Tag: Photos

Connecting to the wonder we are, Inspiration

You Belong to Life.

Erin Keane

You belong to Life.  Life belongs to You.

Today was a beautiful, sunny warm day in the Northeastern U.S.  It was the kind of day, where nature just draws you out—the Atlantic Ocean was beckoning  my family & I, and we followed its call to the shore. While we were there I took a few minutes and walked along the seaside with my toes in the water, alone. As I walked, I suddenly began to feel this strong sense of connection to the sound of the waves, and the water between my toes. I didn’t fully understand what my experience was saying to me, as I walked along, but I knew in my being , that this experience was grounding me to Life.

Have you ever been to the sea shore? What was the experience like for you?

**

I’ve been to the ocean many times over the last 12 years and have always enjoyed being there…but this time I felt like I began to belong to the sound of the waves….

                                          Tomorrow is Mother’s Day in the U.S. It’s a day of celebrating all women who are mothers, who will be mothers, and remembering & celebrating our mothers who have died.

Being a mother myself, I was reflecting today, on who I am as a mother to my son…

Maybe that’s why the ocean sounds were so powerfully present in my being… 

When we are living inside our mother’s womb we feel the sense of her rocking us as she walks along. And we hear sounds like the ocean waves day and night…the beating of her heart.

The song of the waves is connecting your body and self  to the natural world and at the same time is connecting you to where your Life began..in the womb.  The sounds of the waves remind us that we all began Life in the same way; i.e.; we are all connected to each other.  The ocean waves also reconnect us all to the deeper part of who we are—where we came from…where we began….

The sounds of the ocean embrace us, calm us, ground us & connect us to Life:                                                                                                                                          

Thus, if you ever feel disconnected from Life, you can listen to the ocean and allow your body to soak up it’s wonderful sounds…You will connect to the source of your Life—being in the womb—and begin to feel like you belong again…

The ocean sings to you, as the waves beat upon the shore, “You belong to all of creation, You belong to Life.”

And a gracious blessing upon all Mother’s of the World…

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

**(If you would like to truly experience the sound of the ocean as you read a long, or just want to take some time to listen and allow your body to become aware of the sounds and to feel how the sound of the ocean effects you personally…
Take some time to listen here.)

Healing, Inspiration

Listening to the Wisdom of Your Body Opens New Doors

Erin Keane

Sometimes we have to Ponder Life,

to discover the answers we are searching for.

These last couple days I needed an extra dose of refection time. I gave myself the gift of listening to my inner wisdom–i.e., what my body was telling me–so that I could make choices that would be best not only for me, but also for my family. Do you take time to listen to your body when you are searching for answers? If Yes: Do you usually feel like your body directs you in making choices that are good and right for you? If No: Why do you choose not to listen to your body?   

I usually can’t avoid what I feel…my gut just keeps bugging me until I pay attention and take time to reflect. So that’s exactly what I did these past few days. I pondered life, so that I could open myself to discovering my deeper truths…& share what I discovered is right and good with those I love.

Give yourself these gifts

  • Make space in your life for reflection
  • As you reflect take time to get to know your body better
  • By becoming aware of your body you can notice imbalances
  • These imbalances are indicators that some kind of change needs to happen within your Life
  • Write down what you notice or make note of it in some effective way
  • Reflect again
  • Write down possible changes
  • Act upon them
  • Notice your body again: if you begin to feel balanced again—note what is working. If not, keep searching.

May you be blessed with the discovery of your answers!—the ones that transform your life!
 As you discover the answers in your heart
Your world begins to transform
You hold your head up
And your Spirit opens
to receiving Life
And you smile
because you understand
your gifts
and are ready to share who you are.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

Connecting to the wonder we are

A Butterfly’s Unexpected Surprises

Erin Keane

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day here in the Northeast. The birds were singing, plants were growing, children were playing, dogs were running, and butterflies were dancing. I’ve never had the opportunity to photograph a butterfly up-close, but yesterday I did. It was a wonderful, unexpected surprise and completely brightened my day. 

The wonder of the experience wasn’t just that I saw a butterfly, but that the butterfly ( A Red Admiral) stayed around my yard for a good 25 minutes and let me come up close to photograph him (most likely a male).  In fact at one point he landed on my arm and sat there for a good minute. It was like he was saying to me, “I’m happy to see you. It’s my pleasure to be photographed by you.”

Butterflies are known for symbolism:

  • Resurrection
  • Transition
  • Celebration
  • Lightness
  • Time
  • Soul

While I was outside with the butterfly, I definitely felt a sense of “lightness;” it was as if my soul/the deeper part of me was feeling better and lighter just by being in the presence of this magnificent creature. I felt so utterly honored that this butterfly felt safe and comfortable around me, and my camera.  Have you ever been near an animal in the natural world, who just seemed to welcome your presence? What was that like for you?

As I watched this butterfly open his wings to the sun—soaking up the warmth and the light– it reminded me of how I too need to soak up the sunlight, and be renewed. It was as though this butterfly was affirming my human experience of needing light…and at the same time he was inspiring renewal/resurrection within my heart and my soul by being so welcoming of me.

As I was enjoying these moments, unexpectedly another Red Admiral Butterfly appeared, and I was blessed with the invitation to watch them dance around my yard, until they came to a place of rest upon the bark of a tree.

The butterfly left me with a wonderful gift: Because the butterfly welcomed me, I felt like someone knew I needed this. And it reminded me yesterday, today and always, that when we seek with our heart, our longings will be answered…maybe not always in the ways we expect, but in ways that we NEED. I needed this butterfly to come into my life: I needed to be reminded that I am never alone…and that when I really need an experience of grace it will be provided for me.

How about you, have you ever had something wonderful happen to you, that filled you with an unexpected experience of Grace?

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

Life

Maybe it’s Beyond My Control, But I Will Find a Way To Conquer!

Erin Keane

Oh, that unfortunate feeling of anxiety, filled me up with so much worry! But once I got my bearings, took a breath…well actually a few. Sat back, reflected. Talked it out, and of course Wrote about it…it slowly began to lose it’s power. As it lost its power, I was able to see more clearly and react in a proactive and positive way. Seeing more clearly, I actually took the time to read my emails–the enjoyable ones I don’t usually make enough time for… It seems like for whatever reason, when you put your trust in the energy of the world as benevolent towards you, the answers you need fall right in your lap.

I read,

I bet you don’t always feel like a conqueror-there is often so much to deal with in life that is beyond our control.
–Spirit of Life Community/Ministry

The minister mentions in reply, that she is reading a book by John O’Donohue called, Beauty:the Invisible Embrace:Rediscovering the true sources of compassion, serenity and hope.
O’Donohue writes,

We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul. For a while the strains of struggle and endurance are relieved and our frailty is illuminated by a different light in which we come to glimpse behind the shudder of appearances in the sure form of things. In the experience of Beauty we awaken and surrender in the same act. Beauty brings a sense of completion and sureness. Without any of the usual calculation, we can slip into the Beautiful with the same ease as we slip into the seamless embrace of water; something ancient within us already trusts that this embrace will hold us…”

Okay, I thought, somehow beauty is going to help me conquer today. I’m not sure how, but it is. I went out in my yard with my son and stood there and listened to the birds sing while he played in the sandbox.

I really listened. And somehow my heart began to ease even more.

I looked up at the beautiful buds, and the little baby leaves, blowing in the wind.
And I was profoundly aware that I was a part of something greater than myself…Something Beautiful…something loving, something telling me, it’s going to be okay…

I took a deep breath and soaked this in.

And last night before I went to bed, I took pictures of the flowers I brought inside to keep the sense of sureness & completion that the Beautiful was providing me with earlier that day.

So I did conquer! I don’t feel like life is beyond my control any longer…well at least for today! Because I’m connected to something greater than me…and I know I’m not the only one who gets anxious. We all do. And knowing that makes the feeling much more bearable. We all know what it’s like. We’ve all been there… And we WILL CONQUER if we just give ourselves the chance!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™ All rights reserved.

Healing, Inspiration

A Great Healing Happening

Erin Keane

When we seek healing and inspiration from deep within ourselves, it often helps to be touched by light. Nature provides us with the gift of the sun. The sun illuminates the plants of the earth and gives them depth. When you let the sun shine upon you, you also can let the depths of yourself shine; revealing from deep within you, your dreams, your hopes, your goals, your aspirations, your beauty, your integrity, and so much more!

These recent days of 80+ degree weather and long days of sunlight in the Northeast have been bringing people out of their homes, and neighbors are meeting one another. The weather and the changes in nature are causing people to connect to one another, and share their joy for the weather with each other. This is causing inspiration to be communal rather than the experience of just one person.  As nature is providing itself as the source of inspiration, people are becoming aware of themselves and others as they are inspired by nature, and thus there is not only a joy from the weather, but also a feeling of a great healing happening between people, within people and all of creation.

Man is not himself only…He is all that he sees; all that flows to him from a thousand sources…He is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys.  Mary Austin

Woman is not herself only…She is all that she sees; all that flows to her from a thousand sources…She is the land, the lift of its mountain lines, the reach of its valleys. –Mary Austin (rewritten)

Light Shines as Nature Springs Forth!

Healing has great power when it is a shared goal among many. Trusting in your own inspiration, can be enhanced when others are also affirming the inspiration you feel. The presence of healing through nature in tune with healing among people…pretty powerful stuff!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
©Bella Bleue Healing, Health & Inspiration for Your Life™

Inspiration

Rain-Washed Blessings Inspired by the Irish

Erin Keane

The spring brings rain with it. Rain effects us in many different ways.  It can inspire us to go out and take photos of its beauty in nature.  It can also change our state and damper our mood. Rain may unmotivate us, and make us less interested in doing things. But, we know no matter how rain may make us feel, it is inevitable that it will come one day. Rain is also very symbolic: It is a symbol of cleansing, and renewing. It is a symbol of our tears. During the spring it is a great source of life–it brings forth new life in the earth. It is also a time of washing away the grays of winter and bringing forth new bursts of color.

I would like to challenge you to bring forth new bursts of color in YOUR life…let the rain bring forth new life, new beginnings in you by washing away YOUR burdens, and sorrows, and filling those spaces with new dreams, hopes, and aspirations!

Once you make the effort to be renewed, let the rain heal you and inspire you through ACTION

  • Jump in puddles like you did when you were a child
  • Stand in your shower, and imagine that it is the rain, washing upon you, and removing all that you need to let go of-Allow healing to happen within you!
  • Stand under the rain, until your hair is wet and raindrops fall off your nose into your hands making a puddle-and say to yourself, “I am alive and refreshed!”
  • Go outside with the one you love and dance!
  • Make your dreams a reality:
  • Write down your goals and hopes in a list
  • Pick one a day that you are going to work at
  • Remember a goal is attainable!—which means you will make it happen!

May the Road Rise to Meet You,
Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue
Copyright, the blog, Bella Bleue Healing, Health, & Inspiration for Your Life