Are you being called into Loving Devotion?
“The benefit of devotion is the full aliveness found in the fullest expression of our Soul. The cost is our discomfort, the benefit is we find ourselves.”
~ Nicole Barton
This morning I went for an early morning walk in my devotion to Soul, Magic and the Feminine. It was raining as I got out of bed. I haven't got a rain mac for this rainy weather that is waterproof. I hadn't thought about what would happen in my devotion to early morning walks if it was raining. And so, I found myself feeling the resistance in my body to going out in the rain. Tension, heaviness, and excuses galore.
Luckily I've been in devotion to Soul for a little while now, so the Majesty of my Queen Witch has a sense of the rewards available when we choose lovingly and Sovereignly into the discomfort of what is arising, as we tread the path anyway. So I went out - anyway - with my non-waterproof mac, and walked the fields, which, despite the rain, were golden. The wind smacked my cheeks, the rain drizzled down my hair, into my eyes, and the water squelched under my feet. My skin felt the sensations of being whipped, cold and soothed by the tickle of the rain.
And I felt *alive*.
I notice how my sense of smell heightens when I'm really present with life. The rain smelt so beautiful, so soft, so earthy, so wild. It reminded me of other times I'd been walking in the rain, in Bali, in my flip flops (I started this walk in my flip flops and thought better of it), walking along the wet and beautiful rice paddies, on the Champuhan trail. It reminded me of the presence I've felt in all outdoor spaces along my travels, where I've attributed the love, bliss and presence to the special place I'm in. And I realised that it was available everywhere.
And particularly, it is available in conscious *devotion.*
You see, in our devotion, we are rewarded with Truth; with the fullest, wildest expression of ourselves. We are rewarded with the bodily sensations of Truth; hairs standing on edge, tummy whirling, heart opening, muscles awakened with excitement. And this is *why* we devote to walking the path of Soul - even in the discomfort. The benefit of devotion is the full *aliveness* found in the fullest expression of our Soul. The cost is our discomfort, the benefit is we find ourselves.
The *alternative* to Devotion, of course, is that we continue to choose to unconsciously pay the Victim price of selling our souls for the security (or love or approval) we think we need - such as the security of staying indoors. The price we pay for this security is usually that we don't feel the *aliveness* of fully being our authentic selves. The benefit is that life is easier and safer.
I know which price I'd rather pay. I don't want to live a shallow, mundane, unexpressed life. I want to feel alive. And that's why I chose the path of Soul and Magic.
And so, I wonder - which price will you choose to pay (and we're always choosing, just often not consciously)?
Will you choose into the path of Soulful aliveness, feeling deeply into your body so you can manifest a life filled with magic.
Are you feeling called into the path of loving, Soulful aliveness, feeling more deeply into your body so you can consciously manifest more magic? There's so much revealed in our devotion - and usually, the first step is the devotion to ourselves. This is something most Secret Witches struggle with; in a world where we are taught to sideline ourselves, loving devotion can feel alien and we can often ignore the calls to love ourselves more. In April, Nicole will be guiding women into the tender first steps of this path, helping them learn to soften, open their hearts to love, to begin to listen to the soft call of their bodies - listening to all the places calling for more loving devotion - and to begin to understand themselves as conscious creators (or Creatrixes) or their lives. Are you meant to devote and join us?
Much love
Nicole x
