 Yesterday, April 5th I shared a post on my Facebook business page announcing that I had completed 104 days of gratitude using the Word Oracle Alchemy System created by Lisa Starr Francis. Why this system? Well apart from the beauty of the imagery and unlimited ways that you can adapt this system to work for you, my journey started as simply as understanding that words carry meaning unique to each of us, and our physical body is affected through holding onto the emotions stored within these words based on our life experiences, conditioning, and understanding.
I started this journey of 104 days of gratitude to move past my own limiting mind set that ‘star’ could appear beside the name ‘Lisa’, my own name. You see as simple as the word ‘star’ is, for me it had multiple meanings and when I saw it placed beside my name it instantly created a physical sensation of discomfort, for who am I to shine? I had absolutely no issues with any other Lisa’s or any other name having star placed beside it, but for whatever reason I just could not see myself with ‘star’ attached. Each one of us have those limiting beliefs where we convince ourselves that something is impossible, we are undeserving, or that dream is just too far out of our reach. We may have been raised to not draw attention to ourselves, to not brag/boast or hog the spotlight, and to always put others first. Many of us hold onto strong ethics and values of compassion, love and kindness for all and these should continue to be honoured at all times. We strive to live a life of service and to always try our best. We believe in equality for all regardless of race, color, ethnic background, religion, or sex and stand firm in our faith. That is where I need to pause and reflect, as there was one very strong word in that previous sentence that we often overlook, ‘equality’. Equality is defined in the dictionary as “the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities.” Equality connects us all as humans, and yes that includes you and I. It causes us to really stop and consider “am I valuing myself and my needs as much as I value another? Am I treating myself with the same love, kindness and encouragement as I would another?" The word “equality” reminds us that we are part of humanity, not separate from it. That our needs are just as important as another’s, and that taking time for ourselves, or asking another for help is equally important. As caregivers, nurturers and compassionate humans we forget that we must fill up our own cup and let it overflow before we can reach out and help fill up another’s. If we don’t, we simply become depleted overtime until we reach that place of exhaustion, sadness and lose hope. Faith and love is what centers us back and enfolds us into that collective definition of equality. For you see, the world stage is large enough to support all of our dreams and ambitions when it aligns with our highest good. The universe needs you to shine, become your own star and share your beautiful gifts with the world. Faith reminds you to place your trust in a higher power to watch over us all and encourages you to take this current time of pause to go deep within and nurture your soul. Take the opportunity during this period of physical distancing to tune inside yourself, rediscover your dreams, goals and ambitions. Allow yourself the time to revisit some of those old stories and limiting beliefs and begin to question their validity. Does the story you’ve been telling yourself over and over have other view points and angles that you can look through to re-examine it? If someone told you when you were a child, teen or adult that you couldn’t achieve your dreams – do they really have the power, ability and control to determine the course of your life? I believe very strongly that each of us determine and create how we want to show up in this world and choose the legacy we leave behind. These dreams may face challenges along the way to demonstrate to us that we have the ability to overcome obstacles, and to strengthen both our skill set and determination. I am determined to continue my journey towards becoming a rising star, strengthening my faith and worthiness to share my gifts with others, and invite you to travel this journey with me as you commit to honouring yourself and your dreams. Today, April 6th is an opportunity to start 104 days of gratitude again with The Word Alchemist as Lisa Starr Francis’s dedication and commitment to not giving up on her dreams means that she has diligently shared her cards, messages and videos for us all to continue this journey. Her commitment to herself means that those who are drawn to her page now get to benefit from the healing power within this system as we honour ourselves to dedicate some time each day to pause, draw out those words and images, and then share the messages that resonate. This next 104 days of gratitude starts back on Jan 2, 2020, and allows us to scroll purposely backwards in time to re-examine our personal journey thus far. When we close our eyes to choose the word(s) and colors that we need to examine for the day, we are gifted with an opportunity to be our own alchemist and change our story, one word at a time. You are worth this beautiful journey, and I hope you join me in learning to become your own rising star by liking Lisa Starr Francis’s Facebook page and committing the next 104 days to living of life of gratitude and understanding that you are in charge of creating your destiny. Day 1 (Jan 02, 2020) starts with a beautiful video as Lisa explains the system and how it works. The full image and words are available above for you to reflect on your own message and then share within the comments of Lisa Starr Francis’s video. And yes, you have to scroll down the page, after all it is your journey and only you have the means to change yourself. The universe is cheering you on - go for it! Lots of Love, Lisa Richard |