I have something to share.
I was sitting in the Temple of Remembrance last week on the Spring Equinox, feeling deeply tired and overwhelmed, when my friend and spiritual mentor, Sarah Jenks, said this:
"Exhaustion comes from holding onto what the Mother is trying to take away."
And I knew that message was for me.
Have you ever felt that you were so fortunate to have so many amazing blessings and opportunities in your life but that, also, it was just too much?
That's where I have been. And it's HARD to let go of something that is really good. Even when it's time. Even when you're exhausted.
Some of you know that I stepped back from holding moon circles last August and took a six-month break. During that time, a lot happened. My oldest child left for college, my youngest got his driver's license, our sweet dog Zico left this earth too soon, I officially entered menopause, I've struggled with my energy and health, I (finally) left my 20+ year career in the nonprofit housing world.
And when January arrived, I thought I was ready to take on holding sacred space again. My soul sister, Anjali Budreski, and I excitedly planned a Beltaine Retreat and opened up registration.
And then.... crickets. Hmmmm. That wasn't what I expected. We had very few registrations for the retreat in the new format we had designed. So we did some deep inquiry and realized that some things were misaligned.
What I hadn't really thought through was that all of the changes in my life had created an energetic and physical opening for my new career to suddenly take off. Some of you know that I have worked in real estate for the past five years but I haven't really shared a lot about the change I made a year ago to work for a company that specializes in helping older adults transition from their long-time homes into senior living communities. It turns out that I LOVE this work. And once I made more space in my life for it, it has (like our retreat was supposed to) BLOSSOMED.
The Mother (the Goddess, the Universe) has been telling me that THIS is my work in the world right now. THIS is what is needed of me and where I can make an impact at this time.
The Mother was also telling me: You need to let go of this retreat.
Anjali and I have the dearest friendship. It is a treasure in my life. We talked, we explored, and we decided that a pivot was in order.
So I am thrilled to share that Anjali will be holding the Blossom Beltaine Retreat on her own and she has redesigned it into a one-day event that is much more affordable and flexible than our original plan.
I will miss being a part of it but I am so incredibly sure that we made the right choice.
I hope you will consider joining her and know that I will be there in spirit.
I don't know when I will be back in your inbox or holding circles and retreats again. I've certainly learned to never say never. But I know I feel energized by this shift that will allow me to focus my efforts on the work in the world that is truly calling me.
Thank you for being part of my journey to reclaim the sacred feminine and sharing in our paths of remembering our inner divinity through sisterhood and magic.
I'm off to make a gorgeous carrot-leek soup for a coven circle gathering at my home tonight with some beautiful friends. And I am deeply grateful for the blessing of magical women in my life.
So much love,
Juli
To register for Anjali's Beltaine Vermont Retreat- visit this link
To learn more about the Temple of Remembrance- visit this link
If you'd like to see what I am up to in my Real Estate life- visit this link or connect with me on Instagram @juliford_realestate