light a candle and wait to see what words come to my mind and what feelings enter my heart. Sometimes a pause is necessary before anything arises. In this way, personal ceremony can be an invitation for your intuition to come to life. Your intuition is waiting just below the surface of your awareness. It is waiting for the invitation to come to your consciousness to support you in making choices in your life.

Personal ceremony is so easy when you ‘whisper’ it into life. It can be deeply moving and so much fun!

I’m wishing you a beautiful year of life ahead, one that you create through your intention and support with conscious action.

I’d love to hear of your experiences of ‘whispering’.

Posted in ceremony, new beginnings, practices | 6 Comments

A Golden Ceremony

By Jovanna | Published: December 23, 2011

I bow my head in gratitude for the experience of having taken part in my mentor Christine Kane’s Gold Mastermind this past year. The 30 women (and one amazing man) that I shared the journey with have become dear friends. We gathered from across North America to step into our brilliance so that we could share our gifts with the world in more profound ways.

There is a power in joining together with a group of like ‘hearts’. Each of us held the light for one another and because of the power of Christine’s teaching and the love of the group we have all been changed.

My vision for my work has expanded way beyond my imagination. The landscape out ahead is vast and I hope that many of you will journey with me through my mentoring program, ceremony circles and personal ceremony consultations to a life of conscious action with a tone of freedom and celebration.

My gift to you is an inside glimpse of the ceremony that I facilitated for my Gold group’s graduation. Picture a beautiful group of women who have stretched beyond their limitations and who have come together to acknowledge the change within themselves and their love for one another.

A Golden Ceremony

Several members of my Gold group were having dinner together at an event our mentor was hosting. During our conversation I acknowledged ‘knowing’ that offering personal ceremony was my gift and I suggested that I needed a ceremony to step into my work in a powerful way. This led to a request by the group for me to facilitate a graduation ceremony for our Gold group. I took a deep breath in and although I was thinking, “how will I find the time and the energy to plan this ceremony by tomorrow afternoon?”, I said, “Yes of course, I would love to!”

During the next 20 hours I dreamed the ceremony into life. I engaged in a process which is familiar to me, one that I trust. It is a creative process with a mix of action, waiting, opening, and receiving. It’s a collaborative process between myself and what I call the energy of Love. After a dream filled night I awoke with the beginning of a structure for our ceremony knowing there were still several hours in the day for it to come together.

By noon, after walking by the lake during our breaks and imaging the places we would stand, the actions we would take, and the things we would say, the ceremony was almost complete. I received one piece quite magically as I talked to a woman who was not part of Gold but who was attending the event and was outside for a break and curious about what I was up to.

I explained that I was preparing for a ceremony and I told her about the significance of the rose bushes that we would be touching to secure the memory of Gold. The soft petals would signify the beauty of our time together and the barbs the challenges each one of us had come up against.

Erin offered a quote by Abraham Lincoln…” You can be upset that a rose bush has thorns or happy that a thorn bush has roses.” I smiled and thanked her as I told her that this would beautifully illustrate our mentor’s teaching of the importance of mindset in creating a conscious life.

At 5:30 the Gold group met at the back door and stepped outside under the awning. The sound of the rain was a lovely accompaniment as we symbolically retraced the steps of our journey over the past year. Each of us in turn took our place in the center of the circle and listened as our sisters shared our amazing qualities…kindness, generosity, brilliance, …persistence. After this sharing we spoke each woman’s name followed by, “we hold you in your light”.

The rain stopped so we ventured along the walkway toward the rose bushes. I have a lovely visual image of the group of us touching the roses with the “oohs” and “aahs” and “ows”! Then we circled again and as a gentle warm rain began to fall we each recounted one memory we would carry with us and chose a symbol that would remind us of our time in Gold. For me it was the joy of being a part of our group. The laughter and our smiling faces will be recalled whenever I see a daisy.

We joined hands and I offered our final motion, one that had come from something our mentor had mentioned just that afternoon in our session. She said that her vision of a mastermind was one where a group joins hands and moves purposefully together in the same direction. The Gold group joined hands for one last time and ran up the steps toward the doors of the hotel and shouted Whooo Hoooo!

Inside we were greeted by a tray of champagne glasses filled with mineral water. This is the photo of us offering a toast to the entire Gold group.

And this is the photo (artistry by Laurie McCarrier) of the Gold group raising a toast to Christine Kane, our mentor extraordinaire who led us this past year along the golden path. We are forever changed by our experience.

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Visual Peace

By Jovanna | Published: December 16, 2011

The holiday season can be an especially challenging time to keep your home in order. No matter how much you simplify your relationship to the holidays there are always friends to visit, presents to purchase and wrap, cards to write, new recipes to try out. I know that I am especially good at leaving a messy ‘wake’ behind me this time of year as I move more quickly from one activity to the next. Creating visual peace is a wonderful way to regain your equilibrium.

Visual Peace

Creating visual peace is an easy and satisfying way to make a big difference in your home in a short amount of time. It is a simple process that can bring immediate gratification and build momentum in caring for your home.

Visual peace works from the outside in. Observing things that are purposely placed (especially when they’ve just been a mess) gives you an inner sense of wellbeing. Sometimes that’s all it takes to alter your mood and although creating visual peace doesn’t’ address the underlying problem of closets stuffed to overflowing, dirty dishes piled in the sink, a dirty floor, undone laundry, unsorted mail…just taking the time to create some visual peace can be motivation to go to these other more challenging places.

Let’s begin in the bedroom.

It takes about 3 minutes to transform the largest surface areas of a bedroom from messy to organized. Start by making the bed. Consolidate the piles of clothes into one. You could even toss them into the closet (please don’t tell anyone I said this!). If there are papers strewn about, pile them together neatly. Take any empty glasses or cups to the kitchen. Then stand back and look and say out loud, “Oh, how nice…this place is looking good!” Then take a deep breath and let out an audible sigh.

Next let’s move on to the bathroom. Take the sloppily hung towels and fold them neatly over the bars. Wipe out the sink and shine the faucets. Straighten the rugs and take a wet tissue and swish it around in the corners of the floor.

Now for the kitchen…first take all the dishes strewn about the counter and stack them neatly in a pile or put them in the sink. Ah, suddenly a clear counter! Next, clear off the table. Making space on these horizontal surfaces creates instant visual peace. Put the chairs neatly around the table. Oh, my gosh, three minutes of moving strategically makes a huge difference.

Notice that you’re beginning to be infused with energy. You’re gaining momentum. You’re starting to look for other things to do. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve set out only to put the dishes in the sink and wipe off the counters and instantly gathered enough energy to wash, wipe and put them away. It’s like magic. How about making some magic happen in your home!

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A “Garden” of Roses

By Jovanna | Published: November 28, 2011

A simple bouquet of roses can remind you about the qualities of joy, beauty, abundance, vitality and creativity. When you create space for beauty in your home, a whole world of possibility opens to you.

This is the second in my series of “imperfect” videos as I take steps to hone my skills in the world of videography.

You might have noticed my foot resting on a root in my last video. My knee is making a guest appearance in this video. Enjoy!

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House Blessing

By Jovanna | Published: November 11, 2011

I remember the first time I entered my new home after the closing date.  An acquaintance had suggested that I carry something really special inside that very first time. I think the idea was to acknowledge the special place home holds.  By bringing something dear to you inside the very first time you are expressing a conscious intention for your life in your home.  I thought long and hard about what that item would be.  Maybe I would bring a candle to signify that light and warmth would always be present in my new home.  Perhaps a beautiful shell would express my connection to nature. Or I could bring in a bouquet of colourful flowers to encourage beauty in my new home.

As I pondered my decision of what to bring in it really began to sink in what a big deal it was to have recently separated and now to be purchasing a home on my own. That’s when I knew what I would bring.

When I took the keys out of my pocket and turned them in the lock for the very first time, I brought something that was absolutely precious inside…I brought me!

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I decided to have a House Blessing before I moved my furniture in my new home. I asked several of my closest friends to join me in the blessing.  We gathered on a beautiful summer afternoon in a circle on the floor in my empty living room.  I had placed a white sheet and some white candles and a clear glass bowl with water in the center.  I spoke about my hopes for my life in my new home and then we sang, made noise, burned sage and celebrated in each and every corner of the house.

It was summer and I admit that although I wanted my friends to help me shift the energy from the previous owners to mine, I was worried what my neighbours would think about all the noise we were making.  Fortunately no one came knocking on the door and we were able to carry on uninhibited.

After our celebration I came out front to say goodbye to my friends and the young boy next door whom I hadn’t met yet said, “What was all that racket coming from your house?”  I gulped preparing myself for the first of many potential questions about my activities.  When I told him that I’d asked my friends over to bless my new home with drumming and singing, he said, “You should have asked me, I could have brought my guitar!”

Later I realized that my neighbourhood was filled with noise at all hours of the day and night.  Whether it was the young woman on the corner beautifully singing her Italian arias, the unknown man on the other side of the block practicing his saxaphone, the girlband across the street that was preparing for their debut or the happy drunks finding their way home from the bars on a Saturday night.  It was a relief to have moved into a neighbourhood where anything goes. And I wondered, with this newfound freedom, who I was about to become. I was grateful that my home, newly blessed would be supporting me to find out.

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I’m curious who you are about to become and what you are doing to support that change?

Posted in ceremony, house blessing, new beginnings, practices, water | Comments closed

Aligning with Flow

By Jovanna | Published: October 28, 2011

Check out my very first, beautifully imperfect video!

I awoke early this morning and went for a walk on my favourite path by the creek.  As I left the road, I entered a tall stand of trees and I took in a deep breath of fresh air. I realized that this happens every time I pass this particular place in the path.  My body aligns with the calm here in the green trees and automatically lets go.  I relax.

I continued along the path as it twisted and turned noticing the sensation of walking on rock, roots and soft earth. At one place the trail rises and comes along side a rocky place in the stream.  The sound of the moving water increased here. There was real command in the volume of the moving water and again my body took notice.

After pausing I moved on toward “my spot” along the creek. Here I sat down for a few minutes of quiet reflection.  A supportive root was my seat and another one parallel to it stretched out across the water was just right for my feet. Sometimes I close my eyes, but today I let the sight of the moving water carry me into presence.

My teaching came easily today. It came from the water. I watched it move along the creek bed as it flowed on its journey downstream altered by whatever it encountered…sticks, rocks, sand. It ripples or turns, bubbles up or shoots around and yet it continued flowing down the stream.  As I sat there this morning I aligned with this quality of flow.  I wanted to learn all I could in the few moments I had with the water.

I became aware of the obstacles in my life that seem to stop me in my tracks. The stopping causes a discomfort at times that is almost unbearable.

Today water helped me find a new perspective toward the obstacles in my life so that I can move gently past, around, over, and sometimes through what seems to be blocking my way.

After my meditation, I stood up and moved back along the path in the direction I came. As I passed by the rocky place with the fast moving water, I noticed it with a new regard. Upstream the water was smooth and free flowing and below after a free fall it was wild with energy.

The obstacles in our lives always influence us whether dramatically or in gently textured ways. Yet if we take on the fluid quality of water we can move through them in a way that is life affirming and more true to our nature (being mostly water ourselves).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Surf’s Up!

By Jovanna | Published: October 6, 2011

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Surf’s Up!

It was early September and the very first day of school. My son gave me a big hug and went out the front door.  I watched him walk down the block to meet two of his friends, big smiles on all of their faces.  Ahhh…summer was over and I was finally home alone!

It was time for me to begin my day’s work.  I sat at my desk and focused on a few writing projects that had deadlines coming up.  Unfortunately I wasn’t feeling very productive.  I wondered how I was going to get into a groove when…. slowly but certainly, something came over me.

Was it the smell of the cool autumn air? Or was it because socks had found their way onto my feet for the first time in months?  All I knew was that I had no power over the urge that was arising within me as my home called out loud and clear “today is the day that you are going to begin fall house cleaning!”

Fall housecleaning? I didn’t even know I did fall housecleaning!  I know I am compelled at times to go deep into the depths of my home but honestly I’m not aware of seasonal compulsions.  Who am I kidding? I will use ANY excuse to clean…bad mood, good mood, tired, angry, company on the way and even the weather are all perfect excuses to clean house.  Never mind that I use most of the same excuses not to clean.

But that day, as my son went off to school and autumn filled the air, my newly socked feet were as good an excuse as any.

Then the big question…where should I begin? I’m slightly embarrassed to admit that when I asked that question overwhelm struck immediately.  I was instantly lost in the abyss of, “there’s way too much to do here, I can’t possibly tackle all of this”.  My impulse to clean was dangerously close to grinding to a halt when I remembered my gem of an ebook, “Five Simple Practices to Create Peace in Your Home”.

I closed my eyes and put my hand in and pulled out ‘Promote Peace’ and I followed my own advice and promoted peace room by room. I set my timer for 5 minutes and promoted peace in my kitchen.  I set my timer for another 5 minutes and promoted peace in my living room. It was so much fun!  After I’d done 5 minutes in each room, I did another round of 10 minutes in each room.  Before I reveal what happened next I will offer this disclaimer, “don’t try this at (your) home!”.  I moved into a very advanced house cleaning technique as I let go of the structure altogether and free formed it. I let myself go from here to there all willy-nilly and loved every minute of it.

The surf was up and once I got past the fear there was no stopping me from riding the wave.  The energy that filled my body was extraordinary.  Those few hours of focused housecleaning completely transformed my home and me too. After I was finished, I settled into a very productive session of writing.

On that early autumn day I was brave enough to follow an impulse, smart enough to support it with some clear structure and kind enough to let myself enjoy the ride until the wave broke peacefully on the shore.

When was the last time you had the impulse to clean house? What structures do you rely on so that you are successful in following through? How do you feel afterwards?
Email me at jovanna@yourwelcomehome.ca .  I’d love to hear your stories!

Posted in house cleaning, practices | Comments closed

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