Connecting to the wonder we are, Healing

Creativity Heals

It is quite amazing how being creative allows you to heal. It re-centers your mind, and gives your emotions an outlet–a place to go outside of yourself, in a healthy way. Creativity also brings you closer to the Sacred–it connects you to that deeper spirit within yourself, the spirit of love that dwells within you, and connects you to the Divine or that which you call Sacred.

Since the spring weather arrived here in the Northeast, it has become more and more difficult for me to sit down and be creative. My son is 3 1/2 and needless to say, everything in life is exciting, and three-fourths of it happens outside. So by the time I get some time alone to write, I am too tired. But today, I found some time to be creative and played around with my photos, Photoshop and my love for words and created something for you. So I feel better…

MD Card

How does creativity awaken your spirit?

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

© 2013. Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Connecting to the wonder we are, Healing

Solace in the Night

There can be great solace in the night, when you take the time to pray, meditate, or just allow yourself to relax. May you be blessed with some time for yourself, to reconnect to the wonder you are and draw closer to the miracle YOU are.

Solace in the night

May your night be full of blessings!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

© 2013. Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Connecting to the wonder we are, Discovering Strength, Healing

The Earth’s Healing Messages

The earth brings forth healing through its wondrous beauty, its inspiring growth, and its ability to survive even when faced with incredible storms.

These words, are ones I needed to write as my heart is finally able to grieve over the last week of sorrow, & uncertainty that has happened around our city. They are also words that remind me of endurance, and strength. And they are words, that I hope inspire you too. They certainly are not the words and images I would usually use for Earth Day, but they are the ones, that come from my heart right now.

  • Placing my hands in the dirt these last few days, to bring forth a fertile ground for my plants to grow, has been my comfort, and a place to leave my sorrow.
  • The wonder that comes as I watch new buds come peeking through the soil, and the anticipation to see the beautiful flowers that will peek out, gives me a sense of hope.
  • Knowing that life is still beautiful despite, the pain that has happened around my city this last week, brings healing to my weary heart.
  • Even though a plant may break, it has the strength to keep growing, and living. And that even after horrendous storms, roots that run deep and hold strong to the ground will not falter. We can overcome, and be strong and recover, because Love wins, and its roots always run deeper than any pain.
  • There is an amazing sense of calm and peacefulness that erupts gently within my heart, when I am at the top of the mountains, or along a beautiful coast line, and this connection to the earth transcends my spirit and brings me closer to the Divine.

What happens within you when you feel connected to the earth? Where has this happened for you? Go there in your imagination and allow yourself to feel.

Our wonderful Creator, knew we needed this earth. It is where we are able to connect to a sense of wonder, and awe. Experiencing the earth allows us to free our imaginations and inspires us to sing, paint, photograph, write, run, play ball, ski, climb trees, etc.

Earth Day Quote by Bella Bleue

The earth really is a place of wondrous healing.

How has the earth brought healing into your life?

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

© 2013. Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Connecting to the wonder we are, Discovering Strength, Healing

It’s Okay to Cry, Really It Is

Why do people cry?

“Maybe emotion becomes so intense your body just can’t contain it; your mind and your feelings become too powerful and your body weeps.”–City of Angels

Have you ever cried so hard that your tears weep from the depths of your soul?

I have.  Recently…

About a month ago, I had something difficult and unexpected happen in my life. Something I wasn’t particularly prepared for, but knew could happen. And when it did, and I understood that the experience was real, I began to cry. The kind of cry where you full-out weep, with your hands over your face. And tears like raindrops creating puddles and waterfalls cascading over your hands onto the floor. The kind of tears that run down your face with trails of black mascara. The kind of cry that makes your cheeks and eyes turn red. The kind of cry that weeps deep down from the pit of your soul.  The kind of cry that leaves you feeling numb when you are done.

For a few days the tears just kept coming whenever they felt like it: washing dishes, combing my hair, hugging my husband, petting my cat… I stopped here and there wiped my nose, caught my breath, and sat quietly too.I got a break every once in a while, however, where I could feel quiet and calm.  And regain some sense of myself. And day by day it got a bit easier and the tears got a bit less…

Tears and crying are a part of our creation; they are a part of our human design; i.e., they are a part of life. We hear of people weeping in stories, we watch it happen on TV, and we also weep. Tears have a purpose in our creation. Something changes in us when we cry. So I ask, What changes within you when you cry?

  • For me I realize over and over it’s like the quote at the begining from City of Angels: allowing ourselves to cry allows the deep pain within our bodies to be released. Crying allows your mind, body and spirit  to release the pain, the anger, the grief, the anxiety, and the fear. And we are changed by this release.

Are you one to cry and let out your grief? Is it a comfortable release or something you avoid?

We each make meaning out of our emotions and others emotions differently.  Tears, and crying can mean very different things to each of us. Thus, we all have different comfort levels with grief, and especially grief that is outward, such as tears. Tears can be a very natural and comfortable release for some of us, and for others of us, tears can be very uncomfortable and try to be avoided.  How we make meaning out of our expression of emotions effects our journey of healing.

When I worked in the hospitals and visited patients, sometimes we would have a deep conversation that opened itself to the person needing to release their suffering through tears, and yet s/he would stop himself/herself  from  crying because s/he saw tears as a sign of weakness. I would encourage him/her to let out the tears, but often the person was unable because s/he wanted to be strong.

I believe tears, are a great source of healing for us. And thus, allowing ourselves to cry makes us stronger because when you cry you make space within your mind, body and spirit for healing to happen. Instead of holding in anxiety, grief, anger, fear which weaken us and can make us ill, your body is being given permission to heal because you are “letting go” of these feelings.

So my answer to my question, What changes within you when you cry? is:

CRYING allows You to BEGIN to HEAL.

So even if you haven’t been one to cry,  or even if you are one to cry..

Remember, sometimes it is good to cry and let grief have its way. Your tears allow you to release pain, sorrow, and disappointment, in a very bodily, and emotional way. And allowing yourself to cry makes room for healing and hope.

May you allow yourself to grieve when you need to, and to open yourself to hope and healing, as you go through the process.

And most importantly as you grieve:

Be gentle with yourself, you are a marvelous creation, even your tears are a part of the wonder you are.

It's Okay to Cry Quote

There is a Divine LOVE ready to embrace you.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

© 2013. Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Connecting to the wonder we are, Health, Inspiration

The Healing Wisdom of Your Body: A Metaphor

Your body holds a deep wisdom. Your deep truths to healing and connection flow right in the very cells and tissues of your created body. When you listen to the wisdom of your body and work as a partner in your body’s healing you actually become healthier.

A metaphor for the wisdom of your body:

Pregnancy is an amazing and mysterious state of life. When I got pregnant with my son, I was amazed at how my body just seemed to know exactly what to do. You are going about your normal way of taking care of yourself: eating, working, exercising, talking, & sleeping, and yet your body is being transformed millisecond by millisecond to make space for a little person who will be changing your life forever. Your organs are being pushed around and moved to different places in your body, and yet they still function exactly the way they are supposed to in order to keep you living and well. You don’t have to give orders or say, move this way; they just know. Your body knows.

I’ve always been the kind of person to pay attention to what my body is telling me. But I haven’t always been very good at listening to what it is really saying. When I was pregnant I started to really listen though. And I realized that my body really is a miracle.

Your body really is a miracle.

I didn’t have to tell my body to produce milk for my son, it just did.
I didn’t have to tell my organs to go back to where they belong after birth, they just did.

I did have to care for myself though, and show my body gentleness and respect, so that I could heal. We have to work as companions with our bodies towards our healing. Your body already knows what it needs to do to seek healing and well-being for you-i.e. bodily wisdom, but you need to work with your body so that the healing can be effective. If you work with your body to be well and heal, you will heal.

If you work against your body or do not take care of your body your healing will take longer and your body may work against you–I also know this is true because I had many healing complications after my pregnancy because I wasn’t taking care of myself (my postpartum depression was in control then).

What has your experience of physical, mental or spiritual healing been like for you?

This metaphor of pregnancy and the wisdom of your body isn’t just for those who have given birth, it is a metaphor of bodily wisdom for all persons.

Your body knows what it needs to do
to heal
to create
to be well
to regain strength.

Take time to be with yourself today
to listen to your body
to be aware of your body
to feel your body
to experience your body—being cognicent of all your organs, cells and tissues working to keep you well.

Your body has deep wisdom. Learn from it. Nourish it. Love it.

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

© 2013. Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

***I originally wrote this post about a year ago, but wanted to share it again, because its message is speaking to parts of Life that I am encountering in myself and others at this time.***

Blessing, Connecting to the wonder we are

Resurrection is a Daily Gift

Today is a new day!
It is another day of life.
It is another day for you to feel.
It is new day for your body, mind and spirit.  
It is a new day:
You are evolving,
You are changing,
You are deepening,
You are surfacing.

It is a day of resurrection.Red Admiral Butterfly 3
A day where new life can begin in you.
It may not be a huge moment,
Or a burst of enlightenment,
It may be something as simple, and huge as,
I’m a bit better today,
I feel a bit more like me,
I discovered I’m not alone at this moment.

Whatever it may be,
Today is a new day.
Resurrection comes when you are transformed
in a moment,
to believe even more deeply in the miracle you are.Red Tulips
It’s that moment where you are struck with the awe
that there is no one like you
not now,
not ever.

It’s a new day!

I believe you are enough!
I believe that you are a living miracle!Daffodil
I believe that you are here for a reason!
I believe that there is an incredible Spirit of Love
that lives within you,
and for you!

It is a new day for you to begin to believe and live this as your truth!

This is a new day!

I have faith in you,
and I have faith in the Gift of your Life.

I believe.

In you.

I believe. City Fountains Bella Bleue

In me.

I Believe.

A very blessed day of New Life to you today and always!

Wishing you a very blessed Easter!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

©Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Connecting to the wonder we are, Inspiration

Spring into Hope

The last couple days, I’ve been needing LIGHT in my life. Light that brightens my spirits, comforts my heart, and reminds me that there is HOPE.

Yesterday was a miserable winter day, and my heart was weary. It was the kind of day, where you remember the things you’ve put aside, because you’re working at healing from them, and then they just pop up uninvited. However, when I awoke this morning to the sun shining through my window I was filled with a pleasantness within, a sense of hope, and a feeling of “You’re going to be okay.”

It is such a gift to know that when we were created that Light itself in nature, was created with us, to heal, to provide hope, to offer warmth, to inspire, to create growth, etc. All of these are gifts that bring our spirits to a place of goodness, and wonder. And it is a free gift that just shows up.

Today is the first day of spring in the Northern hemisphere. I haven’t seen my tulips yet, but I am hopeful.

First Day of Spring

Yes, I am HOPEFULL.**

May you be blessed today with LIGHT and may your day be full of HOPE!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

©Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

**if you enjoyed this post you may also enjoy my post HopeFull Healing

Inspiration, Life

Nature’s Healing Gifts

When we take the time to see nature around us, we can learn deep truths about life. I live in the Northeast. The changes in the weather from one day to the next is a complete mystery this year….You never know what the day may bring. This can be true in our life too…we may wake up and expect the day to be one way, and it brings something completely different or unexpected. But when this happens, we have the choice to embrace the opportunity to be inspired by the experience or we can choose to completely miss it. This morning, I looked out my doorstep and saw this image in nature speaking to me.

This image is ironic in some ways. It’s the image of snow embracing a plant that has died for the season, against the backdrop of new life ‘springing forth.’ Walking out my door I could have just seen the snow, and the decaying plant, but instead, the green…the image of inspiration, and HOPE, caught my eye, and thus, changed the way I woke up to my day.

I felt

HOPE: New beginnings are just around the corner, for each of us, if we just open our eyes and take the time to look for them.

INSPIRATION: if nature can break through the winter and live, then we can break through those things that hold us back and LIVE our lives!

My invitation to you:

1.Take some time today to pause and look at life around you.

2. Note what you see.

3. Let yourself feel the inspiration within you.

4. Put the inspiration into your day and see where it leads you.

5. Write down what inspired you and where it lead you.

 

Blessings on your day!

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

©Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Discovering Strength, Healing, Inspiration

Messages of Hope, Healing & Love

What changed in your life to help you heal? How do you continue to offer yourself the gift of healing each day of your life?

One of the main reasons I began writing this blog, was to heal from my postpartum depression, and to find a source of fulfillment outside of being a new stay-at-home mom. I notice that many of us who write do so for healing, and purpose in our lives. It is amazing how now, our thoughts can be shared with thousands, even millions in seconds, whereas, in the past you would have had to hope someone would want to accept your manuscript for publishing.

Thank you to all of you who have shared in this journey with me, and offered your support, your comments, and just being you.

This past year has challenged me to look deep within myself and discover more fully who I am, just as me, and it has been quite a wonderful experience. I’ve learned more deeply how important my spiritual life is, how much I love to love and be loved, how much I feel blessed to be a mother and wife, and how it is truly a gift to share the gift of healing with others, and in return receive healing.

Since I often find it challenging to sit down and write, with a three-and-a-half year old always by my side, I have enjoyed writing on my Facebook page and sharing brief messages with those who stop by.  I want to share some of them with you because they are a great source of my healing, my heart, and my hopes for you & for me.

May you be blessed today and always!

Spending time with those who love you, and who you love opens your life for powerful healing, and pure experiences of joy. May you be blessed with love in your life.

____________________________________________________

Today is a new day!
It’s the start of a new week!
Your life can begin renewed when you choose to show yourself and others the gift of forgiveness;
when you choose to allow healing to bless your life;
when you choose to have a good day no matter where your path takes you.

____________________________________________________

Snow is blowing and falling here, winter storm Nemo. But within my heart and body I am calm. Embracing this inner calm  grounds me  when my world is in chaos.We all need to try to find ways to be centered and calm when life throws us a storm–whatever we can’t control outside ourselves. Because we do have the ability to control how we feel and react to the outside world.

May you be blessed with calm in your mind, body & spirit today and always.

____________________________________________________

Grateful today for the gift of the human spirit, that has the courage and strength to move forward even after faced with difficulties or challenges.

You have an incredible ability to heal, and move forward along your journey.

____________________________________________________

Blessings come in all shapes and sizes, some are expected, some unexpected. Keep your eyes, your heart and your ears open, so that you may receive blessings throughout your day.

May your day be blessed with joy ♥ Bella Bleue

and one of my favorites:

You are Loved Quote & Meditation

What has helped you heal?  I would love to hear your experiences or what kinds of rituals, or sources you use to offer yourself healing. Your wisdom is a marvelous and wonderous gift…

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

©Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.

Healing, Life

Taking time to Reflect & Heal

How often do you give yourself the permission to reflect on your life? How does this time for reflection effect your well-being?

These last couple weeks I’ve been needing some time to just sit back and be a part of life, rather than trying to push life in the direction I want it to go in. Allowing myself to be fully present in my life (accepting life as it is in a moment rather than trying to change people, things etc.) has been very healing. So often we hear how important it is to be proactive about our lives,to take action, to be intentional about the change we want to see in our lives. So I decided to be intentional about bring present in my life. I have been able to reflect, pray, and be fully present in the moments of my life instead of being distracted. As a result I’m appreciating more deeply the blessings I have in my life like my health, my son, my husband, my friends and family, and my spiritual life. This deeper and more intentional presence in my life is allowing me to feel happier, to not be as frustrated, and to be appreciative of my life.

This has been a much needed break for me. I often get angry and frustrated when life seems to be pushing or pulling me in directions I don’t want to go in. And feeling angry takes away from my happiness and diminishes my relationships. Therefore by shifting my focus and by being reflective and calm I have been able to reconnect to my feelings of happiness, and a sense of goodness in my life again.

I am also reading daily spiritual writings that invite me to intentionally reflect, and thus keep my focus on the positive instead of the negative. This has been my saving grace in so many ways because it grounds me back to where my heart and mind most naturally live: in a place of love rather than a place of disconnect.

And a big reminder that has resurfaced in my time of reflection: just be patient, the right answers, the right path will always be shown when the time is right…

20130221-211738.jpg

How about you? How does taking the time to be reflective enhance your life?

Blessings, Erin, Bella Bleue

©Bella Bleue Healing™ All Rights Reserved.
Please also visit my photography site: Photography by Bella Bleue.

See my Facebook page for daily inspirations and messages.