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“The universe presents us with endless opportunities to synchronize our path with our truth.”~ Jeff Brown
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I have been in a hibernation...a slow unfurling over the last few months, maybe even the last few years. But just as this new sacred space has rebirthed, so have I. Again and again. I have spent the last two years really digging deep and doing a lot of healing work within myself; body, mind and heart...to heal from past trauma. And something has completely shifted for me and I actually really FEEL ready to never again question that this is my path; to bring some kind of healing through the types of art that has helped me to heal. Storytelling through art. Taking back our voices and our truth. That is what I want to empower in others through this heARTwork. Helping us to grow. I say US, because I am always in the process of healing; layers upon layers deeper every year...and I have surrendered to knowing that is just how it is always going to be. We experience emotional pain, trauma, and we feel it, heal it and use what we can to help each other grow. I am just here offering myself as a companion to you on your own healing journey.
For awhile, I felt pretty stuck inside my purpose, my art, and I didn't know exactly why. I wasn't always allowing things to just FLOW with the universe. The times that you may have noticed that I was not sharing much, I just did not want to put any negative energy into my work; I was really trying to surrender to that flow. It wasn't easy at first, but now I am finding flow much easier of a practice; because somewhere along the line, whether through healing trauma or simply (Not simple by the way! Especially for a Capricorn!) surrendering, I ALIGNED. Something shifted and I aligned with my own heart and I found my voice again. I think that's where the magic is, when we find our voices. And this work is how I guide us in finding and sharing that voice; our heart stories...our truths. And I am so grateful to the universe...to whatever brought you here or to whatever cosmic fabric has brought us together in this space.
I spent a long time comparing myself and my work to other people offering courses and classes and thinking...how does what I do fit into the world? Because what I offer, is not quite as tangible as those kinds of offerings. But I kept pushing forward with this inner knowing. And over the last few months while working on this new space, something shifted within me. I have come to terms with the fact that I am not a "teacher", and that is okay! And it's not that what I bring to the world doesn't inherently TEACH. But I am not a teacher. I am a gatekeeper; a space holder. And I have things to offer within that place. And folks will take from that what they need in their own healing as I use my work to heal myself simultaneously. Maybe something in my own offerings will help someone to expand their heart, or to find their voice or perhaps to heal themselves in some way. And maybe then that person moves into YOUR work, or someone else's work that does the teaching. So we each have our place, and I have found mine. And it feels good to release what is not me, so that I can embrace what IS me and move forward.
And now, I am at such peace. I really feel SOOOOOO fucking good and grounded within what I do. It's the same heARTwork, but it is now all weaved together in a new clarified and connected way. Actually, before my childhood trauma, I made jewelry and wrote poetry. And here I am again, doing both. So it is incredibly healing for me; almost a taking back my first loves, taking back my voice and my life and circling back to both of these things in this fresh settled way, just feels soooo at home. I can't help but believe this has always been the heARTwork I've been meant to do. It just FINALLY feels like something has totally unlocked within my heart and I am just so excited for this all to come together. And now I am even more excited to share that type of healing with you, my community. Storytelling through sacred adornment and poetry is where I find hOMe and healing over and over again. And it is how I guide us in transforming our wounds into something beautiful; a new story...one that WE create for ourselves. And I hope so deeply in my heart that my adornments, my own inner reflections or my poetry can help to unlock something within your own heart as it has done for me. It is my hearts' desire that these offerings serve as a portal to healing for us all.
Something that has really guided me in this new rebirth, is symbolism and synchronicity. I truly love both and I am not sure why sometimes I am still surprised when it happens; at just how easily things can come to us when we just surrender and allow and follow the signs being placed on our path. As many of you may know, I have been finding heart rocks for the past 5 years or so; starting right before I first birthed, The Art of a Happy Heart! I find them everywhere it seems and I see heart shapes often, even in my coffee! Ha! Don't ask me how or why, I have just chosen to see them as signs that I am either on my true path or that there is something I need to pay attention to in order to get BACK on my path.
In recent months, the symbolism and synchronicity that has come to me is the sacred number, 108. I have been seeing it A LOT lately. I will wake up at exactly 1:08am in the middle of the night, suddenly notice that there are exactly 108 people on my facebook friends list, or glance at the clock at exactly 1:08pm when I haven't looked at the clock all day. Most recently, the night before our launch of this space, I was picking up a card game that our kiddo, Max, had spilled all over the floor. And as I was picking up the cards, this small piece of paper slipped out (like a worker number or something from whoever put the game together) and the number was 108! No lie! So crazy! There is definitely something to symbolism.
You may have also noticed that our home page image is of me by a Dogwood tree. My hubby and I spent the evening at a local Arboretum this past weekend to celebrate our 7 year anniversary and to try to snap a photo for this new space. He took me to this beautiful Dogwood tree and I didn't think much of it, until after we had taken the photo and I thought to look up its symbolism the next morning over coffee. I truly could not believe it! The Dogwood tree represents new beginnings, the four corners and the four SACRED MOUNTAINS!!! It represents safety, beauty and strength, strong will, passion, and its bark resists wounds easily! I found this very symbolic in regards to my work, because we are the survivors! We find the beauty in our healing. YES! And literally THE most recent poem I wrote (for an intuitive poetry + photography collaboration) with my magical soul sister, Katelyn, was entitled, "SACRED MOUNTAIN"! How random!!! Or not! That is some symbolic shit right there! Thank you universe! I can't WAIT to share the full poem and project, because that poem is all about finding that sacred mountain of strength within us all!
I really just can't thank everyone enough for celebrating this rebirth with me! From sweet messages and gestures of love and support, to folks choosing me to create sacred adornments for them...it just truly fills me up and makes my heart HAPPY! I am so happy and fulfilled to get to bring my art and storytelling into the world.
This space rebirthed on May 1st, Global Love Day!!! How beautiful is that! If you have never heard it, it is a day all about sharing in Universal Love! Mmmm, perfect! This space was truly a labor of love and with the guidance of my dear soul sister, Elle and her course, Squarespace Sovereignty, I was able to create this space for my heARTwork and share it with all of you! I am infinitely grateful to her for the work that she does in this world; empowering other spirited folks to share their heart and virtual altar spaces with the collective.
If you have gotten this far in my love letter, I would love to know what brought you to this space! What do you need? How can I serve you and be your best companion on your healing journey? Let's walk together...
All the love, Natasha
