Done is 2021, New is 2022 – free audio to help you reflect, release, and renew

How will you look back on 2021?

Will it be overshadowed by the negative energy of Covid-19 or will you find glimmers of positivity…maybe you’ll even recognise something in the order of inner growth?

As I reflected on the past 12 months, it occurred to me that I had some giant moments. The sh!t show of Covid (let’s just call it what it is) and the subsequent moments where I felt bullied and ostracised for being unvaccinated, presented me with opportunities to go within…even more than I usually do.

As I contemplated the past 12 months and tapped into the energy of what we collectively needed to know, I drew the following cards from my new Gaia Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno. Incidentally, the first card I drew was the last one in the deck and represents “Earth changes, Climate Change, Transformation.” I’ve included the full explanation below, but the passage that stood out for me giving me understanding, perspective and hope was:

“From the stars we were born and to a star we shall transform. Be mindful of Mother Earth, be considerate and kind to her, but do not fear her changing nature, for just like us, she is transforming to ever greater light.”

When I think back on moments where I attempted to embrace this higher perspective, I look no further than March. After a beautiful weekend away with my family in Tathra, I fell down some steps and tore ligaments in my ankle. A moon boot and some deep introspection later, I was able to recognise the gift in the situation. I had been trying to do too much. I actually fell down the steps while I was carrying a large box of supplies which I had prepared, packed, and re-packed to ensure my family enjoyed their time away. As the snacks, fruit, and roll of paper towel went flying in one direction and I in another, the incident was a perfect representation of a mum trying to do it all…unsuccessfully. Thankfully, I saw the blessing in disguise and decided this would spark some much-needed changes.

 

The next card I turned over was Purification (fire) featuring the words: “Bare essentials, The Naked Truth, Wholeness.” Automatically, my mind shifted to June when Beneath an Ominous Sky: Personal Accounts of the 2019-2020 Black Summer Bushfires was printed. As a member of my local writers’ group, I contributed my own personal accounts from the bushfires. It was a heart-wrenching yet cathartic experience. As we approach the two-year anniversary of the fires, I’d like to think collections of these stories provide comfort and hope to individuals and the community as a whole, as a reminder that we survived, and together we are learning to rise again.

 

The final card I turned over was Zen Garden which is all about “Inner sanctuary.” Sometimes we don’t want to hear that “everything happens for a reason”, even if we know it to be true. So when I read those words as part of the explanation of this card, I knew I had to go deeper. September of this year proved to be one of my most significant months to date with massive highs and the biggest low of all when my mum had a heart attack and blood clot after receiving her second vaccination. True to the card’s words that “there is a higher purpose to all things” I was able to see a bigger picture forming for her and me. 10 years ago, almost to the day of her heart attack, I created a book, Postcards from the Heart. This was a collection of extracts from notes, letters, and cards we had exchanged between us over almost 30 years. I had matched the inspirational and empowering words we had written to one another with stunning photography of the South Coast captured by Jonathan Poyner. Jon’s work has featured in national newspapers and magazines including Australian Geographic.

The night my mum was admitted to hospital after having the heart attack she received news of the blood clot. I honestly didn’t know if I would hear her voice the next morning and the last thing I said as I cried myself to sleep was that the next book I would publish would be our book, Postcards from the Heart. When I did get to hear her voice the next day and I told her, she was overjoyed. The bigger picture for me was that I needed to finish that project I started–something that was so close to my heart (which I’m pleased to say I’m working on now). The bigger picture for her was that although she was fit and healthy, she chose to look at this situation as an opportunity to go within. There were things in her life she wanted to do, and this “wake-up call” would help her work out how she was going to bring them to fruition. Together both of us would get to explore the “Zen Garden.”

 

Days before my mum’s heart attack, I launched a new movement of sorts called “Joytember” where I encouraged people to post about the activities that brought them joy. The seed had been planted by my delightful friend Chery Austen and it started as an attempt to bring some much-needed joy into my life, my family’s lives, and to those around me. I hoped it would have a ripple effect as more people recognised that this was a simple, yet effective way to inject some joy and happiness into their world.

 

September would also see me launch my very first writers course and coaching programs to the world. November would bring forth more positivity with another launch of sorts with “Shaz’s Book Club” – thank you Oprah for the inspiration! Since I love all things books, this is where I get to share the book that I’m reading and loving the most.

I’m sure you too have had a rollercoaster of a year.

As 2021 comes to a close, I hope you are able to mine some gems amongst the rubble. Maybe you too will take this opportunity to go within and reflect so that you can embrace 2022 with new enthusiasm and optimism. If 2021 taught me anything, it was to answer the call–to look inside and listen to my heart and figure out what I truly want out of life.

As I re-read the messages of the cards, I realised they were certainly for all of us. What you choose to do with this wisdom is entirely up to you. It is my hope that we are able to look at 2021 (warts and all) and not feel angst but rather see it as the chance we took to journey inward.

“It is here, within your inner sanctuary that you will find the peace you seek. Peace is only possible when there is peace within our hearts. When you are able to find peace even in the midst of chaos then you are a true master.”

To help you acknowledge 2021 for what it was (the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between), and let go of the energy in time to welcome the new of 2022, I have created this free audio meditation. Allow yourself 10 minutes of peace free without distractions and interruptions. This is your sacred time and space to release and renew.  

For more details on how I dealt with my mum’s health scare tune into the episode Health Shocks and Overcoming Blocks on Kris and Shaz in the Mother of All Roles Podcast.

Here are the full card explanations from Toni Carmine Salerno’s Gaia Oracle Guidebook…

Evolution:

Our world is cradled in a cosmic ocean of love; surrounded by an infinite universe, governed by a higher force greater than our human mind can know or comprehend. We are a forever changing image, forever transforming on our journey through eternity. Yes, the climate is changing, and yes, the Earth is transforming, but this has always been so and this will always continue. Are we governed by a will greater than our own or are we the architects of our own future? This we do not know for sure. But one thing is certain; whether we like it or not our precious planet will continue to transform. From the stars we were born and to a star we shall transform. Be mindful of Mother Earth, be considerate and kind to her, but do not fear her changing nature, for just like us, she is transforming to ever greater light.

Affirmation:

All lovingly unfolds through time and space

Life constantly transforms, but in essence nothing changes

There is nothing to fear, there is only love

I am one with the universe and stars

Love is my guiding force

Purification (Fire):

What is it that your heart truly desires? What do you perceive is missing in your life? In order to find the answers you must look inside your heart. You already know this but have been reluctant to look because a part of you fears what your heart is trying to tell you. The only way forward is to face your fear. Something in your life is not working out as you would have liked and it’s not going to get any better unless you have the courage to face it. Close your eyes and relax. Imagine a beautiful flame, warming your heart and soul. Feel its purifying and healing light burning away your fears and doubts, healing your body and mind and clearing away all obstacles either imagined or real. Feel your heart centre as an endless space full of only love and light. Feel the peace. You are safe in this eternal space of light. Now, what is your heart saying? When it brings a tear to your eye you will know that it is your truth. Your soul will guide you towards happiness; all you need to do is follow. Trust!

Affirmation:

I listen to my heart and follow its guidance

I deserve to be happy

I have the power to create my reality

I trust that all will work out well

My life is clear of obstacles

Zen Garden:

Life is full of ups and downs, a constant ebb and flow between war and peace. Everything has a positive and negative charge. Harmony and disharmony, order and chaos, clarity and confusion, calm and conflict, are all partners. In our physical world, you cannot have one without the other. Yet, like all of us you sometimes wish that things could change. Why can’t we just live in peace? Well, the answer is that peace is possible, but you can only find it from within. The first step is to accept the world as it is – just let things be. Trust that everything happens for a reason and that there is a higher purpose to all things. Now become aware of your breath, let it guide you to a place of peace and light, a beautiful garden within the golden chamber of your heart. It is here, within your inner sanctuary that you will find the peace you seek. Peace is only possible when there is peace within our hearts. When you are able to find peace even in the midst of chaos then you are a true master.”

Affirmation:

I accept and love the world as it is

I trust that there is a higher order to everything

I find solace in the sanctuary of my heart

I move my awareness within

I am the peace I seek