My word for the year of 2020 was “Safe”… Safety has been a concern for me for years… Maybe not as much as physical safety, but more of a psychological and emotional safety. It is no secret that 2020 has been as far from “safety” as one could have imagined. Yet, this overwhelming chaos forced me to redefine what safety meant to me.
Safety is a function of our first chakra, our root and foundation. It is our anchor, one of our basic needs. It is related to the feeling of belonging, of being part of a community, a tribe, a family, a society where you feel acknowledged, welcomed, heard, seen, and understood. Safety also encompasses the concept of structure… a predictable, yet flexible, framework that governs our life.
Somehow, I’ve mistaken safety for predictability. I expected life to flow on my own terms, following my designed timeline. Although my Islamic faith taught me that life challenges are here for a reason. It taught me content, trust in God, and resilience, I was still uncomfortable with ambiguity. I’ve always hated surprises (I have good reasons for that, believe me). I noticed that I take good care to walk with my clients at their own pace holding the space for them to explore their own chaos taking all the time they need. I wasn’t that tolerant with myself, though. I wanted to know – for better or worse, it didn’t matter. I just needed to know, NOW! I dreaded the chaos, the mess I was involuntarily thrown into.
So, last year, I started my journey of learning to “walk in the dark”… to embrace the mess in my life. Now, I am seeing the chaos and the mess as essential parts of my learning and growing journey. I now know that safety is about learning to walk in the dark… about finding light in the midst of a sombre journey. And, belonging starts from within… from my connection with my own self and with God… 2020, was a year I had to spend in my “Innermost Cave”, in the “belly of the whale,” as Joseph Campbell puts it. It was a year of deep reflection; a year when my loneliness turned into blessed solitude and my mind-chatter gave way to a peaceful silence. Yes, the anxious worry shows its ugly face from time to time; yet, I’ve learned to reach within for my “Inner Castle,” in the words of St. Theresa of Avila, where I find my safe haven in the presence of my Lord.
My word for 2021 is “Connection”… I’m seeking to deepen and strengthen my connection with God, with myself, with my family, my friends, my community, the earth, and the whole Cosmos. And, since connecting is an essential part of “Connection”, I am inviting you to join me on the Second Monday of every month in a friendly “Coffee Chat” via Zoom, where we “connect,” chat, support one another and help one another heal.
Totally Free, no strings attached…
Our first Zoom meeting will be on Monday, February 8th at 6:00 PM EST.
If you are on my newsletter list or on Body Whispers FaceBook group, you'll get all the details.
Hope to see you there.
Have a wonderful day,
Amira
Safety is a function of our first chakra, our root and foundation. It is our anchor, one of our basic needs. It is related to the feeling of belonging, of being part of a community, a tribe, a family, a society where you feel acknowledged, welcomed, heard, seen, and understood. Safety also encompasses the concept of structure… a predictable, yet flexible, framework that governs our life.
Somehow, I’ve mistaken safety for predictability. I expected life to flow on my own terms, following my designed timeline. Although my Islamic faith taught me that life challenges are here for a reason. It taught me content, trust in God, and resilience, I was still uncomfortable with ambiguity. I’ve always hated surprises (I have good reasons for that, believe me). I noticed that I take good care to walk with my clients at their own pace holding the space for them to explore their own chaos taking all the time they need. I wasn’t that tolerant with myself, though. I wanted to know – for better or worse, it didn’t matter. I just needed to know, NOW! I dreaded the chaos, the mess I was involuntarily thrown into.
So, last year, I started my journey of learning to “walk in the dark”… to embrace the mess in my life. Now, I am seeing the chaos and the mess as essential parts of my learning and growing journey. I now know that safety is about learning to walk in the dark… about finding light in the midst of a sombre journey. And, belonging starts from within… from my connection with my own self and with God… 2020, was a year I had to spend in my “Innermost Cave”, in the “belly of the whale,” as Joseph Campbell puts it. It was a year of deep reflection; a year when my loneliness turned into blessed solitude and my mind-chatter gave way to a peaceful silence. Yes, the anxious worry shows its ugly face from time to time; yet, I’ve learned to reach within for my “Inner Castle,” in the words of St. Theresa of Avila, where I find my safe haven in the presence of my Lord.
My word for 2021 is “Connection”… I’m seeking to deepen and strengthen my connection with God, with myself, with my family, my friends, my community, the earth, and the whole Cosmos. And, since connecting is an essential part of “Connection”, I am inviting you to join me on the Second Monday of every month in a friendly “Coffee Chat” via Zoom, where we “connect,” chat, support one another and help one another heal.
Totally Free, no strings attached…
Our first Zoom meeting will be on Monday, February 8th at 6:00 PM EST.
If you are on my newsletter list or on Body Whispers FaceBook group, you'll get all the details.
Hope to see you there.
Have a wonderful day,
Amira
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